[LAmitchell]

Hey guys,
 
 
I'm embarrassed.  I always thought it was easy to tell the difference... I only got 2 out of 5 right
 
update: took the test again, and once again I only got 2 outta 5
 
 
http://test.tidalhifi.com
 
 
This is me concentrating really hard while listening....
 

 

[Fabithierry]

 To me, the difference between a High Quality mp3 and a CD or Flac is totally minimal. But the difference between a m4a (from iTunes) and a CD is really big.

 

[peanuthead]

I got 5/5 using Schiit Modi 2U/Crack/HD650.  Very subtle.
 

 

[castleofargh]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/743658/tidal-lossless-listening-test-whats-going-on-here
 
check this topic, they modify one version on purpose. typical dishonest marketing to push people to pay more for lossless streaming.

 

[Sal1950]

Do you consider your music collection disposable or a long term investment? If disposable purchase the cheapest low quality files you can can. If this is a long term investment get the best highest quality files you can. As time passes you never know when you equipment may improve or you may learn to be a more discriminating listener. Then the audibility of more detailed files may become important. Wouldn't want to end up with a large investment in low quality files that now sound like crap to you and have to re-purchase your whole collection. What will you have saved then?

 

[LAmitchell]

  I got 5/5 using Schiit Modi 2U/Crack/HD650.  Very subtle.
 

 
Yeah, I was shocked because I always thought there was a huge difference...  come to find out: there really isn't that big of a difference b/w 320 and lossless.

 

[Sal1950]

VERY SUBTLE improvements are at the heart of all things in the audiophile world. They are the reasons some folks will spend tens of thousands of dollars to upgrade a single component in their system. It's up to you if the cost is worth it. But IMHO your music collection is not the place to start cutting corners.

 

[yay101]

Your browser and pc both have software mixers. That's a lot of rounding, the difference would likely be larger with both given a decent connection to your DAC.

 

[sonci]

Do you consider your music collection disposable or a long term investment? If disposable purchase the cheapest low quality files you can can. If this is a long term investment get the best highest quality files you can. As time passes you never know when you equipment may improve or you may learn to be a more discriminating listener. Then the audibility of more detailed files may become important. Wouldn't want to end up with a large investment in low quality files that now sound like crap to you and have to re-purchase your whole collection. What will you have saved then?

as time goes, you get older, your hearing gets worst, first you lost high frequencies, then a bit of tinnitus, yo`ll be happy to distinguish a vinyl rip from a cd..
enjoy it while it lasts..

 

[Sal1950]

as time goes, you get older, your hearing gets worst, first you lost high frequencies, then a bit of tinnitus, yo`ll be happy to distinguish a vinyl rip from a cd..
enjoy it while it lasts..

HEY, I resemble that remark. LOL

 

[MakubexGB]

5/5 on first try with my humble setup (Creative Titanium HD Sound Card > Firestone Cute Beyond amp > Denon D2000). That said, I feel like I just guessed right by luck. They sounded about the same to me, at least with my setup.
 

 

[Dutchi MerenGue]

4 out of 5! got the last one wrong. maybe i just dont like the dixie chicks or was in rush? lol ironically that was the only one i was almost positive i had right
 
 
my setup was grant fidelity tubedac 11 with the tube buffer stage output going into a pair of yamaha ys5 studio monitors, line out going to polk psw 505 subwoofer

 

[heyletshifi]

5/5 with m50s using onboard audio, lol. No fancy dac/amp combinations here just a prebuilt pc onboard audio and a pair of m50s

 

[LAmitchell]

  5/5 with m50s using onboard audio, lol. No fancy dac/amp combinations here just a prebuilt pc onboard audio and a pair of m50s

 
So, was it easy to tell the difference? or was it difficult?

 

[heyletshifi]

 
 
So, was it easy to tell the difference? or was it difficult?
 

 
I did not find it too difficult to distinguish between the two especially in the more bassy parts of the songs. You can tell which one is "higher quality" by the thump or pressure created by each clip. The one with the stronger thump or pressure was the higher quality one. That is the way I distinguished them anyways.