A Stanford professor has been testing his students over a period of several years on their audio preferences. To his surprise they tended to prefer the "sizzle sounds" of mp3 at 128 bits to the sound of uncompressed audio. Given that 128 bit mp3 is a common and convenient audio format for transferring music files over the internet, do any of us here prefer this "sizzle" - i.e. distortion - to the sound of uncompressed audio?
This phenomenon is discussed in http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/11/153205and in the follow-up discussion http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/03/11/153205
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Interesting topic. I was the bass player in a (rock) group four years ago. My departure from that group was prompted by a disagreement over the amount of bass to be present in the recordings and in our general sound. I couldn't even even ride in a car with the two other band members because of the way they adjusted the levels on the stereo. It was so tinny that it hurt my ears. The drummer was indifferent. But they decidedly preferred a hissy "sizzle" to their music. I'm convinced that they blew out their eardrums and couldn't hear anything but mud unless they kicked up the high frequencies approaching the dog-whistle range.
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
I listen to lots of music in MP3 format, mostly at 256Kbps, some at 320Kbps and don't have any issues with sound quality. It may not be quite equal to CD but You would be hard pressed to tell the difference....providing, and this is absolutely vital, you buy some good quality headphones. The standard issue phones that come with even the most expensive players are total rubbish, pay £40+ for some decent sennheisers etc and hear the difference. While nothing can compare to vinyl played on a good hi-fi system, you can't really listen to it while you walk to work or the dole office.
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Interesting article - thanks! I prefer the sound of uilleann pipes or a slightly out-of-tune accordion from across a noisy room filled with drinking people.
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Well, one thing about cassette tapes is that they can last for decades without deterioration, provided they're looked after and not over-played. I've got several dating back to the early '70s that are just fine. One's ears soon learnt to "not hear" the hiss, and I never use the Dolby filter - it seems to cut out too much. Nevertheless, although they do last, there comes a time - like now - when it seems prudent to back them up onto a hard drive and/or good quality CDs. The important thing to remember is that, although the cassette tapes themselves may last, you do wonder about the longevity of cassette playback systems and whether they can be replaced.
Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
A Stanford professor has been testing his students over a period of several years on their audio preferences. To his surprise they tended to prefer the "sizzle sounds" of mp3 at 128 bits to the sound of uncompressed audio. Given that 128 bit mp3 is a common and convenient audio format for transferring music files over the internet, do any of us here prefer this "sizzle" - i.e. distortion - to the sound of uncompressed audio?
This phenomenon is discussed in http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/11/153205and in the follow-up discussion http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/03/11/153205
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Interesting topic. I was the bass player in a (rock) group four years ago. My departure from that group was prompted by a disagreement over the amount of bass to be present in the recordings and in our general sound. I couldn't even even ride in a car with the two other band members because of the way they adjusted the levels on the stereo. It was so tinny that it hurt my ears. The drummer was indifferent. But they decidedly preferred a hissy "sizzle" to their music. I'm convinced that they blew out their eardrums and couldn't hear anything but mud unless they kicked up the high frequencies approaching the dog-whistle range.
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by gravelwalks
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
MP3 is horrid. though MP4 doesn't sound as bad, what's the difference?
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
I listen to lots of music in MP3 format, mostly at 256Kbps, some at 320Kbps and don't have any issues with sound quality. It may not be quite equal to CD but You would be hard pressed to tell the difference....providing, and this is absolutely vital, you buy some good quality headphones. The standard issue phones that come with even the most expensive players are total rubbish, pay £40+ for some decent sennheisers etc and hear the difference. While nothing can compare to vinyl played on a good hi-fi system, you can't really listen to it while you walk to work or the dole office.
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by strayaway
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Interesting article - thanks! I prefer the sound of uilleann pipes or a slightly out-of-tune accordion from across a noisy room filled with drinking people.
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by Gzeg
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Indeed, nothing beats live music. In the recorded medium, I'll stick by my comments.
# Posted on March 13th 2009 by strayaway
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
What, is no one going to mention cassette tapes?
# Posted on March 16th 2009 by MR.
Re: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sounds" of MP3 Format
Well, one thing about cassette tapes is that they can last for decades without deterioration, provided they're looked after and not over-played. I've got several dating back to the early '70s that are just fine. One's ears soon learnt to "not hear" the hiss, and I never use the Dolby filter - it seems to cut out too much. Nevertheless, although they do last, there comes a time - like now - when it seems prudent to back them up onto a hard drive and/or good quality CDs. The important thing to remember is that, although the cassette tapes themselves may last, you do wonder about the longevity of cassette playback systems and whether they can be replaced.
# Posted on March 16th 2009 by Trevor Jennings