You are missing the whole point. If you do not know what 0.01 0,1 1 or 3% distortion sound like you cannot make a proper judgment about what matters
Even if youtube compression degrades the sound, it does not conceal obvious hum and distortions.
You can learn a lot by actually measuring and listing, ang add distortion to recordings or run music trough an amp with known distortion, then you will be amazed how much deterioration you can you can tolerate. anything below 0.2% on a single tone is really hard to hear and on music it impossible to notice. I know I have tried it
(It you add one distortion stage with a given 2 order distortion it can actually be cancelled by the next stage, if it is in opposite phase. I have measured that in my tube amps too.)
Do you know what compression you tube does to the sound or are you just guessing, I do have high resolution files and recordings uploaded via youtube and the original files to compare?. the degradation is there but sligh. There is no problem hearing differences in cartridges for instance , easy to verify by extracing the audio file too, I have done it-I can even differentiate between turntables/tonearms from you tube extracted audio.
The youtube files cut off the top end nobody hear anyway, and some compression is going but there is no reason to be "catholic "about it the main character and impression remains- provided you stay away from in-room-recordings by a iphone., and listening on your mobile phone. You should try to add a CD audio track to a Youtube and then download it an compare before you are so seriously offended.
I think you are to dismissive and pessimistic of what can be heard,and measured,,even on youtube..
If you can not hear -60db hum and 0.5% distiortion and some db drop at 10khz in the tube amp track I posted it is not youtube fidelity that is the problem ,it is you ears, and mine too, I cannot hear the hum , distortion or loss of high frequency with that track.
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