[Dyl2525]

I can easily taste the difference between tea and coffee, but no human I've ever found has been able to discern high data rate AAC or MP3 LAME and FLAC. It isn't the percentages of what the file is made of, it's the fact that the material that is eliminated is inaudible. They're masked frequencies that you can't hear. If you can't perceive it, it doesn't matter.



It is possible to design a tube amp that is audibly transparent, just like a solid state amp. If that is the case, there is no difference to hear. But there are also tube amps that slather on euphonic distortion, which either you like or don't. If you like euphonic distortion, it's a lot easier to just use a DSP and adjust the distortion to just what you want. Having the degree of distortion hard wired into the design of the amp isn't very flexible. That's like an amp without tone controls.

Interesting, that is something I did not know. I actually own a pair of HD 800's which are known for being "amp picky" but tbh I really dont notice a difference. But I only have 2 amps so trying two different amps may not be the best way to experience it. Ive just never understood what people say by a "warm" sound because the only thing that gets warm on a tube amp is the amp itself

 

[bigshot]

Considering that the original point of the discussion was about 128-160 mp3 files, there is hardly much to discuss scientifically

The point of the discussion was lower bitrate lossy files? I missed that. Yes, lossy files below 160 are not audibly transparent. It's much more efficient to knock it up to 192 VBR and it will sound identical to lossless in 99.9% of cases. Up it to 256 or 320 VBR and you will be able to compress anything transparently. FLAC is fine for archiving if you don't own the original CD, but there's no reason to listen to FLAC over high data rate LAME or AAC.

But I only have 2 amps so trying two different amps may not be the best way to experience it.

You probably have a well designed tube amp there.

 

[Dyl2525]

The point of the discussion was lower bitrate lossy files? I missed that. Yes, lossy files below 160 are not audibly transparent. It's much more efficient to knock it up to 192 VBR and it will sound identical to lossless in 99.9% of cases. Up it to 256 or 320 VBR and you will be able to compress anything transparently. FLAC is fine for archiving if you don't own the original CD, but there's no reason to listen to FLAC over high data rate LAME or AAC.



You probably have a well designed tube amp there.

Its acutally a little dot mk2 its alright nothing crazy im actually gonna end up selling it, I dont got the desk space for it

 

[bigshot]

There really isn't a lot of correlation between price and quality in audio any more. Even inexpensive stuff performs very well now.

 

[Dyl2525]

There really isn't a lot of correlation between price and quality in audio any more. Even inexpensive stuff performs very well now.

Fair enough look at the 789 that thing is considered to be amazing

 

[bigshot]

I really don't know makes and models. I buy the tool that does the job and I don't need anything else.

 

[Blackwoof]

96kbps Opus 1.3 > 192k Lame or 160k AAC/Vorbis.

 

[Bozzunter]

I have tried a few tube amps and ive never been able to notice much of a difference im wondering if it has just been that i need to try a better tube amp or that in all reality they may not sound that much different than solid state. I do like solid state amps for sure but ive always just never been able to see the appeal of tube amps because they sound almost no different to me maybe not much different but not the amount that people make them seem to be

I’m glad to read this, it means I am not the only one. Obviously, in any forum outside of the science area the difference with tube amps are enormous, they pair very well with HD800, etc...

In my case, I have an Ifi Pro iDSD which has solid state, tube and tube with correction for distortions, whatever it means. With my Sennheiser HD800s and other cans I was never able to hear any difference whatsoever, but neither were a couple of friends who don’t even know what tubes are.

I couldn’t hear any difference among the half dozen filters either, at which point I realized I threw money to the shitter, but that was before reading this forum.

 

[magicscreen]

but no human I've ever found has been able to discern high data rate AAC or MP3 LAME and FLAC.

A little help

 

[hakunamakaka]

I’m glad to read this, it means I am not the only one. Obviously, in any forum outside of the science area the difference with tube amps are enormous, they pair very well with HD800, etc...

In my case, I have an Ifi Pro iDSD which has solid state, tube and tube with correction for distortions, whatever it means. With my Sennheiser HD800s and other cans I was never able to hear any difference whatsoever, but neither were a couple of friends who don’t even know what tubes are.

I couldn’t hear any difference among the half dozen filters either, at which point I realized I threw money to the shitter, but that was before reading this forum.

If amp/preamp has tubes it doesn’t mean that whole signal is routed through them.

I’m glad to read this, it means I am not the only one. Obviously, in any forum outside of the science area the difference with tube amps are enormous, they pair very well with HD800, etc...

In my case, I have an Ifi Pro iDSD which has solid state, tube and tube with correction for distortions, whatever it means. With my Sennheiser HD800s and other cans I was never able to hear any difference whatsoever, but neither were a couple of friends who don’t even know what tubes are.

I couldn’t hear any difference among the half dozen filters either, at which point I realized I threw money to the shitter, but that was before reading this forum.

even if amp/preamp has tubes it doesn’t mean you get tube sound. it depends on the board circuit and if I’m not mistaken you need at least 3 tubes to get such. Adding a tube is more as a marketing thing in most cases

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Yep...there are actually quite a few tube amps out there which are transparent. I own one of em in the Valhalla 2

Also, I paid my studio-friend a visit during the weekend. He’d set up a blind amp test in the studio with some 15 participants plus him and I. He asked me to join in but I’ve learned my lesson.
Anyhoo this time we were joined by 7 audiophiles ie folks who were vastly into gear and jewelencrusted cables. My friend started out as he most usually do with folks having full view of the merchandise...and then he asks them one by one to levelmatch the critters. Always ends up the same way: a) people can’t levelmatch for schiit and b) they inadvertently turn up the amp they secretly prefer.
“Levelmatched” or pseudomatched like this and you effectively end up with a couple of boxes that aren’t at the same level...yet our human ears can’t detect the volume difference. What we hear is a combination of bigger soundstage, better grip, details galore, increased transient attack etc etc...
Then he levelmatches the boxes and hides them behind a big curtain...and surprise suprise...nobody can tell a difference.
I think the volume knob is guilty of a lot of things...most likely 75% of all “upgrades” that more often than not sound exactly the same as the piece of kit it is replacing. All hail capitalism!

 

[bigshot]

A little help

I’ve had some experience with that guy. I believe he cheats the test.

 

[bfreedma]

I’ve had some experience with that guy. I believe he cheats the test.

He was caught cheating at ABX tests @ AVS about a decade ago. Oops...

 

[SoundAndMotion]

I’ve had some experience with that guy. I believe he cheats the test.

He was caught cheating at ABX tests @ AVS about a decade ago. Oops...

That’s quite a serious charge. Do you have a link, or at least more info? How did he cheat? How was it discovered?

 

[Blackwoof]

I’ve had some experience with that guy. I believe he cheats the test.

He got laughed out hydrogen audio for misunderstanding how MP3 worked. He used a chart showing it reaching 90% transparent at V0/320, having no clue it was a chart about peoples subjective thresholds not MP3 limitions.

That’s quite a serious charge. Do you have a link, or at least more info? How did he cheat? How was it discovered?

His Foobar ABX logs were invaild when he did a 24/96 test at AVS which his meltdown got the thread locked. HA don't like him at all...