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Ogg beats MP3 & The Rest In Listening Test
Nice2Cats writes "The
Ogg Vorbis format came out far ahead of MP3, MP3Pro, RealAudio
Surround, and Windows Media 9 Beta in a comparison
of different audio formats by Germany's respected computer magazine c't. More than 6,000 people took part in
the test. Heise says Ogg's dominance was most pronounced with 64 kBit/sec
samples; the full magazine article (out on Monday) mentions that in
pre-tests, some people actually mistook the 128 kBit/sec Ogg samples for the
uncoded version. Let's hear it for those strangely named open source file formats!"
That would explain it...
(for the humor impaired: yes that was intended to be funny. My music collection is about 35% ogg. I love ogg)
Perhaps the 64 kbit format could be called a hard-boiled ogg.
Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
The point is that MP3 will continue to grow, despite its flaws. OGG will remain a somewhat niche format, preferred by audiophiles. Just like VHS and Windows, they hold the market share despite their flaws.
Does saying that make you feel superior? Are you huddled right now in front of your $50k audio system listening to your latest vinyl record babbling "Yes, of course this sounds better than CD! FOOLS!". Does it make you angry that average people can get enjoyment out of music through a pair of $8 computer speakers while you demand perfection? I hope so.
What? Rip from CD? Re-rip? Heck, boy, I just download them from WinMX, Kazaa, DirectConnect, etc. Tphffft - buy a CD. I'm the bastard the RIAA is trying to get!!!
Also, unless you're an audio engineer don't bother with the $100+ reference earphones. If you want to be able to hear flaws in a recording, they're great, but they aren't really designed for the "best sounding" listening experience. Follow the DrunkenPenguin's advice and spend around $50.
;)
Spend the $50 you saved on a bag of pot and then *really* enjoy your music.
"MP3" isn't necessarily a good name either.
Used to be, when someone mentioned them, I thought they were talking about some kind of German machine-pistol, like the MP5.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
but don't be downhearted.
Like running, listening is a skill that varies from person to person and can be improved with practice.
I've worked in a recording studio through which many many people have been and I've witnessed the variation first hand.
engineer : "Which do you prefer, this... or this?"
client : "Okay, play the second one now."
What makes me smile is that when I was a lad we were satisfied copying records to tape by playing the record loud and utilising the condenser mike on the tape recorder. Good quality was when there wasn't the sound of someone walking in the room followed by "your tea's ready, oh. what are you doing?" "shhhh mum, we're taping" on it.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
You don't need to reencode anything. This is completely optional. Your mp3s don't stop working when you have an ogg on your harddisk. (Believe me, I tried it.)
Geeez.
Your best bet is to simply turn up the volume of your mp3 player, eventually your gradual hearing loss will mask this unpleasant artifact noise.
I Am My Own Worst Enemy