An audio decoder has an arithmetic decoder for providing decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation. The arithmetic decoder selects a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state described by a numeric current context value which is determined in dependence on previously decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder obtains a plurality of context subregion values on the basis of previously decoded spectral values and derives a numeric current context value associated with one or more spectral values to be decoded in dependence on stored context subregion values. The arithmetic decoder computes the norm of a vector formed by a plurality of previously decoded spectral values in order to obtain a common context subregion value. An audio encoder uses a similar concept.