Expereview Week #5 || Compression Fails! Or does it?

 

Can you tell the difference between these 3 audio tracks? 


Check out the 3 samples provided, and pick the best sounding track for each sample. You might be surprised at the results:

How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality? - NPR Music

Today we're diving into a bit of a different topic than usual, audio quality. Audio quality affects all of us every day, whether good or bad, and with the increased proliferation of steaming services (Pandora, Spotify, Podcasts, etc.) the type and amount of compression used will continue to be an important consideration. I've read articles on this subject before, but NPR has put together one of the best side by side compilations I've ever seen/heard. So, sit back and relax in front of your best sound system (or ear buds) and let me know what you think in the comments. Personally, I got as many wrong as I got right, haha.

Compression algorithms have come a long way since the old 128 kbps mp3s, with optimized low and high frequency cutoffs, variable bit rate (VBR), and bass recovery. In the end, it often comes down to the quality of your audio equipment and even how well you actually hear. Find Out

Speaking of sound and vibrations, these guys developed a method of extracting sound from video captured on a high speed camera by tracking the vibrations in a plant! Definitely not high quality, but also taken from outside a soundproof room using line-of-sight. Jason Borne would love this:






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Original text by Joshua Titus and Shaina Deciryan, with images by organic lifestyle photographer Shaina DeCiryan © 2015 Orlando, Viera, Rockledge, Florida

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