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Music Listeners Test 128kbps vs. 256kbps AAC

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the perfect-pitches dept.

notthatwillsmith writes "Maximum PC did double-blind testing with ten listeners in order to determine whether or not normal people could discern the quality difference between the new 256kbps iTunes Plus files and the old, DRM-laden 128kbps tracks. But wait, there's more! To add an extra twist, they also tested Apple's default iPod earbuds vs. an expensive pair of Shure buds to see how much of an impact earbud quality had on the detection rate."

10 of 428 comments (clear)

  1. Humidity?? by TopSpin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly these test are inadequate, or at least they haven't disclosed enough information on the testing conditions. As any true audiophile knows, headphone performance is strongly affected by atmospheric conditions; I'll bet that if they had bothered to maintain proper water vapor saturation levels in the test facility the complete the inadequacy of the ear buds would have been obvious to everyone involved, because sensory receptors (hair cells) in the human ear only achieve full sensitively under controlled conditions.

    No doubt they also failed to account for magnetic field alignment; the flaws of low bit rate reproductions are much easier to perceive when the listener is not aligned with Earth's natural axial vectors. The solenoidal force lines ruin the high band pass attenuation of any digital audio and will make both low and high bit rate reproductions equally poor, so naturally there wasn't a strong correlation among the test subjects.

    Idiots.

    </sarcasm>

    --
    Lurking at the bottom of the gravity well, getting old
  2. Phew - saved by slashdot! by rueger · · Score: 4, Funny

    Judging by the comments from the six people who actually got to read the article I'm glad it got slashdotted before I wasted my time on it.

    --
    Three Squirrels
  3. Re:Cost and quality by FightCopyright · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, well I used to have a gf who claimed to be a Scientologist, and she gave over $40k to the church. She states that some alien is responsible for blowing up volcanos that created humans, but you know what... the bitch is just wrong.

  4. Wait a sec... by cciRRus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maximum PC did double-blind testing with ten listeners in order to determine whether or not normal people could discern the quality difference between the new 256kbps iTunes Plus files and the old, DRM-laden 128kbps tracks.
    Shouldn't that be a "double-deaf" test?
    --
    w00t
  5. Re:The results... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You will have to pry my Ampex from my cold dead fingers. Frankly, I'd rather they bury your Ampex with you.
  6. No Country music by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

    Both kinds of music were missing: They had neither Country nor Western music in the test.

    What is America coming to?

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  7. Re:The results... by bursch-X · · Score: 4, Funny

    The harmonics in brass instroments and symbols

    Is this higher maths?
    .
    .
    .
    .
    Aah, you mean cymbals?

    --
    There are two rules for success:
    1. Never tell everything you know.
  8. Parse error by Kadin2048 · · Score: 4, Funny

    At 192k I start not to be less annoyed.

    I don't think that means what you think it means.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
    1. Re:Parse error by TobyRush · · Score: 4, Funny

      As the bit-rate rises, he becomes less annoyed. At 192k, he starts to notice less of a difference, and so starts to become less annoyed.

      Yes, but the original poster said that at 192k, he starts not to become less annoyed.

      (I'm too literal-minded to let it pass just because no one else is reading this far down. Actually, I'm only here because I was looking for the inevitable Princess Bride reference...)

      --
      Sam! If you will let me be,
      I will try them.
      You will see.
  9. Re:no, YOUR methodology is flawed by mikec · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, you would be happy with my codec, which replaces hip-hop with Bach played on original instruments? That sounds best to me...