[cirrus101]

Audiophile ladies & gents, I wish to share with you all an old TV program I have found which is quite a remarkably nice initiative by the TV program - especially considering it's aimed at kids and teens - to raise awareness at the very existence of sound quality (I didn't think about sound quality as a kid!). This program reviews in a blind test whether boomboxes with CDs or Cassetes play "better music".

https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_yqinxyku/86446941

It starts at around 3:06. It's quite short, fun, and while not being entirely new or informative to you specialists, with no rocket-science or ground-breaking theories, it is certainly a fun and casual peek at the layman's knowledge of the past and I find it quite curious how the CD was beheld as the 'new thing', with shades of mystery and awe to it's 'crystal clear fidelity' status. Worth a watch while eating a bag of chips.

Cheers

 

[gregorio]

This program reviews in a blind test whether boomboxes with CDs or Cassetes play "better music".

Unfortunately, this demonstrates the sort of thing we find commonly with audiophiles who are adults!

The children’s predictions were based on CD vs Tape but they didn’t actually test the difference between CD and cassette, what they actually tested was the difference between boomboxes (which were quite similar in this case).

This is extremely common in the audiophile world. They very often test something different to what they think they’re testing and thereby arrive at erroneous conclusions.

G

 

[castleofargh]

I learned that girls should get the male version of bikes because the extra tube makes it sturdier.

I agree that it screamed bad testing from the start, but the cool dude did explain that the sound quality was restricted by the speakers at the end. I'm good with that.

 

[gregorio]

but the cool dude did explain that the sound quality was restricted by the speakers at the end. I'm good with that.

Me too and that’s the difference between this programme and much of the audiophile world. The dude accurately explained that effectively they were just comparing the boombox speakers and not CD vs Cassette tape.

G

 

[bigshot]

It was possible to get decent sound out of cassettes. It was just a lot of work. Also, CD is more convenient, not being a linear format. I don’t think anyone is really being led astray here.

 

[gregorio]

I don’t think anyone is really being led astray here.

It looks like the kids were being led astray, unless the dude explained it to them as he did to the audience.

G

 

[71 dB]

It was possible to get decent sound out of cassettes.

Yeah, if you spent a lot of money on a Nakamichi Dragon!

It was just a lot of work.

Yeah, all the cleaning and demagnetizing...

Also, CD is more convenient, not being a linear format. I don’t think anyone is really being led astray here.

Not a linear format? Huh? You mean not an analog format?

 

[cirrus101]

Unfortunately, this demonstrates the sort of thing we find commonly with audiophiles who are adults!

This is quite a point! Thanks for making the watching of this video I have shared even more relevant to us. It means we can look back at ourselves and see whether we're not fooling ourselves in some ways like those kids were, accordingly, on their level of cognition.

 

[sander99]

Not a linear format?

I guess he means the fact that with cd you can (almost) instantly jump to any track, no winding of tape needed.