Despite the superior technical specifications of high-resolution audio in comparison to conventional compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs), whether and how high-resolution audio leads to an improved subjective listening experience remains unclear. The sound quality of conventional digital formats is deteriorated by temporal blur, which is caused by a high-cut filter applied to avoid aliasing of a digital sound source, resulting in spurious artificial sound energy before and after the actual sound onset. Using sound materials of high-resolution audio grade, this study investigated the effects of filter-induced temporal blur on the auditory neural pathway from the cochlea through the rostral brainstem by measuring the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of participants with normal hearing. The participants (N = 24) listened to 0.1-ms clicks, with and without a high-cut filter of 22 kHz or 11 kHz applied to them. The amplitudes and latencies of five ABR waves (<10 ms) revealed no significant effects caused by filtering. The participants could not distinguish between the original and the 22-kHz filtered click sounds, while they could distinguish between the original and the 11-kHz filtered sounds. These results indicate that a CD-level anti-alias filter does not affect initial auditory processing and the sound difference is not discernible, at least for artificial sounds with a simple acoustic structure.

尽管与传统光盘 (CD) 和数字多功能光盘 (DVD) 相比，高分辨率音频的技术规格更为优越，但高分辨率音频是否以及如何改善主观聆听体验仍不清楚。传统数字格式的音质会因时间模糊而恶化，这是由应用高切滤波器以避免数字声源混叠引起的，从而导致在实际声音开始之前和之后产生虚假的人造声音能量。本研究使用高分辨率音频级声音材料，通过测量听力正常的参与者的听觉脑干反应 (ABR)，研究了滤波器引起的时间模糊对从耳蜗到头端脑干的听觉神经通路的影响。参与者们 （N  = 24) 听了 0.1 毫秒的咔嗒声，无论是否应用了 22 kHz 或 11 kHz 的高切滤波器。五个 ABR 波 (<10 ms) 的幅度和延迟显示过滤没有显着影响。参与者无法区分原始和 22-kHz 过滤的咔嗒声，但他们可以区分原始和 11-kHz 过滤的声音。这些结果表明，CD 级抗混叠滤波器不会影响初始听觉处理，并且声音差异不可辨别，至少对于具有简单声学结构的人造声音而言。