Hi Res Audio Listening Test.

[drewan]

Hi, New to site but have been reading it for about a month, Boy do some of you guys get up to some crazy stuff 🙂 anyways my opinion...Lenovo netbook
Teac A-R610
IMF TLS80mk2

X complet cr*p
Y best
Z seemed to suffer some kind of interference??? guess that'll be the 24bit one then 🙁

 

[Mooly]

Boy do some of you guys get up to some crazy stuff 🙂 (

Hey, its the only way 😉 Some would still be using wax cylinders if they were still viable.

 

[Smiley 09]

'' Lo Res Audio Listening Test ''

Hi Andreas,

I'll give more info when the test has run its course. You don't seem impressed by the quality of these. They are certainly not upsampled MP3's or CD's.

Why do you think they are ?

Hi Molly,

I don't Think, I Know 1000% they are, so let's Play The Game further. . . Will wait till the end of this Game course Then I'll tell You Why.
And don't forget this words You wrote:

They are certainly not upsampled MP3's or CD's. Why do you think they are ?

Well then with my all due respect to the author of this game all I can say is that I Kindly Urge You to RENAME this thread to:

'' Lo Res Audio Listening Test '' !

B'Cause it Really is a Game to test the already '' Preprogrammed'' Lazy, easily fulled - limited - hearing people how easy they can be manipulated with very simple rhetoric advert , it seems they anyway only a few may distinguish between '' 50 Shades of Grey'' and pure Black & White, not to even mention the full Pantone Color Chart at all.

'' Drewan '' You were pick it and Your comment Stays Right 🙂

With all my due respect,
best RGDS,

Andreas

 

[fas42]

After my listen and voting I did have a look at the spectrum of these tracks - certainly nothing obviously "LoRes" there - the full audible bandwidth was there, for all versions. And if someone wanted to "cheat" using that sort of analysis, well, good luck to them - I couldn't see anything obvious ...

 

[davym]

I've heard much better SQ but i put it down to the quality of the recording rather than an attempt to mislead us all. Like i said already, it takes a very high quality recording before i can hear any worthwhile improvement over CD standard. Some of the best classical recordings i've heard are put out by Naim, they set a very high standard but have a limited choice available. The sound they get from an ordinary CD puts most to shame. What's the point in high resolution releases when most don't even realize the full potential of WAV.

naimlabel.com

I have absolutely no affiliation with the above.

 

[davym]

I've just been listening to another HD (24/96) album, The Enid - Invicta......Stunning SQ. Tracks from that would be a good test but how do you avoid issues with copyright material.

 

[Mooly]

Hi Molly,

I don't Think, I Know 1000% they are, so let's Play The Game further. . . Will wait till the end of this Game course Then I'll tell You Why.

I'd be interested to know if you differentiate any difference in audibility between these files ? What are you hearing ?

I've heard much better SQ but i put it down to the quality of the recording rather than an attempt to mislead us all. Like i said already, it takes a very high quality recording before i can hear any worthwhile improvement over CD standard. Some of the best classical recordings i've heard are put out by Naim, they set a very high standard but have a limited choice available. The sound they get from an ordinary CD puts most to shame. What's the point in high resolution releases when most don't even realize the full potential of WAV.

naimlabel.com

I have absolutely no affiliation with the above.

Absolutely no attempt to mislead anyone with these files and I think what you say about WAV is probably true.

 

[Mooly]

I've just been listening to another HD (24/96) album, The Enid - Invicta......Stunning SQ. Tracks from that would be a good test but how do you avoid issues with copyright material.

This is a problem for any material such as service manuals and printed material and not just audio tracks.

The tracks I used were/are available (I say were because I believe the content changes) for download free of charge for anyone to evaluate the formats prior to purchase and you are led to these files from their 'Hi Resolution' link. The tracks are advertised with the intent of showcasing the technology and so if we are not liking what we hear then perhaps that would form the basis of future discussion.

 

[Smiley 09]

Mooly

I couldn't believe You are so naive to stating this:

1. I'd be interested to know if you differentiate any difference in audibility between these files ? What are you hearing ?
And :
2. Absolutely no attempt to mislead anyone with these files and I think what you say about WAV is probably true.

---------------
1. Comparing any of Yours Files You provide for test them as a LoRes Against any of My REAL HiRES Files in a Comparative Test all of YOURS Filez simply explode as the lowish C*****ap sound Files I reproduce on My Apogee Scintillas for the Last 15 yrs.

2. The WAW is only one a format (a language of speech nowadays Computers can Understands), eg. if for instance SOMEONE with VERY limited sight abilities to see and can READ only a BIG LETTERS in a Newspaper ( WAW file) this Doesn't Mean that theres in the same newspaper are NONE of some Thousands Smaller Letters for reading eg. The Guardian Daily NEWS.

So Lets GAME Continue, Well SEE how many " Enthusiast " Readers will put theirs ol glasses ON and Read those Files You Provide for this GAME Test.

I'm really Curious How You'll Come Out of this Game . . .

My Best RGDS

Andreas

 

[Mooly]

The files and the test were put up in good faith.

If you have material that will make a better or more interesting test then please submit it as something we can all vote on and discuss.

 

[davym]

This seems to have become a new type of test, a test of our patience.

Can anyone guess what Smiley is trying to say?

Answers in a 'WAW' (WTF!) file, label them trolltest and send them to the Guardian.

 

[chip_mk]

My vote went to Y. Very close second is X. At first I even liked X more than Y but the later sounds more like hires files use to sound on my system.
Z sounds lifeless in comparison.

 

[Cornelis Spronk]

Thanks Mooly. This one was easy for me.

Never uploaded such a high res file before, and it was most revealing.

