Originally Posted by
elCheapoDeluxe
If we're talking about listening on planes while drinking vodka, though, we really have to keep our perspective before insisting on 320kb AAC or FLAC. My biggest problem on a plane, Bose QC's or no, is dynamic contrast.
I think you mean "dynamic range," not "dynamic contrast."
Sure you can hear fortissimo just fine, bit pianissimo comes across as silence masked by engine drone. I'm pretty sure the last time I listened to Stravinsky on a plane - I thought the music had ended five minutes ago by the time it crashed back to life. Listening in the car isn't any better. I think high bitrate / lossless is great for sitting at home with a nice HiFi or a great set of earphones - but the devices in my travel arsenal are probably fine at 140kb.
First of all, sample rate has nothing to do with dynamic range -- that is determined by bit depth which is completely unrelated. Next, the higher sample rate is going to give better clarity, particularly in the higher frequencies -- that is critical to listening in an environment with a lot of low-frequency rumble, like a plane. Finally, higher sample rates are essential for avoiding artifacts, resonances and harmonic distortition.
Sorry, but you're mistaken about the role of sample rate in musical reproduction.