How important is Hi-Res Audio Certification?

[IsaacOscar]

I've noticed several products have a "Hi-Res Audio" logo on them, e.g.
the expensive sennheisser IE 600

(But not the chaper IE 300 or 200).
In contrast, my cheap DAC has the logo:

Am I missing out on anything if I buy a product without the logo?

(I'm guessing it's completely unnecessary, but I'm curious what people's opinion here is).

 

[staticV3]

Am I missing out on anything if I buy a product without the logo?

Absolutely not.

Hi-Res certification ensures that the product can reproduce ultrasonic noise, which is imperceptible to human ears.

 

[staticV3]

The Neumann KH 150 would not be able to receive Hi-Res certification, and that's about all you need to know about this sticker.

 

[amirm]

It is indeed a useless spec and just means the device can go higher than audible band.

 

[JSmith]

Yeah, it’s mainly a marketing tool...

DAC's need to be able to handle sampling rates above 44.1/48 kHz

DAC's need to support 24‑bit

Amps need to have a frequency response above 40 kHz

... that's all that is needed. They pay an annual licensing fee and sign an agreement saying they’ll follow the JAS rules... but it's a self certification, JAS doesn't test the product themselves.


JSmith

 

[IsaacOscar]

Yeah, it’s mainly a marketing tool...

DAC's need to be able to handle sampling rates above 44.1/48 kHz

DAC's need to support 24‑bit

Amps need to have a frequency response above 40 kHz

... that's all that is needed. They pay an annual licensing fee and sign an agreement saying they’ll follow the JAS rules... but it's a self certification, JAS doesn't test the product themselves.


JSmith

What about IEMs like the IE600?

 

[JSmith]

What about IEMs like the IE600?

A frequency response to/above 40 kHz (–10 dB relative to 1 kHz).


JSmith

 

[solderdude]

Japan Audio Society | Hi-Res Audio Logo

オーディオの普及に向けた活動や情報提供を行い、「オーディオ・ホームシアター展」等のイベントの開催など、オーディオに関わるイベントを主宰する日本オーディオ協会の公式WEBサイト

www.jas-audio.or.jp

Japan Audio Society | Status of Hi-Res AUDIO Logo

オーディオの普及に向けた活動や情報提供を行い、「オーディオ・ホームシアター展」等のイベントの開催など、オーディオに関わるイベントを主宰する日本オーディオ協会の公式WEBサイト

www.jas-audio.or.jp

digital systems must at least reach 24/96
speakers/headphones must reach 40kHz.
The funny part is it does not give the cutoff point. I know Sony uses -20dB cutoff points.
Certified Audio Codec name for Hi-Res Audio Wireless logo:
LDAC
LHDC
SCL6
LC3plus
SHDC
aptX Adaptive

It just needs to handle those codecs and you can apply for the logo.

Japan Audio Society makes money on it.

Hi-Res Audio logo License fee*

• Initial administration fee: USD850(one time only)
• Annual License fee: USD5000 for one calendar year

*except JAS member who've paid the membership fee

 

[IsaacOscar]

Japan Audio Society | Hi-Res Audio Logo

オーディオの普及に向けた活動や情報提供を行い、「オーディオ・ホームシアター展」等のイベントの開催など、オーディオに関わるイベントを主宰する日本オーディオ協会の公式WEBサイト

www.jas-audio.or.jp

Japan Audio Society | Status of Hi-Res AUDIO Logo

オーディオの普及に向けた活動や情報提供を行い、「オーディオ・ホームシアター展」等のイベントの開催など、オーディオに関わるイベントを主宰する日本オーディオ協会の公式WEBサイト

www.jas-audio.or.jp

digital systems must at least reach 24/96
speakers/headphones must reach 40kHz.
The funny part is it does not give the cutoff point. I know Sony uses -20dB cutoff points.
Certified Audio Codec name for Hi-Res Audio Wireless logo:
LDAC
LHDC
SCL6
LC3plus
SHDC
aptX Adaptive

It just needs to handle those codecs and you can apply for the logo.

