Maximum Bit Depth (PCM)
Maximum PCM bit depth is the longest supported word length: the number of bits used to represent each sample’s level. PCM means pulse-code modulation. Sample rate instead counts how many samples are sent each second.
This is a playback compatibility limit. Internal processing or volume-control precision, and support for 32-bit floating-point files, do not establish the PCM word lengths accepted or sent through a connection.
Maximum Bit Depth (PCM) — DAC
For a DAC, check the accepted word length of the input you will use. A chip’s internal bit count may be higher than the input supports. Compare the input’s PCM bit depth and sample rate with the signal your source sends; follow any driver or playback-setting requirements.
Music playing successfully does not prove that all its original bits arrived unchanged: software may convert it first. Accepting 32-bit PCM also does not guarantee 32-bit analog accuracy or better sound. Circuit noise and distortion remain separate limits.
Sources
- Yamaha — Audio quality in networked systems, Sampling issues — Yamaha
- Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M — Manual — Cambridge Audio
Maximum Bit Depth (PCM) — Streamer
For a streamer, distinguish network or file playback from digital output. It may play 32-bit files but send at most 24-bit PCM through a particular output. That connection cannot carry the original 32-bit signal unchanged.
Check file-format support and settings for your chosen playback route, then match the selected output’s word length and sample rate to the external DAC’s actual input. Do not apply a USB output limit to optical or coaxial outputs. If a maximum has no named connection, that connection remains unknown.
Sources
- LUMIN U2 MINI — Specifications — LUMIN
- Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M — Manual — Cambridge Audio