Hi res is worth it. The distinction is clear on my headphones.

 

[Cornelis Spronk]

Hi Mooly. Just noticed you wanted to decribe what we are hearing. I will try.

I have listed to a great deal of BBC radio 3 at 192 kbs MP3. I always heard what I described at the time as a digital hash that rides over all the music. I have also seen it described as a fiz.

Radio 3 has upgraded to 320 kbs. The hash, or fiz, is still there, but at a tolerable level.

With one of your files, the fiz is virtually gone. The sound is almost as clear as the real instrument in a live concert.

 

[Smiley 09]

The files and the test were put up in good faith.

If you have material that will make a better or more interesting test then please submit it as something we can all vote on and discuss.

Dear Mooly,

I was Really highly curious in this thread until I heard the files provided.
They were Y & X on par with my few MP3 320Kbps files. So I was curious what kind of flaw is it with Yours Files, ... find out in 15 mins all of them. So now You know why I was urge You to Rename The Thread name to "LoRes".

My reaction reason was Solely about the Current Files provided which are not Appropriate for anyone to judge them as a "HiRez Files" which unfortunately they are NOT,
The Thread name Mislead any one who want to participate.

If You can provide the link where did You download these exact files so I can download them for mySelf also, then would be much easier at least for me to find out From where the whole flaw came out.
If This is to be kept in secret until the end of this course, then there's with intentionally purpose. . .
& I'm curious which one it'll be . . . So I'll patiently wait until the end of the course.

Now I have the least intent to mess with the follow up of the thread as I already say before That Provided Files are NOT HiRes at All ! They are only in 96KHz sample format, which don't make them automatically HiRes. The ev. comparation could only be from MP3 128Kbps to MP3 320Kbps and Possibly CD at 1411 kbps All at 44,1KHz FS.

- I can't provide You any of my True HiRes files bcouse almost no one will be able to listen - compare them.

I do listening for my pleasure Mostly old first Pressing Analogue LP Records Released up To 1985 but only the highest (True Hi Q Recorded ones) - Classical - Same with Computer audio files They're all in the DSD125, DSD256 & up Converted to DSD512, I have some DXD PCM at 384KHz32bit also.
None of them are small size and thus impossible for simple upload management, and they need a really extreme good PB system for Real Pure LifeLike performance "BeThere" Experince.
All the rest Audio Fashion is out of my interest.

Now I send Your Files To My very good ol_Friend who is a Guru Recording Engineer, he will make for me a very detailed analyses, which I'll provide them here after the end of Your course, so everyone will be enlightened to the max (all the ol_glasses will be purified with the ultrasonic cleaner at 120 KHz)

@ davym

Can anyone guess what Smiley is trying to say?
Answers in a 'WAW' (WTF!) file, label them trolltest and send them to the Guardian.

Easy man, words comes Easy - There is a Mirror just in front of You and it'll reflect all the Low words comes from You back to You ... 🙂

With my Best Regards
Andreas

 

[rdf]

Hi Moolly. You might want to consider asking participants to provide confirmation their playback system is capable of taking advantage of high res material. One highly touted test didn't bother and a third of their listening was done with a player labeled HD but testing only capable of a little over 17 bits. Not surprisingly the result was a null.

 

[Mooly]

Guys, I'm reading all your posts... thanks. I'll hopefully have more time later today to respond... a zillion things going on at the moment.

 

[davym]

@ davym



Easy man, words comes Easy - There is a Mirror just in front of You and it'll reflect all the Low words comes from You back to You ... 🙂

With my Best Regards
Andreas

You are the ONLY one who keeps repeatedly accusing Karl of trying to deliberately mislead us, what on earth would he stand to gain from doing that?

look up the definition of internet troll.

 

[Mooly]

Lets have a look at what we have got here. The poll as it stands shows a pretty equal split between X and Y and with Z trailing.

Rayma thought X the best, davym a guarded Y.

zedn voted X>Y>Z which I take to mean X sounded best, then Y and then Z.

Another vote for Y from vuki.

Others couldn't find much difference, in fact I found headphones were needed to pick up on what seemed like 'differences'. I think they all sounded pretty close but one aspect I picked up on was that file X seemed to bring the violin into a more central 'soundstage'. Listening on headphones I felt that was a repeatable effect. Of course I knew which was which but I've just tried them again and I still hear that effect.

Doubts were cast on whether these were really hi res files. Well they are to the best of my knowledge. I didn't want to post the full track for various reasons and so I took the three files offered which were Flac 24/88200 file, Flac 16/44100 file and an MP3 of 320kbs file. All three needed to be cropped and for that I used Audacity. Having cropped all three, and done the cropping slightly differently for all so as to make alignment more difficult, the three files were then exported using Flac set up for 24/88200 the same as the 'best quality file'. That gives roughly equal file sizes for all.

So do we have a question mark over the methodology ? That's the big question. Is it possible Audacity is degrading the file in some way when it is resaved ?

That said you all want to know what these were 😀

Well even given the controversy many of you did pick out the 'master' or 'masters'. The MP3 received few votes although if I remember from the comments, some attributed comments to this that we have seen before in other trials sometimes preferring it.

So here is the key,

X is the Flac 24/88200 file.
Y is the Flac 16/44100 file.
Z is the MP3 320kbs file.

X and Y were the masters and Z the lower resolution MP3. Note... the encoding to 16/44100 and MP3 was already done in the original downloads. All I did was resave them all as Flac 24/88200

Maybe if we were to ever re run something like this we could decide on tracks that everyone approved of and agree a method.

Hope you enjoyed it anyway 🙂

 

[vuki]

After inspecting the files with spectrum analyzer (speck) - it seems the files are not hi-res; x&y are 44khz and z is mp3 🙁 ?