Maximum Sample Rate (PCM)
Maximum PCM sample rate is the highest rate of digital audio samples supported on a stated playback path or connection. PCM, or pulse-code modulation, represents sound as a sequence of sample values.
192 kHz means 192,000 samples per second. The maximum is a compatibility limit, not the rate currently playing or a sound-quality score. Bit depth and DSD support are separate specifications.
Maximum Sample Rate (PCM) — Streamer
For a streamer, distinguish the files it can play from the rates each digital output can send. File format and streaming service or delivery method can impose their own limits, so the largest advertised number does not apply to every route.
A streamer that plays 384 kHz files but has a 96 kHz optical output cannot send a 192 kHz track unchanged through that output. Check both the selected output and the connected DAC input for a supported rate. Do not assume the streamer will automatically convert an unsupported rate.
Sources
- Cambridge Audio — CXN100 Technical Specifications — Cambridge Audio
- Cambridge Audio — CXN (V2) Network Player manual — Cambridge Audio
Maximum Sample Rate (PCM) — DAC
For a DAC, use the limit of the input you will connect. A 768 kHz USB rating does not let an optical input specified for 96 kHz accept 192 kHz. Internal upsampling processes audio inside the DAC; it does not establish what its inputs accept.
Check the source or player’s output-rate setting and any required USB mode or driver. If the DAC displays its incoming rate, that confirms what reaches it, which may differ from the original file’s rate.
Sources
- Cambridge Audio — DacMagic 200M manual — Cambridge Audio
- Cambridge Audio — CXN V2 technical specification — Cambridge Audio
Sources
- Analog Devices — Sampling Rate — Analog Devices