It is lossless and uncompressed (so big file sizes), but not massively popular.

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So why should you care about hi-res audio If you want the best digital music experience possible or at least better sound quality than youre currently used to (and why wouldnt you), hi-res audio is definitely worth investigating.

After all, what exactly constitutes hi-res audio, what do all the different file formats and numbers mean, where can you download or stream these high quality files, and what devices do you need to play it Indeed, where do you even begin Thats where we come in.

Our handy guide will take you through the ins and outs of hi-res audio.

By the end, we hope youll know everything you need to know (and then some) and will be well on your way to enjoying your new and improved sonic lifestyle.

What is high-resolution audio Unlike high-definition video, theres no single universal standard for hi-res audio.

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In 2014, the Digital Entertainment Group, Consumer Electronics Association and The Recording Academy, together with record labels, formally defined high-resolution audio as lossless audio that is capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources.

In its simplest terms, hi-res audio tends to refer to music files that have a higher sampling frequency andor bit depth than CD, which is specified at 16-bit44.1kHz.

Sampling frequency (or sample rate) refers to the number of times samples of the signal are taken per second during the analogue-to-digital conversion process.

The more bits there are, the more accurately the signal can be measured in the first instance, so going 16bit to 24bit can deliver a noticeable leap in quality.

Hi-res audio files usually use a sampling frequency of 96kHz or 192kHz at 24bit.

You can also have 88.2kHz and 176.4kHz files too.

Hi-res audio does come with a downside though: file size.

Thankfully, storage is much cheaper than it used to be, so its easier to get higher-capacity devices.

And technologies such as MQA (see below) have arrived to help tackle that.

Thats not all: there are also several different hi-res audio file formats to choose from, all of which have their own compatibility requirements.

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They include the popular FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) formats, both of which are compressed but in a way which means that, in theory, no information is lost.

Other formats include the uncompressed WAV and AIFF formats, DSD (the format used for Super Audio CDs) and the more recent MQA (Master Quality Authenticated).

The relative merits of each of the formats can be argued, but the most crucial issue will be the files compatibility with your chosen products and software.

Heres a breakdown of all the main file formats: MP3 (not hi-res): Popular, lossy compressed format ensures small file size, but far from the best sound quality.

Convenient for storing music on smartphones and iPods, but doesnt support hi-res.

AAC (not hi-res): An alternative to MP3s, its lossy and compressed but sounds better.

Used for iTunes downloads, Apple Music streaming (at 256kbps) and YouTube streaming.

Great sound quality but its uncompressed, meaning huge file sizes (especially for hi-res files).

It has poor metadata support (that is, album artwork, artist and song title information).

AIFF (hi-res): Apples alternative to WAV, with better metadata support.