On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 06:32:14PM +0100, Kjetil S. Matheussen wrote: > > Fons Adriaensen: > > I wrote libzita-resample mainly for high-quiality real-time SRC > > of multichannel audio, and it's a compromise between 'numerical' > > quality and CPU load. But so far nobody has been able to hear the > > difference with a no-compromise algorithm in a series of listening > > tests (all audio experts and musicians). > > Interesting. Do you know if anyone is able to hear the difference > between a 48000hz sound downsampled to 44100hz and then upsample > to 48000hz again, and the original 48000hz sound? > > Just wondering. :-) There was a very interesting report about this in the JAES some months ago. I don't have it here, but will post the reference later (I should have it at home). The authors have conducted quite an extensive series of listening tests to find out if anyone could hear the difference between the 'High Resolution' audio formats and the plain old CD. They did it by recoding DVD-A and SACD recordings to CD standards, and let the listeners compare with the original. Equipment and test procedures were up to the highest standards. The conclusion was IIRC rather clear: you can't hear the difference. Next question then was why all these HR recordings sounded so much better than the average CD recording of the same music - most listeners and the also the authors of the report did agree on that. The answer suggested by the authors is quite sobering: because these recordings have been made for a niche market of audiophiles, and the sound engineers who made them were therefore not subject to the usual pressure to produce a type of sound that record companies think sells best (reduced dynamic range, a balance that emphasizes solo parts, added reverb, EQ, etc.). In other words because they were allowed to do the recording in the way they believed was right, usually employing very simple recording techniques. If this is true, it means we are being deprived of good recorded sound not because the technology isn't performing, but just because bad sound sells better. Ciao, -- FA Laboratorio di Acustica ed Elettroacustica Parma, Italia Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa. _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-user mailing list Linux-audio-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-audio-user
