Will this change in audio codec result in appreciable difference?

Question

I used SciPy to run a butterworth pass, removing sounds above a certain frequency from an audio file. The SciPy package is fast and easy to use but unfortunately, lacking options in terms of specifying codec to be used in the output.

My original audio files were in PCM s16LE @ 16 bits per sample. The output audio files are in 64 bits floats LE @ 64 bits per sample. Will the change in codec have an appreciable impact on the way the audio files sound. Would I be able to keep the sound quality similar if I were to convert the output audio codec back to its original format?

Answer 1

Yes, converting the audio back to the original format of 16 bit integer should not cause audible quality loss.

The higher precision format might be useful as intermediate format for processing, but converting back to 16 bit integer format does not incur any extra audible noise.

See https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html for further explanations on the matter. A few relevant quotes:

16 bits is enough to store all we can hear, and will be enough forever.

[...]

When does 24 bit matter?

Professionals use 24 bit samples in recording and production for headroom, noise floor, and convenience reasons.

16 bits is enough to span the real hearing range with room to spare. [...]

[...] Once the music is ready to distribute, there's no reason to keep more than 16 bits.