Andrew Reilly said:
Based on what theory? Based on what PCM audio? Red Book? DVD-A?
Some arbitrary, non-standard interconnect? The main system bus of a
computer that processes said PCM audio?
Since one can (and does) use PCM at all levels and scales of physical
analysis (electron microscopy, earthquake analysis, radar, etc), then the
limitations are going to come from what you define to be "audio", in the
context of "PCM audio".
Once you define your terms, the answers to all of your questions can be
simply derived.
Sorry, but he DID define his terms. "PCM audio," meaning "pulse
code modulation audio" is sufficiently unambiguous to answer
his question. We don't have to know DVD, red book or anything
else.
The maximum bandwidth possible without the introduction of
unwanted artifacts must be less than 1/2 the sampling rate.
The two are equivalent when the signal is the maximum undistorted
signal the medium can accept. In such a case, the dynamic range,
as defined as the ratio between the smallest unmabiguously encodable
sample measured over the bandwidth of the system and the maximum
undistorted signal is approximately 6.02 dB per bit.
Sorry, SPL is irrelevant, because it includes factors not relevant
to the PCM process, such as amplifier gain, loudspeaker efficiency,
distance from the speaker, and any other factors that has nothing
to do with "PCM"
Sorry, but this is a case where your use of the terminology is murky.
"pitch" is defined as the psychoacoustic perception as it relates
to the frequency of a tone. As to the highest possible frequency,
assuming base-band usage, is simply less than 1/2 the sampling rate.