Defining High-Res Audio ...

[fas42]

The violin is very revealing of the recording and of the system. ...Your tweeters, and your amplification. Same with cymbals.

That's one part I do agree with ... revealing of system competence, the recording process has made them extremely finicky about any added distortion in the playback.

To tame harsh sound I dial the treble control couple notches down. ...And I use cheap interconnects and speaker wires.

Bad move - you're sweeping the dirt under the carpet, not getting rid of it ...

To me what I like most about high-res audio is the sound quality, in general, on the violins, the cellos, the cymbals, their natural attacks and fading, the drums and the piano notes.

Bob, that's what normal, everyday CDs sound like when reproduced well ... there's a big, fat, zero requirement for hi res recordings, to get "better" sound - it's just a band aid to allow average equipment to not sound quite as unpleasant when playing 'difficult' recordings ... .

Do you also agree with my unfounded and unscientific but experienced listening findings?
Can I be proven right?
Do you have a switch on your laptop that able you to quickly compare low-res with high-res? Well, not on your laptop per se but inside...from a program.
Some apps for your phone will even measure the results.

Frank, how would you define high-res audio? ...HRA

No, ... regarding hi-res and normal CD, I've done the experiment many times of subtracting the "extra" information that's on hi res, amplifying that miserly difference to the point of clipping levels, say 60dB boost, and playing that grotesquely amplified hi res information at full volume with my ear against the speaker. And what do I hear? Absolutely ... bloody ... nothing - it's irrelevant, merely a workaround to get audio to sound better when the system is not good enough

 

[TBone]

No, ... regarding hi-res and normal CD, I've done the experiment many times of subtracting the "extra" information that's on hi res, amplifying that miserly difference to the point of clipping levels, say 60dB boost, and playing that grotesquely amplified hi res information at full volume with my ear against the speaker. And what do I hear? Absolutely ... bloody ... nothing - it's irrelevant, merely a workaround to get audio to sound better when the system is not good enough

yep, ~ 11 to 12 minute mark ...

 

[NorthSky]

I'm very glad Frank that you put me on terra firma ground, regarding high-res audio recordings of more than 16/44.1 and TBone too.
My ears are shot @ 12kHz...fast fading to below 10kHz.

The main difference, overall/general, between old CDs from the 80s with today's ones is all in the recording processes.
I was humorous previously regarding tone controls and cheap wires to tame the harsh sounds.
I cannot make bad recordings sounding good; I simply discard them into the infinity of oblivion, like a bad nightmare I want to forget about.

So, PCM is not high-res audio from the numbers, but nonetheless can sound physically as good or even better than inferior high-res audio recordings.
It all depends of who did the mastering of the recording...with the tools he used to tune his mixing console/brain expertise personal standard taste....

Then we are free, free to define high-res audio also as a good pleasant sounding music recording quality; irregardless of those numbers of bits and sampling rates.
Are we re-innovating the marketing audio wheel? Can we get away with financial murder?

Frank, as a top engineer, what's going on today in our world? ...The world of HRA. Are bananas better than pizza?
Are we in the era of a new paradigm metaphor-less?

 

[TBone]

PCM is not high-res audio from the numbers

 

[NorthSky]

I know, isn't it funny. On the first original post, from the link, the Sony expert defined High-Res Audio; anything above 16/44.
He still said that PCM @ 16/44 can sound good though. And he even said that LPs can sound good too; Sony has a new Hi-Res Audio turntable.
I think it has a digital USB port to make it eligible to wear the new logo...with DSD transfer from analog.

• http://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/audio-components/ps-hx500

Digitally captures analogue in its purest form
Turntable for playing vinyl and recording in High-Resolution
Breathe new life into analog masterpieces with DSD. Just hook up the PS-HX500 turntable to your PC via USB, play a record, and capture every aspect of the vinyl with DSD 5.6 MHz native conversion. Convert your precious vinyl collection into High-Resolution Audio, take it out for a walk with your Walkman®, or just sit back and enjoy playing your vinyl originals.
________

Anyone here walking with a Walkman?

 

[TBone]

Thomas, Sony and I have this some luv/mostly hate relationship.

Please don't stir it up ...

 

[Thomas savage]

Thomas, Sony and I have this some luv/mostly hate relationship.

Please don't stir it up ...

Could not find a appropriate raging bull clip

 

[fas42]

I'm very glad Frank that you put me on terra firma ground, regarding high-res audio recordings of more than 16/44.1 and TBone too.
My ears are shot @ 12kHz...fast fading to below 10kHz.

The main difference, overall/general, between old CDs from the 80s with today's ones is all in the recording processes.
I was humorous previously regarding tone controls and cheap wires to tame the harsh sounds.
I cannot make bad recordings sounding good; I simply discard them into the infinity of oblivion, like a bad nightmare I want to forget about.

So, PCM is not high-res audio from the numbers, but nonetheless can sound physically as good or even better than inferior high-res audio recordings.
It all depends of who did the mastering of the recording...with the tools he used to tune his mixing console/brain expertise personal standard taste....

Then we are free, free to define high-res audio also as a good pleasant sounding music recording quality; irregardless of those numbers of bits and sampling rates.
Are we re-innovating the marketing audio wheel? Can we get away with financial murder?

Frank, as a top engineer, what's going on today in our world? ...The world of HRA. Are bananas better than pizza?
Are we in the era of a new paradigm metaphor-less?

Gosh, I'm sorry about your ears! I did a bit of simple experimenting at one point, lopping off everything above a certain frequency to see where the critical point was, for me, when the sound started to lose its sparkle and sense of life. And around 10kHz the real damage was done, lifting to say 12k restored most of the qualities of the untouched track - I guess it will vary between people, and hopefully your hearing can adjust to some degree for the losses ...

And cut the "top engineer" crap, - I'm an enthusiastic experimenter, who had the right education, and inclinations to pursue a different path ... . Hi res is in what you perceive you're hearing, and good engineering of playback can solve a helluva lot!

 

[ceedee]

Bob, that's what normal, everyday CDs sound like when reproduced well ... there's a bit, fat, zero requirement for hi res recordings, to get "better" sound - it's just a band aid to allow average equipment to not sound quite as unpleasant when playing 'difficult' recordings way to sell the same recordings all over again...this time at $20 or $30 each!

FTFY