[Arleus]

Well, I'm coming down on the side of Kail and RPG. I've only got my K81s at the moment (though their distortion is quite respectable at low frequency, according to Tyll's measurements). The synths in the 1:20 mark and beyond are pretty 'choppy', but as RPG pointed out, the distortion is very noticeable right from the start when the kicks come in. Whether or not it's done on purpose is not something I'm going to debate. I'll have another listen tonight when I get home, and give it a go on my 702s and RS1s. Obviously neither is properly high end for accuracy, but the 702s shouldn't be bad.
 
And just to add, not my usual genre of music, but I have to say, I did quite enjoy the track.

 

[deadlylover]

Quote:

 Heres the two tracks.
 One is track from OP.
  http://rghost.net/14171331
 
 Another one is processed by me from original with X-Fi Crystalizer + a bit of tube distortion in Cubase 4 + Wave L3 Maximizer.
 http://rghost.net/14275551
 
 Sound similiar, no? Just a bit lesser highs and a lower bass (I don't used equalizer). Compare closely.

 
Sorry dude, I don't hear any reprogramming/extra layering of the synths, which I hear on the mp3 on the OP. I do hear the synth's having more presence in your edited version, but that's about it.
 
It's very interesting to note that so far, only people with high end gear are hearing it the same way I do.

 

[Kail]

Quote:

 
Sorry dude, I don't hear any reprogramming/extra layering of the synths, which I hear on the mp3 on the OP. I do hear the synth's having more presence in your edited version, but that's about it.
 
It's very interesting to note that so far, only people with high end gear are hearing it the same way I do.

 You hear reprogramming/extra layering of the synths because theres just more high frequencies added by eq or
exciter and more distortion. It's obvious. Distortion is heard on whole track, not on just leads.
 
 

 

[deadlylover]

Quote:

 Heres the two tracks.
 One is track from OP.
  http://rghost.net/14171331
 
 Another one is processed by me from original with X-Fi Crystalizer + a bit of tube distortion in Cubase 4 + Wave L3 Maximizer.
 http://rghost.net/14275551
 
 Sound similiar, no? Just a bit lesser highs and a lower bass (I don't used equalizer). Compare closely. Mine actually sounds with a more softer distortion.

 
Check out the very start and the very end of the 2 tracks, notice that they are switched around?
 
That leads me to believe there was intentional fiddling with the track, and while I know we both share the same view point, I just don't hear it as 'distortion', and instead, a deliberate change that is free of distortion.

 

[Arleus]

I'm not even sure what we're debating anymore! So, just to clarify where I stand:
 
1) There's a difference in sound between the two tracks - the mp3 version sounds less clean
2) I don't believe this is to do with the mp3 conversion
3) Someone, somewhere, has done something to the track, either accidentally or on purpose, either as a whole, or to only some some channels/instruments present.
 
So what are we debating at the moment? Are we just trying to work out what's been done? Because I think everyone's on the same page with regards to the three points above.

 

[deadlylover]

My head hurts now.

 
Yeah I think we're trying to figure out if the distortion that some of us hear is either;
 
1, Unintended distortion from messing about with the track
2, Intentional distortion put into the track for effect
3. A deliberate change in the track that is misinterpreted as distortion (my current viewpoint)

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Yea well I'm talking about the distortion as in probably simply the gain is adjusted too high on the non-clean version so that the peaks when there's lots of things going on at the same time as loud as possible in the signals are starting to clip. Those things I referred to sounds exactly like clipping when the signal goes above 0-level. I also think like some1 suggested here that you seem to percieve it as a modified but non distorted sound while I think it's just the loudness change that might make it somewhat different sounding but the main point is in my argument that it's not that lead or synth or whatever that distorts but lots of things, vocals, bass notes and hi-hats/cymbals too and I hear it almost throughout the whole track but most of the time it's quite subtle distortion but if you're trained to hear distortion you should easily pick it up IMO. I hear it on both the Audigy 2 ZS and Realtek onboard soundcard and all my headphones so I doubt the equipment have such a lot to do with it (yea probably a little but the human ear/brain should still have more impact on the matter).
 
