This is totally offtopic but I can't stand the "XXX considered harmful" stuff. I had to rage-quit the article.
24/192 music downloads make no sense
51–60 of 242 posts
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
64 kHz isn't a standard sample rate -- you're probably thinking of the bit rate of an MP3 or AAC file. A 64-kbit MP3 does sound pretty awful.
Yup. Further confusing me was the fact that (if memory serves) Apple did offer MP3's at 192kbps for a while, before upping to 320kbps. Edit: apparently my memory is worse than I thought.
Hasn't Apple always been offering AAC? At first at 128 kbps and then 256 kbps.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#53From my experience, what matters more than sample rate is 24 bit vs. 16 bit sampling in the recording/production process. Using heavy compression and EQ can mean that very quiet sounds can become louder, in this case 24 bit recording is ideal. Sample rate wise, anything above 40khz is fine for most ears (I've probably lost a few khz in the upper range anyways) Another note is that most converters operate at a multipl…
Have you tried listening to SACD? The high sample rate might not give you more reproduction of audible frequencies, but the difference in arrival times it can encode makes well recorded stereo stuff more interesting to listen to, in my limited experience.
I know this seems counterintuitive, but there is literally no difference in arrival times (over audible frequencies) that can be encoded at higher sampling rates. Digital sampling does not quantize over the time domain for any frequency below the Nyquist frequency.
If you have the time, watch the two videos that xiph.org did a few years ago[0]. There's a great in-depth explanation, as well as a hands on demonstration to demonstrate this reality.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
64 kHz isn't a standard sample rate -- you're probably thinking of the bit rate of an MP3 or AAC file. A 64-kbit MP3 does sound pretty awful.
Yup. Further confusing me was the fact that (if memory serves) Apple did offer MP3's at 192kbps for a while, before upping to 320kbps. Edit: apparently my memory is worse than I thought.
iTunes has offered 128kps AAC and 256kbps AAC files. Now it's only the 256kbps versions.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#55I can't hear a difference between 96khz/44khz in it's raw form. However, I can tell the difference from effects in audio mixing. The extra detail can really make a difference in how well an audio effect VST works. I have a 96khz/24bit interface that I use and ATH-M30X headphones, and I can tell a difference between at least some 24bit FLAC files and 16bit highest-quality-possible MP3s. I was mixing my own music and t…
The article is pretty clear about this too - higher bitdepths and sampling rates can be quite useful in mixing and recording situations.
They're pointless for playback.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#56Dithering is a horrible thing to be doing, and 44.1 is an awkward rate. So while I agree that 192khz is dumb, 24/48 is a better standard than CD.
No, dithering (properly) is usually what you should be doing when you quantize.
See Vanderkooy and Lipshitz 1987 for why.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#57From my experience, what matters more than sample rate is 24 bit vs. 16 bit sampling in the recording/production process. Using heavy compression and EQ can mean that very quiet sounds can become louder, in this case 24 bit recording is ideal. Sample rate wise, anything above 40khz is fine for most ears (I've probably lost a few khz in the upper range anyways) Another note is that most converters operate at a multipl…
Have you tried listening to SACD? The high sample rate might not give you more reproduction of audible frequencies, but the difference in arrival times it can encode makes well recorded stereo stuff more interesting to listen to, in my limited experience.
This is directly addressed by the article under the "Sampling fallacies and misconceptions". You don't lose "arrival time" (AKA phase) when you use a lower bitrate. They have a video that explains it very well: http://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#58There's a big difference in impulse response with different sample rates, any one can see it on a oscilloscope, I bet some one can hear the difference.
Those who don't have a oscilloscope can see the picture here: http://i.imgur.com/wY0wzcW.png
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#59Why do high quality DACs clearly sound better then? And they sound better with better files. Maybe it really is all in my head but I mean listening to a £20000 hifi the other day (vinyl) really just shocked me. I was listening to Marvin Gaye on my friends system and I could hear that there were several different backing singers all moving and at different distances from the microphone. Are there any double blind tria…
Vinyl actually has far less fidelity. You also physically change the recording every time you play it back. Even on the same equipment, no two plays of a vinyl LP sound exactly the same, unlike digital. This fact alone should cause you to question your subjective experience. You have no idea what part of that system was contributing to what you found pleasant. Someone who knew what they were doing could probably buil…
> You also physically change the recording every time you play it back
Not on a laser stylus turntable.
Re: 24/192 music downloads make no sense
#60Why do high quality DACs clearly sound better then? And they sound better with better files. Maybe it really is all in my head but I mean listening to a £20000 hifi the other day (vinyl) really just shocked me. I was listening to Marvin Gaye on my friends system and I could hear that there were several different backing singers all moving and at different distances from the microphone. Are there any double blind tria…
Here's a classic "OMG I can hear him moving around" recording that works with the cheapest of headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA Most of the audio experience quality comes out of the production phase, and artists can put as much or little effort into that as possible and consider several mediums of listening (headphones, TV, surround, concert, vinyl) and make tradeoffs for the medium's particular…
That is awesome. At first, I actually thought people around me were making the noise and speaking. I thought the audio sample had not yet started.