Inferior Source

[escape2]

This is a spectrogram view of "I'll be your everything":

So yeah, not a whole lot of content above around 5kHz, yet to me it sounds OK when listened to at higher volume. I mean, sure, it could be better, but my expectations are fairly low when it comes to sound from YT videos. For critical listening, get a hold of a lossless version, and if it still sounds lacking, then play around with bass/treble knobs to your preference.

 

[Katji]

So I think it comes down to how to do it.
If no presets...on a remote, (maybe streamer /Roon /whatever)
I use EAPO, so far I now, the only way to do it is to change its config.txt file...to include or un-include other config files. So the next step for me is to start reading the Peace docs - maybe there's a way to switch presets - i.e. change the EAPO config file,
or I have desktop shortcuts to run .bat files to do it.
I just tried Mega-Switcher [for EAPO] but didn't get past it not running because some other software wasn't installed.

 

[sergeauckland]

Just turn the treble control up on your amp...what do you mean, you don't have a treble control?


S

 

[DVDdoug]

do you adjust the bass and especially the treble knobs or even adjust the eq?

Sometimes I'll adjust the bass & treble in the car but that's because of the recording, not the "source".

At home, never. If my AVR has regular bass & treble or "manual" EQ I don't even know how to access it! Maybe I should re-read the manual... My subwoofers are passive so it's pretty easy to adjust the amplifier volume and sometimes I'll play with that.

I have "permanently" turned-down the bass on my flat-screen TV because the little speakers rattle (or the cabinet rattles). That only affects the internal speakers which I use for everyday TV watching.

I have a couple of CDs that I "remastered" by boosting the highs and/or by using an "exciter" effect. I have a couple of "pop" CDs with too much one-note bass but I don't like the music so I rarely listen to it and it's not worth messing with it.

Most bad audio can't be fixed. That's why even with the latest software pros still record a good performance in a soundproof studio with good equipment and careful mic placement.

Mild frequency response deviations can be fixed but if the low or high frequencies don't exist you can't boost them. Although you can add artificial harmonics & subharmonics so somewhat "restore" the sound. Sometimes low-level noise can be removed but this is best done with a specific "noise fingerprint" so it's not practical in real-time. And if the noise is bad, noise reduction makes things worse by adding artifacts. Compression artifacts can't be fixed. If they could, that would be built-into the decoder. (Some compression CODECs work that way but the better CODECs try to retain the best quality in the first place.)

 

[LightninBoy]

Here are a few examples :

Notice that these songs sound very dull and flat, as if the higher spectrums were chopped off or somethin. If it sounds normal you probably have a bright system to begin with. Sorry about the last song though.

The only technology that will fix those is a mute button.

But seriously, use tone, EQ, etc to your hearts content. Just don't go swapping cables and tubes to fix them.

 

[escape2]

So the next step for me is to start reading the Peace docs - maybe there's a way to switch presets

Switching between presets in Peace is very easy.

 

[Foulchet]

I do not know if someone has an explanation for this, but I noticed that I needed to play lower quality music (even « good » MP3/AAC) louder than lossless music to feel the same satisfaction. Plus lower quality music is a bit more fatiguing after hours.

 

[MarkWinston]

This is a spectrogram view of "I'll be your everything":

So yeah, not a whole lot of content above around 5kHz, yet to me it sounds OK when listened to at higher volume. I mean, sure, it could be better, but my expectations are fairly low when it comes to sound from YT videos. For critical listening, get a hold of a lossless version, and if it still sounds lacking, then play around with bass/treble knobs to your preference.

Thank you for confirming that there is basically nothing above 5k, hence the dull and flat sound I noticed on some yt vids when I keep it playing continuously. Its quite obvious even when not critically listening. In this case a twist of the treble knob would give a better perceived clarity

 

[Chrispy]

Yeah, its impossible to retain neutral tonality with dull sounding recordings if you bump up anything at all. So you either A. Forget about anything neutral and just go with your ears or B. Keep listening to a whole badly posted album like the half the tweeter is missing but remain true to the source. Some would reach straight for the tone controls, I have yet to do it but mighty tempted to. Just seeing what the cons are if I did it.

If its a bad recording (or a poor upload/example whatever) I simply move on generally rather than try and pretty it up with eq.

 

[escape2]

Thank you for confirming that there is basically nothing above 5k, hence the dull and flat sound I noticed on some yt vids when I keep it playing continuously. Its quite obvious even when not critically listening.

Does this version sound any better to you? Sounds like someone has put it through a bit of EQ.

 

[FeddyLost]

When listening to inferior sources like youtube, mp3, etc... do you adjust the bass and especially the treble knobs or even adjust the eq?

I never do this. It's much easier for me to find out better mastering either accept it as is.
Usually good record can't be hurt with lossy encoding with decent bitrate and bad record will still be bad even converted in 11,2 Mhz DSD.
Correct adjustment of bad recordings is a tough job for professional with a lot of experience and equipment, not much chances that two knobs will really help.

 

[MarkWinston]

Does this version sound any better to you? Sounds like someone has put it through a bit of EQ.

Way better, at least I can percieve some sparkle at the higher end of the frequency although I feel its over done making it feel a wee bit metallic. Something in between would be ideal I guess. Its also way louder, giving a sense of better dynamics, so not really a fair comparo but better than the first one I posted. Lol!

 

[A Surfer]

Ultimate smartass suggestion, stop listening to the poor quality sources and get a decent streaming service if you don't want to pay for buying physical media. As mentioned, if the original mastered recording was poor there isn't much that you can do after the fact and anything that you can do will have unintended consequences after a point so it is also possible to make things sound worse. Seriously, YouTube sounds awful in my experience and I only go there for the visual benefits of seeing, but never because I am seeking audio enjoyment. Not the place for that experience, IMO.

 

[digitalfrost]

Lossy codecs are good enough. They are transparent. I bet you are unable to ABX a YouTube Video at 480p compared to the original source.

 

[AnalogSteph]

That said, there obviously isn't much you can do if someone decided to upload VHS mono audio or a 20-year-old 64 kbit MP3 they torrented from who knows where. Garbage in - garbage out. Many people aren't quality nerds like we are.

That Tommy Page video is an interesting case. It almost sounds like it may have been captured at a low sample rate (16 or 11.025 kHz) or saved as a low bitrate lossy format at some point, or perhaps undergone some sort of noise reduction. Thankfully video tends to be very well-defined in terms of timing, so it tends to be relatively easy to resync it with the CD audio that was originally used, which has been done in some cases.