[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well it really depends on the overall system. the more higher end your system is then, the better you may be able to distinguish the difference. Higher end system is more picky with whatever components or settings you use.

Digital artifacting caused by compression error is clearly audible on any system. It isn't a subtle thing. You need to know what you are listening for. If you think you are hearing "veils" or "muddy bass" or "not black blacks", you are listening for the wrong thing.

See ya
Steve

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ATB's 9AM looks to be one of those songs that the studio digitally boosted... can't see the peak waves. I would be interested in seeing what happens if you try some heavy metal, complexity wise.

Heavy metal is going to be hot mastered and have loads of distortion. He would have better luck with a good classical orchestral recording or a string quartet. That is the most complex sound that can be captured.

See ya
Steve

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadman_uk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sure there are differences between FLAC and MP3 at a higher bitrate than 192 but I don't hear a difference with my current setup. Is my test fair?

Yes. You're doing the legwork that very few people bother doing. Most people decide that they WANT to hear a difference, so they just decide that they can without testing it to see if they really can. Then they get on internet boards and boast about their superior hearing abilities and try to belittle folks who have actually done the comparisons like you just did.

See ya
Steve

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshatdot /img/forum/go_quote.gif My ears must be in bad shape..I cannot hear difference between FLAC & LAME -V2, or even -V4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well it really depends on the overall system. the more higher end your system is then, the better you may be able to distinguish the difference. Higher end system is more picky with whatever components or settings you use.

I know for a fact my ears can barely anything or hear nothing anything above 14,000Hz. And stuff in between 4,000 Hz - 14,000 Hz is weaving from left to right at times when I test my ears...

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. You're doing the legwork that very few people bother doing. Most people decide that they WANT to hear a difference, so they just decide that they can without testing it to see if they really can. Then they get on internet boards and boast about their superior hearing abilities and try to belittle folks who have actually done the comparisons like you just did. See ya Steve

I will do more tests later to gain wider results but if the graphs are 99.5% exactly the same from 192 bitrate MP3 to a WAV file, then what possible sound improvements could one hear? I'm young, only 21, I consider myself to have good hearing and I did well on a distortion test the other day but I honestly can't hear a difference.

Is there a better way to compare two identical tracks (that are different formats)? At the moment I have to play one version, then quickly double click the other version to hear the comparision. If I want to hear both versions from any place after the start, it's very hard to start the song at the exact same place in both versions.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

You could have two media players open, one with each track, get them both to the same position within the track then play.

 

[poo]

deadman - your ears are a better guide than your understanding on this one... trust them, because they can save you alot of money in the future.

Glad to see your investigations so far, and that you are brave enough to be honest about the results you hear... many are not.

To compare tracks and file types it might be handy to have something like Sony Sound Forge so you can import each file, crop a particular section, then paste one after the other and play back on repeat, listening for differences. This program is not free so you may want to PM me for a trial version. There are many other applications that will do the same thing for you - Mansize_tissues' suggestion may be an easier one...

 

[deadman_uk]

Won't 2 different media players produce different results? E.g when I moved from Winamp to Foobar, I noticed Foobar was a little clearer with some of the songs I tested.

I will try and get my hands on Sony Sound Forge, I think my friend has the retail copy on his PC, I might try and borrow it if I can.

Thanks for the comments, I have improved the quality of my music, even if it's only by a small amount.

 

[bigshot]

Make sure you have EQ and all signal processing turned off in both players.

See ya
Steve

 

[Seidhepriest]

1. A large hard drive to store all the lossless files. FLAC, APE et al can swallow a lot of space - a hundred gigabytes minimum for a decently-sized music collection.

2. Foobar2000 with kernel streaming or ASIO output (necessary for some DACs), or Winamp with kernel streaming.

Winamp kernel streaming plugin:

http://www.stevemonks.com/ksplugin/

Winamp MAD MPEG decoder plugin (this will make an easily noticeable difference for MP3 decoding when set to 24/32-bit mode):

http://www.mars.org/home/rob/proj/mpeg/mad-plugin/

- this is heavenly compared with Winamp's lower-quality (designed to run on lower-end Pentiums and 486) MPEG decoder plugin.

3. Do a "speaker calibration" by matching a live instrument sounding against the sounding of the same thing recorded. A microphone may play a role in this, but: most of the microphones drop sensitivity past 18 KHz. An EQ with a gentle boost over 18 KHz usually helps; also a bit of reduction on the 75-100 Hz range helps unload smaller-driver speakers.

 

[deadman_uk]

Ok thanks everyone for the comments! Very much appreciated.