Using all that CD has to offer?, What types of music and specific discs use the full bits and freq. Options

[BearcatSandor]

(i'm probably oversimplifying this in my ignorance about it)

Dynamic range of analogue vs digital cannot be compared so easily either - the former can provide subjectively useable dynamic range which exceeds that of its digital equivalent, because it 'fails gracefully' above its rated maximum range, continuing to capture information which, in the digital domain, would have simply been truncated (resulting in a clipped waveform).

You're looking at the wrong end. Where is the noise floor? As a delivery format 16 bits is sufficient in storing this information. With the vast majority of the music out there and especially from the artists referenced in this discussion this can be done with fewer than 16 bits.

This got me wondering what styles of music generally do use the full bandwidth and bit-width available on CDs? The bits provide the dynamic range, yes? So classical would be more likely to take advantage of all 16 bits than rock recordings? What about frequency response? What types of music are likely to span that 18.5hz - 22.5khz range? Electronic? Classical again?

Anyone have an specific discs that utilize all the bandwidth and bits that CD has to offer?

As an aside, i do remember reading a subwoofer shootout in some magazine where they measured some CDs as going down to 16hz. Doesn't that go below the limits of CDs? Were they probably just listening to reflections?

Thanks

[greynol]

Oh FFS, I was continuing with the joke; but seriously, you can't possibly find it inconceivable that one could end a track with a digitally-generated reverb tail which could make use of the increased bit depth causing an audible difference when amplified by an unreasonable amount for normal playback?

This post has been edited by greynol: Jun 13 2012, 13:18

[Arnold B. Kruege...]

Oh FFS, I was continuing with the joke; but seriously, you can't possibly find it inconceivable that one could end a track with a digitally-generated reverb tail which could make use of the increased bit depth causing an audible difference when amplified by an unreasonable amount for normal playback?

You don't have to generate a thing - just do a really long fade out, and it will make the naturally-occurring reverb tail look like its setting new records for dynamic range.