Oversampling: How and Why

[the_bertrum]

everytime I think I've "got" the theory, I find I'm woefully wrong - but I know if I can hear something.

Actually, this is where you are probably wrong. When dealing with the subtleties of different (over)sampling frequencies and/or bit depths it is extremely unlikely you can actually hear any difference. Especially not without rigorous controls. Much more likely you are just fooling yourself. We all do it.

That is in fact exactly what I'm saying.  I can hear the difference between the upsampling done by SoX and the upsampling done by the chip in my DAC.  I can't tell the difference between different bit depths, or sampling recipies. That's why I suggested what I did in my post at 09-21-2020, 01:20 PM.  Malcolmwa can choose to learn about resampling if wishes for the intelectual challenge or he can try a few broad changes to see which he prefers, then get on with enjoying his music.