Audio Myths Workshop

[Malcolm Boyce]

Well done demo, and very controversial in some circles. I'm a fan of most of these conclusions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wjcvQ

[Jef]

agreed.

[macrae11]

I totally agree with 95% of what Ethan says, but something about him always rubs me the wrong way. I don't know if I get a superiority attitude from him, or it's just his way of dealing with people, or if there's something wrong with me.

I watched almost all the video on my crummy laptop speakers, and the two tests that jumped out to me were the bit reduction test, and the noise test. For the noise test I could hear both noise samples even at the lowest setting, at least when they were switched on and off. If they were steady state noise, I wouldn't have picked them up for sure. And in the bit reduction test I noticed a change somewhere between 14 and 11 bits. Seeing as it was a fairly loud file, that seems to me to be fairly noticable, and would be much more obvious on a fade in/out.

So when he says issues at these levels may be audible, but not relevant, but I'm hearing them through YouTube on laptop speakers, it makes me question a few things. Just to be clear too, I did these tests as blind as I was able with this setup. I closed my eyes and made a mental note of where in the music I heard the change, then went back and tried to find what the setting were at that point in time.

[Mathieu Benoit]

That was a good way to spend an hour of a Sunday morning.

[roachie]

I didn't watch the video yet, but the brunette with the glasses is some sexy.

[Crimson Chameleon]

I didn't watch the video yet, but the brunette with the glasses is some sexy.

Sexy and preachin' the gospel of satan according to Led Zeppelin.

[Malcolm Boyce]

Some of the specifics of what he's trying to sell are questionable, but his overall message is pretty clear, and pretty correct IMO.

I have actually done that very bit resolution test using a similar experiment and find that below 16bit things sound pretty bad pretty fast. Fortunately, even the crappiest setup runs a full 16bits easily. A delivery medium of 24bit over 16bit would not be a perceptible difference to the overwhelming majority of listeners.

[Malcolm Boyce]

...and don't even get me started on dither.

[macrae11]

...and don't even get me started on dither.

What if I do?

[Malcolm Boyce]

...and don't even get me started on dither.

What if I do?

[Mathieu Benoit]

When it comes to these things, if I can't hear the difference in a blind test I don't get bent out of shape about it. For example maybe someday I will hear the obvious difference between 24 and 16 bit, but right now I don't think I can, and I'll leave that for people like Andrew.

I don't know if I agree with everything in that video or not, but the overall message is one I strongly agree with. Don't sweat the stuff that makes no tangible difference.

[Malcolm Boyce]

Don't sweat the stuff that makes no tangible difference.

[macrae11]

Here here.

[Mathieu Benoit]

Now that being said, tangible is different to everyone. Andrew will record at 88.2 because it makes sense for him to do that. I still can't tell the difference betwen that and 44.1 so I'll do what's easier for me and my computer. I'm not saying that there is no difference, just saying that I'm not sensitive enough to hear it yet.

[Crimson Chameleon]

I want one of those power supply cords that eliminates listening fatigue --- 'cause that makes total sense to me.

[macrae11]

In my next house I'm doing all the internal wiring with Furutech....... and all the way to Lepreau.

[Mathieu Benoit]

In my next house I'm doing all the internal wiring with Furutech....... and all the way to Lepreau.

They're still working on Lepreau. You may need to wait.

[macrae11]

In my next house I'm doing all the internal wiring with Furutech....... and all the way to Lepreau.

They're still working on Lepreau. You may need to wait.

Well that's why I need to do it soon, so I'll have all the wiring done while their doing their fixups.