The FBI employs a technique of rapport-building for its subjects, which they have demonstrated to produce the most reliable intelligence. It was used on KSM and Saddam Hussein - for KSM, though, note that the CIA had involvement (his detention was around the same time as the standoff between the CIA and FBI over the treatment and interrogation of detainees).
I can't agree with Shephard's methodology here. Why is he using RHCP to guide these comparisons? These are notoriously poorly mixed & mastered tracks - repeat offenders in the Loudness Wars debates that consume the audio engineering industry. Start with a record that is mastered to audiophile standards (say, RATM's debut) and then let's see if there's a difference. A piece of shit is going to sound like a piece of shit no matter what. Especially when the original (CD) master has digital clipping...
Further: "No differences" between CD and downloaded quality is a GOOD THING: The "Mastered for iTunse" AAC format is a compressed version of the audio data found on a CD (both are 16 bit, 44.1khz) so no discernible difference would mean that the encoding is transparent, does not result in a loss of dynamic range, and that the auditory masking effect does not leave artifacts.
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The FBI employs a technique of rapport-building for its subjects, which they have demonstrated to produce the most reliable intelligence. It was used on KSM and Saddam Hussein - for KSM, though, note that the CIA had involvement (his detention was around the same time as the standoff between the CIA and FBI over the treatment and interrogation of detainees).
I can't agree with Shephard's methodology here. Why is he using RHCP to guide these comparisons? These are notoriously poorly mixed & mastered tracks - repeat offenders in the Loudness Wars debates that consume the audio engineering industry. Start with a record that is mastered to audiophile standards (say, RATM's debut) and then let's see if there's a difference. A piece of shit is going to sound like a piece of shit no matter what. Especially when the original (CD) master has digital clipping...
Further: "No differences" between CD and downloaded quality is a GOOD THING: The "Mastered for iTunse" AAC format is a compressed version of the audio data found on a CD (both are 16 bit, 44.1khz) so no discernible difference would mean that the encoding is transparent, does not result in a loss of dynamic range, and that the auditory masking effect does not leave artifacts.