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trønderen wrote: from a subjective point of view
And that's exactly that, subjective. Of course a system that plays louder will sound "better" than one that doesn't play as loud. But is it representative of fidelity? To make fair comparisons, you'd test two different systems at the same volume. Otherwise it's apples and oranges. I don't remember ever reading any review in a stereo magazine that didn't ensure that was the case.
And before you say I'm now contradicting myself, when I initially wrote "louder != better", I meant it's not a valid comparison if you're trying to make one.
Otherwise I have crappy speakers I could sell...
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When you listen to music, the subjective experience is what counts.
When you listen to the stereo system, the subjective experience must yield to measurements and specs.
People crank up the sound level in their cars to make the music sound better. Subjectively. Of course it is also to impress the girls, "Mine is bigger than his". But even at listening levels that doesn't blow your eardrums out, if raising the level a little bit improves your listening experience I see no essential reason not to. (Except possibly for the neighbors.)
There is a large overlap between HiFi buffs and fidelity buffs. The former tend to judge the sound by the manufacturer label on each component, the latter look at their meters and analyzers. For several decades I have kept a collection of about 30 sound clip, almost all music of various acoustical character. These I have compressed (in some cases distorted in other ways), and converted back to .wav format. The original and the compressed-expanded files have been given a random numeric suffix to the name; I have to look up in my written notes which suffix is the HE-AAC 48 kbps, which is MP3 128 kbps and so on. I have handed out the collection to a large number of people along with an ABX program that logs the listener's guesses to whether the X alternative is identical to A or to B. Not a single person has dared to return those log to me as a proof that they can distinguish the two alternatives.
But at least two listeners have come back to me with a file they have generated by subtracting the two alternatives (original and MP3), cranking up the level by 60 dB (my amp doesn't go from 0 to 10 but from -80 dB to 0 dB), proudly declaring: There! You can hear for yourself that MP3 takes away some of the music! ... As if that was a big secret. It takes away what is masked by other sounds, those we hear. The removed part is what we won't hear, as proven by the fact that the listener was unable to hear the difference in the ABX setup. But his technical equipment proved to him that he is right it rejecting MP3 as a format suitable for music. (Several others have argued along the same lines, but I remember only two coming to me with 'diff' files to prove their point.)
The sound quality was 'good enough' for everybody since some time in the 1980s. SACD, 96 kHz and 24 bits didn't make it in the marketplace; people didn't hear any difference. You can blame the music, but people do not change their musical taste just to make SACD justified (I know of only one single case of that: Thirty years ago, every MP3 hater had one single record, encoded in MP3 format, with a lot of castanets, for the single purpose of showing others how much the castanet sound was ruined by MP3 encoding. Other that that, they never listen to Spanish flamenco, but it serves as their final proof that MP3 is useless.)
For the fidelity part: 4+ channel sound can add enormously to the fidelity. Movie makers know. Yet, people are satisfied with without it, for their plain music listening. For the small fraction of sound records made with multi-channel sound, a major part has ruined it by making you feel like you are sitting in the middle of the orchestra, not in the middle of a top rate orchestra hall. So for all practical purposes, 4+ ch sound died out, together with 96/24.
Stated briefly: "Fidelity" hasn't been a sales point for 25 years. It is purely a measurement & analysis concept.
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trønderen wrote: When you listen to music, the subjective experience is what counts.
Fair enough.
trønderen wrote: People crank up the sound level in their cars to make the music sound better.
...and to drown out the engine and wind noises, etc.
trønderen wrote: Stated briefly: "Fidelity" hasn't been a sales point for 25 years. It is purely a measurement & analysis concept.
I'm not gonna disagree with anything you wrote.
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Have you ever priced audiophile USB cables? It's one of the best giggles out there .
Software Zen: delete this;
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I have talked with HiFi buffs who stay awake through the night to listen to music on their systems, because "The electric power has higher quality after midnight, more stable voltage and less electric noise".
Also, I have an old HiFi catalog where a power cable (i.e. to the wall outlet) is offered at NOK 23,999 - almost USD 2500. (The catalog is about 15 years old. At that time, NOK was much stronger, so the amount would be USD 4500. You may add 50% inflation to that.)
The people selling stuff like that, at those prices, either truly believe in it themselves, or they are extremely good actors (/salesmen). To me it seems like they actually do believe.
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With those prices, maybe it's time for a career change!
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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BillWoodruff wrote: what do you expect to see if you watch ? People who do not trust M$.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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BillWoodruff wrote: as a former paid up apple fanbois, twenty years ago,
What happened? I thought they went after those who tried to leave the religion, much like scientologists...(oops, did I say that out loud?)
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skipped it nothing much these days...
Caveat Emptor.
"Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long
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To make it so you can only charge/ transfer data to/from your phone using only apple "proprietary" USB C cable.
You can't use any other cable coz the port is paired with the cable.
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"The new iPhone is out, we just have some teething problems with the antenna at the moment so you will either need to use the iPhone under water or you will need to carry it around in a bottle of water.
Rest assured it's nothing to do with the iPhone itself, we are in discussion with the electromagnetic spectrum creator to get them to fix things at their end..."
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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About five years ago I bought a set of unusual drills in Lidl. A taper drill, a stepped hole drill, a drill for widening holes, and so on. You know the sought of thing, an "it's bound to be useful sometime" buy.
Every now and then I see the box in the shed and think to myself, "One day, I'm going to find that really useful."
Finally, yesterday, the day came. I had a job where I wanted to make a conical indentation in a screw head. One of those drills would be perfect but, could I find the box? Of course not.
Next week, when I don't need it anymore, it will be lying somewhere in the shed that I have already looked.
I realize that this is just another manifestation of Murphy's famous law but, does it happen to you too?
Andy
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AndyChisholm wrote: does it happen to you too? All too often.
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You know the drill ...
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More than I would like to admit...
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Yes, but I usually forget what I am looking for.
I once shared a cubicle with a guy named Murphy. He believed in Smith's law.
>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.
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That's why I have at least two of everything in my shop!
I don't think before I open my mouth, I like to be as surprised a everyone else.
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.1.0 JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate
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That just gives me two things that can grow legs and run away ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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When you have children they run away even quicker.
I don't think before I open my mouth, I like to be as surprised a everyone else.
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.1.0 JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate
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Well what is there that's not a T-shirt for?
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Only two, you're awesome. I have way more than 2 of everything!
Hogan
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Looks like a minor Pratchett God has diversified ...
Anoia
The minor goddess of Things That Stick in Drawers, Anoia is praised by rattling a drawer and crying "How can it close on the damned thing but not open with it? Who bought this? Do we ever use it?" She also eats corkscrews and is responsible for Things Down The Backs of Sofas, and is considering moving into stuck zips.
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