Today we have another bit related question. This one from Howard F: “I’m looking for a way to get the 24-bit quality of my masters burned to CD’s that I do in my studio. Currently downsizing to 16 bit for the burning process is a troubling loss of sound quality. What options for improvement are you familiar with ?”
There is no way to get “actual” 24-bit quality to a CD because CD is a 16-bit format. The best solutions are dithering or bit mapping. There are a variety of dithering algorithms available that do a good job of dithering a 20 or 24-bit word down to 16 bits while retaining nearly 20 bit sound quality. There are many subtly different types of dithering algorithms available these days. The one most appropriate for you will depend upon your budget and the other equipment you work with. Also, be sure to check out the Bob Katz Digido page mentioned above for a TON more information on this subject.