Why Professional 1-Bit Sigma-Delta Conversion is a Bad Idea

Lipshitz SP, Vanderkooy J. Why Professional 1-Bit Sigma-Delta Conversion is a Bad Idea. In: AES Convention 109. Audio Engineering Society; 2000. Paper 5188. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=9150

@inproceedings{Lipshitz2000_9150,
  author = {Lipshitz, Stanley P. and Vanderkooy, John},
  title = {{Why Professional 1-Bit Sigma-Delta Conversion is a Bad Idea}},
  booktitle = {AES Convention 109},
  note = {Paper 5188},
  year = {2000},
  month = sep,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=9150}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Why Professional 1-Bit Sigma-Delta Conversion is a Bad Idea
AU  - Lipshitz, Stanley P.
AU  - Vanderkooy, John
T2  - AES Convention 109
M1  - Paper 5188
PY  - 2000
DA  - 2000/09/06
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=9150
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Single-stage, 1-bit sigma-delta converters are, in principle, imperfectible. The authors prove this fact. The reason, simply stated, is that when properly dithered they are in constant overload. The consequence is that distortion, limit cycles, instability, and noise modulation can never be totally avoided. Recording, editing or storage systems based upon single-stage, 1-bit sigma-delta conversion and, in particular, professional systems using this type of conversion are thus a bad idea. In contrast multibit sigma-delta converters, which output linear PCM code (here, multibit refers to five or so bits in the converter), are in principle infinitely perfectible. They can be properly dithered to guarantee the absence of all distortion, limit cycles, and noise modulation. The audio industry is making a tragic mistake if it adopts 1-bit sigma-delta conversion as an archival format to replace multibit, linear PCM.:
ER  -