NY Times article about music compression
heiney9
Posts: 25,197
Some may have seen this already. Found the link at Audiokarma.org
A very interesting, but nothing new (to most of us) article. Still worth a read
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/technology/31basics.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&oref=slogin
A very interesting, but nothing new (to most of us) article. Still worth a read
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/technology/31basics.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&oref=slogin
"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
Post edited by heiney9 on
Comments
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Compression annoys me. Particularly on vocals.- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Help!
That's all I can say when I get a great record like RHCP Stadium Arcadium and it is so compressed as to sound "mono" like the fellow in the article stated. How much more in production costs would it have been to keep the music alive as it was performed? -
hearingimpared wrote: »Help!
That's all I can say when I get a great record like RHCP Stadium Arcadium and it is so compressed as to sound "mono" like the fellow in the article stated. How much more in production costs would it have been to keep the music alive as it was performed?
Totally true, but totally not what the article was about
Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
Backburner:Krell KAV-300i -
Very interesting read. this is the first time i have read where they have actually listened to the clips side-by-side to see where the biggest differences could be heard.2-channelBelles 22A Pre, Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2, Marantz SA8005, Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3B, Polk Audio Legend L800's, AudioQuest Cable throughout.
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I'd like to see the same test done with audiophiles and decent equipment. Maybe a Stereophile or other review group where people know how to listen. (Not that these particular 3 people don't but we just don't know). I have friends who can listen to two distinctly different recordings and have no clue anything is different, even when you tell them what to listen for.
madmaxVinyl, the final frontier...
Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...
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I really don't think there's much of an argument that compression doesn't detriment the quality of a song. As the quality of your ears go up, so do the noticeable differences of the song.
The problem is that 95% of people care about the bass line yet have no idea how it's supposed to sound, or they think their CC/BB system is "perfect" in every way.
Then there's the problem that they hear the song on the radio, which has of course been compressed multiple times, then they buy it on iTunes or some other music source and it sounds much better... so they think that's the quintessential quality.
Ignorance is bliss?Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
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if I can find the time this summer I may have to indulge in doing an experiment of this type on my two rigs for an article.
What surprised me was that Dr Patel didn't know that it would sound so bad. Come on, a ten grand plus rig and he didn't have a clue about iTunes compressed files.Review Site_ (((AudioPursuit)))
Founder/Publisher Affordable$$Audio 2006-13.
Former Staff Member TONEAudio
2 Ch. System
Amplifiers: Parasound Halo P6 pre, Vista Audio i34, Peachtree amp500, Adcom GFP-565 GFA-535ii, 545ii, 555ii
Digital: SimAudio HAD230 DAC, iMac 20in/Amarra,
Speakers: Paradigm Performa F75, Magnepan .7, Totem Model 1's, ACI Emerald XL, Celestion Si Stands. Totem Dreamcatcher sub
Analog: Technics SL-J2 w/Pickering 3000D, SimAudio LP5.3 phono pre
Cable/Wires: Cardas, AudioArt, Shunyata Venom 3 -
What surprised me was that Dr Patel didn't know that it would sound so bad. Come on, a ten grand plus rig and he didn't have a clue about iTunes compressed files.
Believe it or not I know a couple guys like this. They don't have the $10K system because they are rabid audiophiles it's more of a statement and a conversation piece.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
They were probably using stock cables and interconnects!:pCarl
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Joe had a good point. The original source material and the quality that went into the production and mix are very important. If the material was recorded and processed into a product without regard to sound quality, it wouldn't matter too much what kind of system you were listening to, or what the bitrate was.
You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.Carl -
You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
. . . bu tyou can make pickled pig ears!!!:eek:
