[geeks] Working Music vs Thinking Music

[dave at cca.org]

jdboyd at cs.millersville.edu writes:

>I think it is a mistake to limit ones self to what one can easily be
>identified.  What about the way that high and low frequencies affect
>the room that affect you?  What about the way the "unhearable"
>frequencies resonate on your body?

Bullshit. If you don't think it's bullshit, then it's easily,
scientificly, proven. The audiophiles have never been able to
do that. Go for it.

>But, my biggest beef is the bit depth of the samples more than the
>sampling frequency.  In particular, I wish for either different
>encoding, or significantly more bits (24 may be enough).

I don't believe you can hear the artifacts of 16bit 44K audio.
Why do you think you can? Have you compared 24bit & 16bit,
with all the other equipment remaining the same?

>> If you want to be really picky, are the discrete electrons
>> carrying that audio signal from your amp to your speakers
>> "analog" or "digital"???

>Well, since the sound is mainly about how fast they are moving...  And
>speed is analog.

Um - this is outside of my field, but I do not believe the soundwave
generated by a speaker is based on variations in electron speed.
Are you sure about that?

>> Audiophiles are people that think the proper way to test the
>> frequency range of a piece of equipment is to sit in a soundproofed
>> room with the lights dimmed and listen to an album. They wouldn't
>> know proper test equipment if it fell on their heads.

>I think that is one of the best ways to test some gear.  Otherwise how
>will you know if you really like it?  But really, it probably should
>be more than one album.

If you're saying "I like this", sure. If you're saying something 
has "better frequency range" etc., etc., than another piece
of equipment, then drag out the test equipment and prove it.

I saw an "audiophile" article using the "guy sitting on a couch" approach
to testing the bit error rate in different fiber optic cables. 

Right.

Con artists and suckers.

And of course, at the high end, it simply *can't* be about the audio
any more. When people are spending more on their stereo to listen
to classical music than it would cost to hire a string quartet to
play in their living room once a week, something is wrong.

------ David Fischer ------- dave at cca.org ------- http://www.cca.org ------
----- Being poked in the eye with a sharp stick makes baby jesus cry! -----