How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?

[Retro]

I tried these casually through my speakers, but they all sounded pretty similar, so it was hard to tell. Closer listening through high quality headphones will be required. It didn't help that I didn't like the music much, either.

See how many you get right.

How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?

A hi-def test for your ears (and your audio equipment): Listen to these songs and see if you can tell the difference between an MP3 and an uncompressed audio file.

www.npr.org

 

[live627]

The audio widget on that page goes to a local radio station

streaming music service [...] with its uncompressed audio files, promises a better listening experience than any other streaming service on the market

marketing gimmick for audiophiles. One would be hard pressed to find a difference between high quality MP3 and lossless audio.

 

[Retro]

Oh yes, that test has been set up by a radio station, hence the widget. It's still interesting to run the test though.

Thing is, while people may find it hard to hear the difference between a decent MP3 and uncompressed, including audiophiles, the difference is still there, especially with the frequency response limited to around 15KHz, so audiophiles should continue to demand the highest quality source possible.

Another thing I've noticed, is if the quality difference is too subtle to notice objectively in an A/B comparison, over time, I do notice a difference in the character of the sound, with the uncompressed sounding like a breath of fresh air as it were, after a while, even if it's hard to describe exactly how. It's generally a greater sense of clarity.