It looks good in the marketing BS to people who don't have a clue. And anyone who buys Sonos these days after what they got up to a few years back you REALLY doesn't have a clue.
Most "Audiophiles" it is a status thing vs something that has any additional value.
I Minored in music at a University that had a highly renowned music school, I did well in the classes that a lot of successful musicians took, including courses in ear training.
That said for a lot of this audiophile stuff I really cannot find much of a difference between a Lowly MP3 and a high quality vinyl recording, unless they are played back to back. What helps the sound more than anything is a good pair (Not top of the line) of noise canceling headphones that blocks out interfering outside noise to a point where you can focus on all the sounds that are being played. A compressed MP3 may cut off the really high and really low pitches, but those noises can often get cut off if you are in a different room or environment.
It depends on the type of music, in my experience.
MP3 compression has a tough job with metal for example, probably because distinguishing between noise and signal becomes difficult when noise is a big part of the signal. I've also noticed classical music to suffer in dynamics.
But then pop music and EDM are usually indistinguishable when compressed. Probably because they developed alongside the loudness wars and so the producers have adapted the style to the medium. Metal's big development happened during th
Granted I picked MP3 as the lowest quality. However the difference between 16 bit or even 24 bit sound isn't as huge as people think it is. You can even get OK sound out of 8 bit. as these sound sources will have a smoothing algorithm (or a capacitor) that fills in the gap in the data.
It's not a status thing. That may be a distant secondary concern for some, but you can't drive around in a $10,000 vinyl rig, wear it on your body, etc. so there are much better ways to do conspicuous consumption.
Audiofool extravagances are enjoyed in private. A better way to characterize it is magical or religious thinking. Analog audio is somehow blessed, never mind that after the signal hits the DAC and turns into moving air it's all analog anyway. If any digital equipment touched it, that signal is unde
I'm glad you said it yourself. There is not MUCH of a difference, but there IS a difference. And that's what makes a difference for the audiophiles. Don't get me wrong. I consider myself an audiophile, but I use zip cord for my speaker wire and my network cable is not this [amazon.com], but one that was probably $3. I can tell the difference between 128Kbs MP3 vs. 16 bit/44KHz flac, depending on the recording. But having a good set of speakers and a good source are the two most important things when it comes to au
What's the point (Score:4, Insightful)
16 bits already gives 96dB signal to noise ratio. More than that is pointless.
Re: (Score:3)
It looks good in the marketing BS to people who don't have a clue. And anyone who buys Sonos these days after what they got up to a few years back you REALLY doesn't have a clue.
Re: (Score:1)
It looks good in the marketing BS to people who don't have a clue.
For audiophiles, nothing is good enough.
Re:What's the point (Score:3)
Most "Audiophiles" it is a status thing vs something that has any additional value.
I Minored in music at a University that had a highly renowned music school, I did well in the classes that a lot of successful musicians took, including courses in ear training.
That said for a lot of this audiophile stuff I really cannot find much of a difference between a Lowly MP3 and a high quality vinyl recording, unless they are played back to back. What helps the sound more than anything is a good pair (Not top of the line) of noise canceling headphones that blocks out interfering outside noise to a point where you can focus on all the sounds that are being played. A compressed MP3 may cut off the really high and really low pitches, but those noises can often get cut off if you are in a different room or environment.
Re: What's the point (Score:2)
It depends on the type of music, in my experience.
MP3 compression has a tough job with metal for example, probably because distinguishing between noise and signal becomes difficult when noise is a big part of the signal. I've also noticed classical music to suffer in dynamics.
But then pop music and EDM are usually indistinguishable when compressed. Probably because they developed alongside the loudness wars and so the producers have adapted the style to the medium. Metal's big development happened during th
Re: (Score:2)
Granted I picked MP3 as the lowest quality. However the difference between 16 bit or even 24 bit sound isn't as huge as people think it is. You can even get OK sound out of 8 bit. as these sound sources will have a smoothing algorithm (or a capacitor) that fills in the gap in the data.
Re: (Score:2)
Most people use their system to listen to music. Audiophiles use music to listen to their systems.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not a status thing. That may be a distant secondary concern for some, but you can't drive around in a $10,000 vinyl rig, wear it on your body, etc. so there are much better ways to do conspicuous consumption.
Audiofool extravagances are enjoyed in private. A better way to characterize it is magical or religious thinking. Analog audio is somehow blessed, never mind that after the signal hits the DAC and turns into moving air it's all analog anyway. If any digital equipment touched it, that signal is unde
Re: (Score:2)
I really cannot find much of a difference
I'm glad you said it yourself. There is not MUCH of a difference, but there IS a difference. And that's what makes a difference for the audiophiles. Don't get me wrong. I consider myself an audiophile, but I use zip cord for my speaker wire and my network cable is not this [amazon.com], but one that was probably $3. I can tell the difference between 128Kbs MP3 vs. 16 bit/44KHz flac, depending on the recording. But having a good set of speakers and a good source are the two most important things when it comes to au