[kittyn]

I'm sad because I don't think my hearing is good enough to hear differences in audio quality...
I've been looking into buying a new, decent DAC to replace my mbox2, but after going to hearing test sites like mp3ornot.com, it seems most of the perceived differences that I hear between the tracks are merely placebo.  I try really hard to hear any subtle differences, and sometimes I guess the right tracks, but not at a consistency that would make me think it's anything other than random luck.
 
My headphones are sennheiser HD555's (modded) and I'm 28 years old.  My ears aren't particularly bad ( I can hear 19khz and 20khz tones on this site http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/ ) so I don't know.
 
This just makes me scared to buy something in the $100's of dollars, because I feel like I can't trust my own mind!

 

[keanex]

I'm willing to bet more people here would figure this out too if placebo effect weren't so strong. Psychosomatics can cause your brain to really "hear" a difference if you truly believe one exists. Don't worry about it.

 

[sridhar3]

Just because you can't hear subtle differences between different bitrates doesn't mean your listening experience wouldn't benefit from an equipment overhaul.
 
You might be better served by getting out there and auditioning equipment.  Purists might shun me for my perspective, but I find that your own personal enjoyment should be the main priority in deciding what equipment you use.  Why else would there be such a huge selection of gear available on the market?

 

[Currawong]

Headphones make a much bigger difference than MP3 bit rates by a significant margin. What I've discovered over the years is, people readily notice differences when there is a change in the tone (frequency response) of a piece of gear, but have a lot more trouble and need a lot more practice picking out subtleties. As well, a great deal of music is heavily compressed and altered, so the benefits of a better system are often lost.

 

[kittyn]

Thanks for all your responses! I feel a little better.
 
I think the only differences I can hear when upgrading equipment are with totally different headphones.  But like, upgrading to another DAC/AMP....I strongly doubt I would be able to determine which was which in a blind test.  Which is what is holding me back from buying one. Like I could probably afford a $100 Fiio E7 for my iPod, but would I really notice a difference that wasn't placebo? 
 
 
There are tons of people on that site that say the difference between 128kbps and 320kbps is like night and day to them, and they can easily pick out one or the other.  Is it because their equipment is that much better than mine? Or is their hearing just way better than mine? The latter is what I'm scared of.
 
 A
Quote:

Headphones make a much bigger difference than MP3 bit rates by a significant margin. What I've discovered over the years is, people readily notice differences when there is a change in the tone (frequency response) of a piece of gear, but have a lot more trouble and need a lot more practice picking out subtleties. As well, a great deal of music is heavily compressed and altered, so the benefits of a better system are often lost.

 

 

[Eric_C]

Hey kittyn, don't worry that you couldn't hear the differences on that site.
The people who claim they can hear a difference believe they heard a difference. Does this mean they really did? I don't know. I'm a bit sceptical of how much benefit there is from using external DAC/amps (very sceptical when it comes to DACs), and there's no harm in you being a little sceptical too.
 
You should be happy, not sad. Now you have one less thing to worry about and spend money on! 

 

[Currawong]

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[jasonb]

the difference between formats and bit rates on audio files gets blown a bit out of proportion. i listen to plenty of 320kbps - 128kbps mp3 and most of it sounds just fine on my gear. this gear includes my headphone setups, both home and portable, and also my custom car audio system and my 2.1 system at home. most of my listening is done with 320kbps mp3 streamed from Rdio.com, the rest is from various internet radio streams and podcasts that are anywhere from 192 - 128kbps mp3. i do have about 700 songs on my laptop that are ripped in Flac format as well, but when A/B'ing them against the same songs streamed from Rdio i hear absolutely no difference at all.
 
this doesn't mean don't buy good gear. good gear can still sound better than cheap gear even if you cant tell the difference between various formats and bit rates. 

 

[Eric_C]

jasonb: Agreed. I gotta admit, I keep my songs on Lossless just for peace of mind--but some of my older albums are still in 128 or 160, and I couldn't tell if and how they were flawed at those lower bitrates.
 
Currawong: you were addressing the question to OP, right?

 

[kittyn]

I listen to all sorts of music (except Rap/HipHop I think that genre is stale).  I also don't listen to the new pop stuff coming out, like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga and all that.  But I do listen to everything from electronic, to dubstep, to rock (old and new), to classical.
 
Quote:

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

I'm willing to bet more people here would figure this out too if placebo effect weren't so strong. Psychosomatics can cause your brain to really "hear" a difference if you truly believe one exists. Don't worry about it.

Hey, I'm a massive placebo fan, but arent we getting ahead of ourselves hear ? The last time I checked, the HD555 wasnt too high up the chain of mid-fi phones that render music in great detail - happy to hear otherwise. I'd love to sit kittyn down with my AD900s, even straight from my 6G Nano, and see whether the light bulbs suddenly go on.
 
That said, we are all different, and it should be about enjoying your music, not straining to hear some guy belch in the 3rd row from the back at a 1979 Stranglers gig .....

 

[MohawkUS]

Using AKG K81 DJs, I do not think this is a placebo effect, I can hear the difference when I listen for it.
 
8/10, the first 6 I all got right.
 

 
 
EDIT: Even though I can tell a difference, I am perfectly happy with 128MP3, your talking to a big black metal fan here. I'm used to low quality.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Don't worry about it. Bitrate differences are not easily distinguished. Also, recording quality is more important. A lossy file of well-recorded music will sound better than a brickwalled SACD.

The two biggest factors are recording quality and the transducer. You have to have a great recording - you won't hear something that doesn't make it onto the recording. Do not confuse this with the source fetish. The "source first" thing was relevant when Linn kicked off that marketing campaign about 40 years ago. Since, digital has made remarkable progress. Even the cheapest players have vanishingly low distortion and jitter. A $29 DVD player might not be terribly rugged, but it sounds good.

Transducers are also hugely important. A good pair of headphones or speakers will bring out the best from a recording. Even moreso today, because we have all sorts of wonderful computer modelling and testing. One drawback, however, is that a lot of headphones are voiced to be bass-heavy because a lot of today's popular music has much, much more bass than popular music from 20 years ago. Manufacturers are trying to please consumers - I don't entirely blame them. But the good, neutral, stuff of today is among the best ever.

Amps play a slight role. Foremost, they need to supply adequate power. Portables, soundcards, etc. fall down here. Also, a lot of fine-tuning is possible with tube amps and various circuits. That's particular and personal, but a lot of people like to nose around for pleasing sound profiles with amps.

All the other stuff isn't important. You'll find people making a Big Deal over various tweaks that are mainly imaginary and never show a difference when put to a listening test. Ignore that stuff. You'll spend a lot of money for something that doesn't exist. If you cannot measure a difference with ordinary test gear, watch out. Someone is trying to make a fast buck off you.

 

[Currawong]

128k files from 10 years ago, which were terrible, are completely different from what can be achieved with variable bit-rate compression (VBR) nowadays.  As others have said, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Beyond trying some nicer headphones, especially a different brand to what you are used to.  Better still, see if you can't find a meet nearby you can attend and try gear at. 

 

[Sammiches]

I can't hear the differences either, not even with my friend's $200 set. Oh, he didn't get many right either and he's a musician. However, switching from my crappy headphones to the AD700 there was still a really nice improvement! I would try super expensive headphones before buying them. You might not be as impressed as you think.