Thanks!! (The English was terrible on that site, and seems quite strange that it says:

(3) Wireless Audio Data Transfer shall not have enough band width to transfer Digital Audio data defined at ＜Digital process＞ .

So if you're device can transmit lossless 24-bit/96kHz, then you are not allowed to use the Hi-Res Audio Wireless logo?)

I was hoping that "Hi-Res" meant it was more accurate (less noise and distortion), but it seems it just means twice the range of human hearing...

(So maybe it's better not to get "Hi-Res" Audio products so that I don't annoy my cat?)

 

[Mart68]

(So maybe it's better not to get "Hi-Res" Audio products so that I don't annoy my cat?)

The cat should always be the priority.

 

[solderdude]

A cat can hear up to 65kHz so Hi-Res certification will not be enough for cats as Hi-Res certification only needs to go to 40kHz (double the 'human' limit).

Cat-Res certification would require 120kHz bandwidth for speakers, headphones and amplifiers and 384/24 PCM minimum.

 

[mhardy6647]

My high-school & college-era cat, The Bear, enjoyed listening to music with me -- but she did not like the first, eponymous album by the quasi-group Boston (i.e., Tom
Scholz). Mind you, this was on vinyl.

The Bear, for whatever reason, was also somewhat suspicious of of my grad-school-era girlfriend.... who is, as I write this, my old-age-era wife.



The Bear, ca. 1973, out in the backyard on a leash. She loved to go outside, and would go get the leash and drag it to a member of her human support staff, mewing rather piteously, when she wished to go outside.

... but I digress...

 

[DavidMcRoy]

I'd call it "mainstream snake oil."

 

[solderdude]

How important is Hi-Res Audio Certification?​

The answer is VERY important to Japan Audio Society as you have to pay them $ 5.000 per year per device and all it says is that it can reach 40kHz (but does not even mention cutoff points).

Sennheiser alone has these logos for 10 devices so annually they have to pay $ 50.000 a year just to print a logo on their boxes.
Looking at the list of models that have permission to use that logo.

Japan Audio Society | Status of Hi-Res AUDIO Logo

オーディオの普及に向けた活動や情報提供を行い、「オーディオ・ホームシアター展」等のイベントの開催など、オーディオに関わるイベントを主宰する日本オーディオ協会の公式WEBサイト

www.jas-audio.or.jp

They are earning millions of dollars per year ... for just a singe logo.
So to JAS the logo is very important.
For the manufacturers the logos also seem important given how much they pay for a logo per device. A sales argument.
Consumers just think it is important and tells you the sound must be better than the models that don't have it.

 

[JSmith]

They are earning millions of dollars per year ... for just a singe logo.

What a rort!


JSmith

 

[Mart68]

How important is Hi-Res Audio Certification?​

The answer is VERY important to Japan Audio Society as you have to pay them $ 5.000 per year per device and all it says is that it can reach 40kHz (but does not even mention cutoff points).

Sennheiser alone has these logos for 10 devices so annually they have to pay $ 50.000 a year just to print a logo on their boxes.

Of course it's actually the customers who are paying for it as the cost of using the logo will be factored in to the retail price.

So the net result is you pay more for the product than you would have done otherwise and there's zero advantage to you.

Welcome to the hi-fi business!

 

[voodooless]

Sennheiser alone has these logos for 10 devices so annually they have to pay $ 50.000 a year just to print a logo on their boxes.

I'm sure they get a very nice discount

 

[IsaacOscar]

So the net result is you pay more for the product than you would have done otherwise and there's zero advantage to you.

That's the thing though, you may be more likely to buy them in the first place if they have the logo, or even the higher price could make people buy them (in fact that's basically how I chose my first headphones: of the ones that I was considering, I bought the ones with the highest price that I was willing to spend; I got lucky though and they're really good).