As much as we’d love to crank the sample rate as high as possible, it’s just not that simple.

  • Most decoding and upmixing stages run at 48 kHz because that’s what the decoding libraries expect. It’s also the standard rate used by studios when they mix immersive movie soundtracks, so everything upstream is already built around 48 kHz.
  • Could we upsample the output to something higher? Technically yes, but doubling the sample rate doesn’t just “double” the DSP load—it quadruples it. So it’s not just flipping a variable in the code; it’s a major resource hit.

The upside is that while higher sample rates have their perks, they don’t fix the real-world issues that matter most. Room acoustics dominate the listening experience, and smart DSP does far more for sound quality than jumping from 48 kHz to 192 kHz ever will. Do an A/B test: 192 kHz with weak DSP versus 48 kHz with proper room correction, and the difference is night and day.


Does this mean there will never be higher sample rate on Tide16? That's not what we said.. ;-)