What Does the Unit kHz Mean in Digital Audio? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Streaming > Music, Podcasts, & Audio 115 115 people found this article helpful

What Does the Unit kHz Mean in Digital Audio?

Does sample rate affect music quality?

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 1, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Music, Podcasts, & Audio Audio Streaming Spotify Pandora Apple Music Prime Music Music For Your Life Podcasts Radio CDs, MP3s, & Other Media kHz is short for kilohertz and is a measurement of frequency, or cycles per second. In digital audio, this measurement describes the number of data chunks used per second to represent an analog sound in digital form. These data chunks are known as the sampling rate or sampling frequency. This definition is often confused with another popular term in digital audio, known as a bitrate (measured in kbps). However, the difference between these two terms is that bitrate measures how much data is sampled every second (size of the chunks) rather than the number of chunks (frequency). kHz is sometimes referred to as sampling rate, sampling interval, or cycles per second. Hero Images / Getty Images

Common Sampling Rates Used for Digital Music Content

In digital audio, the most common sampling rates you'll encounter include: 8 kHz for speech, audiobooks, and other spoken materials. 22 kHz for digitized analog mono recordings, such as vinyl records and cassette tapes. 32 kHz for streaming music and radio stations. 44.1 kHz for audio CDs and typically the de facto standard for downloaded music, including popular formats like MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, and others. 48 and 96 kHz is used for high-definition equipment and professional audio.

Does kHz Determine Audio Quality

In theory, the higher the kHz value is, the better the sound quality. This is due to more data chunks being used to describe the analog waveform. This is normally true in the case of digital music, which contains a complex mix of frequencies. However, this theory collapses when dealing with other types of analog sound, such as speech. The popular sampling rate for speech is 8 kHz—below audio CD quality at 44.1 kHz. This is because the human voice has a frequency range of approximately 0.3 to 3 kHz. With this example in mind, a higher kHz doesn't always mean better quality audio. What's more is that, as the frequency climbs to levels that most humans can't hear (usually around 20 kHz), those inaudible frequencies may nonetheless affect the sound quality. You can test this by listening to something at an ultra-high frequency that your sound device supports but that you're not supposed to hear. You might find that, depending on your equipment, you'll hear clicks, whistles, and other sounds. These sounds mean that the sampling rate is set too high. You can either buy different equipment that can support those frequencies or reduce the sampling rate to something more manageable, such as 44.1 kHz. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Best iTunes Rip Settings for CD Audiobooks How to Rip Music From CDs Using Windows Media Player 11 What Does Audio Bit Depth Mean? 7 Things to Consider Before Buying Headphones How Audio File Formats Differ and What This Means for Listeners What Is Hi-Res Audio? The Basics Bit Depth vs. Bit Rate in Audio Recording What Is HD Voice and How Does It Work? What Is Amazon Music HD, and How Does It Work? The 4 Best MP3 Players of 2022 What's the Difference Between CBR and VBR Encoding? What Is Speaker Sensitivity and What Does It Mean? Computer Audio Basics: Digital Audio and Standards What Is the Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) Format? Sony PCM-A10 Review: A Powerful Digital Audio Recorder What Is Audio Clipping in Speakers? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies