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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
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Message started by Lonely Raven on 12/13/18 at 18:17:58

Title: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Lonely Raven on 12/13/18 at 18:17:58

From an older NPR article.

I'd love a more extensive test like this, but that I can play on my gear.

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Archie on 12/13/18 at 21:26:56

LOL, they all sounded like crap!

That said, I got them all wrong. (My computer speakers.)

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Donnie on 12/13/18 at 23:09:43

I got 6 out of 6 but could only stand 1 song.

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Dominick on 12/13/18 at 23:38:18

Nice test.... I got 4 out of 6 right. I was not home so I was stuck using my iPad with my hand cupped over the speaker to get better sound.

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Donnie on 12/14/18 at 01:31:44

I guess that I cheated. My test was with my full on stereo, not my laptop or anything as pedestrian as that.

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by ZZuZZaXX on 12/14/18 at 02:05:48

This was an interesting test.
I got all of them wrong which is why I don't buy super high end stuff. It would be a waste on me. That new 25ann amp is desirable but I doubt I could hear the difference.

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by lazb on 12/14/18 at 02:42:51

yes, you COULD hear the difference!

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by beowulf on 12/14/18 at 04:50:40

I skipped this one just do to the fact that I would have had to listen to Katy P and JZ. ;D

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by Jeff of Arabica on 12/14/18 at 07:11:00

Quote:

I skipped this one just do to the fact that I would have had to listen to Katy P and JZ. Grin

I got 5 out of 6 correct. The one I got wrong was Jay Z and I am pretty ok with that...lol.

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by StanleyG on 12/14/18 at 08:01:16

I listened three ways (iPad speakers, iPad through Audeze Sine headphones, and Macbook through an Esoteric SACD/DAC > ZBIT > SE84UFO25 > Klipsch Heresy 3's) and scored exactly chance (2 of 6) each time. Either an example of short a/b/c comparisons perpetuating the illusion that file quality is unrelated to discernible sound quality or proof that my ears are tin.

I don't normally play through the Macbook so that may be the equalizer but I was very surprised the WAV files were not instantly discernible as superior to the mp3's as I have long experienced or been convinced of sound quality distinctions by file type. If I could be convinced I am in error I could save boatloads of money (not convinced).

Does anyone have equipment that reads the actual bit-rate of these files as they are streaming; do NPR's servers actually stream in full resolution?

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by StanleyG on 12/15/18 at 21:20:03

I found this critique of the NPR test (also from 2015)

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=4681

It does not discuss the actual bitrate of the NPR stream, but in 2015 Tidal was revolutionary in offering 'cd quality' streaming. NPR claims the file is WAV uncompressed and my understanding is it would require a streaming bitrate of 1411 for full resolution, Tidal streams flac files for cd quality which I gather get through on ~1000. Very few streaming services offer this quality even today. Even then, a streamed cd-quality file is arguably not going to sound the same as if played directly from local storage.

I am pretty sure there is some downsampling of the purported WAV file somewhere along the chain (possibly just built into the non-maximized streaming protocols in all the intervening hardware and software between us and them). I could be wrong.

I just don't think the test is testing what it says it tests. How many people are discouraged from pursuing High Fidelity because they are convinced by (questionable) tests like this that they lack the necessary perceptive capabilities?

Title: Re: How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
Post by 2a3smith on 02/17/19 at 05:08:06

Got 4 of 6 correct.
Chose the 320kbs on the other 2 songs, if you want to call them songs.
Used ipad and some dull Hifiman phones.
This would be a no brainer on decent gear.