Audio & Video Mastery

Deep dives into the science of sound. Learn the technical differences between Lossless TrueHD, 96kHz Stereo, and immersive Dolby Atmos.

By Rob Skarin

• 4 articles

Lossless vs. Lossy Atmos: TrueHD vs. E-AC3

Understand the technical difference between the two Atmos tracks included in your MKV (Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD Atmos) and why TrueHD is the "Studio Master" standard. The Technical Difference: While both tracks carry "Dolby Atmos" 3D metadata, they use very different "carrier" technology. - Dolby TrueHD with Atmos (Lossless): This is a bit-for-bit replica of the studio master tape. It has a variable bitrate that can reach 18,000 kbps. It captures every nuance without throwing away any data. It is the gold standard for home cinema. - Dolby Digital Plus with Atmos / E-AC3 (Lossy): This is the format used by streaming services like Netflix. It is compressed to roughly 768 kbps to save bandwidth. To achieve this, it discards high-frequency data (usually above 20kHz) and simplifies the complexity of the audio. Why it matters for music: instruments are often placed in the "height" channels for immersive effects. - Dolby TrueHD Atmos keeps these instruments focused and clear. - Dolby Atmos (E-AC3) can sometimes introduce "artifacts" or a "swirling" digital sound in the overhead speakers because of the heavy compression.

Last updated on Feb 08, 2026

The Power of 96kHz / 24-bit (High-Res Stereo & 5.1 Surround)

Higher sample rates and bit depths found on Headphone Dust MKV releases preserve the dynamic range and "air" of the original master recording. Standard CD's are 16-bit / 44.1kHz. Headphone Dust releases are 24-bit / 96kHz. Here is what those numbers actually do for your ears: - 24-bit (Dynamic Range): Bit depth is like the "height" of the sound wave. 16-bit has a range of 96dB, but 24-bit pushes that to 144dB. This allows for a much lower "noise floor"—meaning you can hear the tiniest whispers and the natural decay of a reverb tail without digital hiss. - 96kHz (Sample Rate): Sample rate is how many "snapshots" are taken of the music per second. 96kHz captures frequencies up to 48kHz (well beyond human hearing). While you can't "hear" 30kHz, these higher frequencies affect the timing and phase of the frequencies you can hear, leading to a more natural, "airy" soundstage.

Last updated on Feb 08, 2026

Hi-Res 5.1: What is Surround Sound?

While Stereo (2.0) mimics a band standing in front of you, 5.1 Surround places you inside the band. - Channel Breakdown: Front Left, Front Right, Center (for vocals/lead), Rear Left, Rear Right, and the Subwoofer (.1). - Why it matters for music: Unlike movies, where the rear speakers are just for "background noise," most artists use the rear channels for active instrumentation in 5.1 mixes - guitars, synths, or backing vocals - creating a fully immersive 360-degree field. - The Center Channel: By having a dedicated speaker for the lead vocal or instrument, it reduces "clutter" in the left and right speakers, leading to much higher clarity across the entire mix.

Last updated on Feb 08, 2026

4K HEVC Video: Beyond Streaming Quality

The 4K visuals in our Headphone Dust MKV files use the HEVC (H.265) codec at bitrates far higher than YouTube or Netflix. This means the quality looks fantastic, close to what you would see on a 4K Blu-ray disc. We encode into H.265 using very slow encoding presets directly from Apple ProRes HQ files for maximum quality. - Bitrate Purity: Netflix 4K usually streams at 15–20 Mbps. Our files often peak at 60–80 Mbps. This extra data prevents "macro-blocking" (pixelated squares) in dark scenes and preserves the fine grain of film. - No Buffering Drops: Because the file is played locally from your drive, the quality never "dips" or gets blurry because of an internet slowdown. You are seeing the highest possible resolution from the first frame to the last. If you use Infuse Pro on Apple devices, you can stream the files from cloud storage, and Infuse Pro's decoding actually does a brilliant job of eliminating buffering drops and quality degradation (provided you have a high speed internet connection!).

Last updated on Feb 08, 2026