| OK - just found the flaw in my logic. 24 bit audio does not mean that the waveform is divided into 16777215 discrete steps, as basic digital audio theory would seem to suggest. It seems that there is a bit of overhead, and only about 20 bits are used to describe the waveform.
20 bits x 6dB per bit = 120dB - which explains to me why the best converters only have a dynamic range of around 114dB. The missing 6 dB is easier to explain as noise than 30dB.
Of course consumer D/A has a much more restricted dynamic range than the best studio converters. So I still don't think it's wise to slam everything in the top 6dB, even if that's what everybody does. But i'm now happier about peaking at 6dB. |