For me this kind of comparision was easier to distinguish than even comparing 128 Kbps mp3 vs 320 Kbps mp3 on some tracks in a blind test and then I find comparing 128 vs 320 kbps mp3 comparision very easy to distinguish in 95%+ of the time as well. It doesn't matter if you're using $100 equipment or $1000 equipment a person with $100 can still hear these kinds of things better if they are trained to do it (but most often the people spending $1000 are the ones that are more picky about how it sounds). So for me this thread is actually a bit alarming if people don't hear it as distortion.

 

[Kail]

Quote:

 
Check out the very start and the very end of the 2 tracks, notice that they are switched around?

 Yeah, I noticed. Thats strange. Added reverse cymbal in beginning and ending sounds with additional fx. Main question - why it's not same as official radio mix? Even the video mix is exactly the same as original radio mix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MZmPoPvJYE
 I think its a unintended or intentional distortion put into exclusive radio version of the track on compilation.

 

[deadlylover]

Strange eh? Maybe the ripper was _really_ drunk.
 
I figure if he/she went through all the effort to mess about with the beginning and ending, what's stopping him/her from going to town on the rest of the track. It really sounds like the goal was to mix up the track, because it sounds fine here. Which is why I think it's unlikely that the person just ballsed up the track. Ahh well, drunk people do strange things sometimes.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Wow, I'm confused after reading this thread... what was even being talked about? haha.

 
Anyhow, comparing the Ocean Lab - Satellite 320 MP3 to the FLAC in an A/B test, I could hear a huge difference between the two in my HD580's.
 
For all those people out there saying 320 MP3's are essentially lossless, bleh, nope, I still hear a big difference. Maybe it's just a poor rip/encoding. But still, I hear way less distortion and congestion on the FLAC, that MP3 sounds mashed to me; the highs and airy sounds were grainy compared to the flac which was smoother.
 
Very best,

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

This isn't a FLAC vs MP3 thread, he provided also a clean mp3 later on as well compared to the distorted mp3 in the first post of the 3rd track and you would hear the clean mp3 sounds cleaner too.
 
Kail is just interested in hearing if you can hear the distortion as well but seems like not all people here interpret it as distortion even. I still see it as the distorted file has applied EQ tweaks or gain adjustment to it that results in clipping here and there in the track which isn't heard in the clean version.

 

[Kail]

Quote:

Heya,
 
Wow, I'm confused after reading this thread... what was even being talked about? haha.

 
Anyhow, comparing the Ocean Lab - Satellite 320 MP3 to the FLAC in an A/B test, I could hear a huge difference between the two in my HD580's.
 
For all those people out there saying 320 MP3's are essentially lossless, bleh, nope, I still hear a big difference. Maybe it's just a poor rip/encoding. But still, I hear way less distortion and congestion on the FLAC, that MP3 sounds mashed to me; the highs and airy sounds were grainy compared to the flac which was smoother.
 
Very best,

 Started from assumption if somebody can hear tons of dirty distortions in the OP tracks, but this wasn't so obvious as I thought, and thats interesting. It's not our equipment, but our ears/brains hearing the tracks differently. The problem is not mp3 vs flac. 320 kbit mp3 sound on 99.9% identical to lossless. Anyway...
 Guys, listen to this track, very heavy modern hardtrance from popular dance compilation and still sounds far from this extreme distortion sound of tracks from OP, which are from 2004! year compilation.
  http://rghost.net/14297771
 Different loudness level, different sound. Don't you think that those rip is just messed up?

 

[kn19h7]

Quote:

 Heres the two tracks.
 One is track from OP.
  http://rghost.net/14171331
 
 Another one is processed by me from original with X-Fi Crystalizer + a bit of tube distortion in Cubase 4 + Wave L3 Maximizer.
 http://rghost.net/14275551
 
 Sound similiar, no? Just a bit lesser highs and a lower bass (I don't used equalizer). Compare closely. Mine actually sounds with a more softer distortion.

No.. the 123.flac's soundstage and dynamics are messed up, everything sound almost equally forward
 
I think the radio's mp3 has been gone through certain edit, but hell who know whats the purpose..

 

[Kail]

.

 

[Kail]

Quote:

No.. the 123.flac's soundstage and dynamics are messed up

 Maybe because of different equalizing and lesser distortion? Dynamics are more messed up in OP track. Anyway about what dynamics are we talking about? It's murdered in both tracks. Soundstage is same, just more high freq. in OP track. This probably give you an illusion of different soundstage.