Is this absolute nonsense? Streamers degrade audio

[simplywyn]

I stumbled onto this video, and I know something about networking web coming from an engineering background. Who is this guy and is he full of nonsense??

I don't understand how streaming has anything to do with sound quality. The file being sent over wifi, LAN or whatever medium (even 5G) has nothing to do with the quality of that file. That's like saying ripped Blurays are less quality, they are EXACTLY THE SAME!

Am I losing my mind here? Something I don't know?

The only place where streamers downsample the music is in certain bluetooth scenarios where they compress the file due to BT's limited bandwith (if you're not using the latest hardware)

But with wifi, ethernet, there's no loss absolutely, so what on earth is he talking about?

 

[Purité Audio]

That is a charlatan, posing as a benign grandad.
Keith

 

[simplywyn]

I checked out their site, they sell very expensive equipment, are they any good?

 

[pierre]

I stumbled onto this video, and I know something about networking web coming from an engineering background. Who is this guy and is he full of nonsense??

I don't understand how streaming has anything to do with sound quality. The file being sent over wifi, LAN or whatever medium (even 5G) has nothing to do with the quality of that file. That's like saying ripped Blurays are less quality, they are EXACTLY THE SAME!

Am I losing my mind here? Something I don't know?

The only place where streamers downsample the music is in certain bluetooth scenarios where they compress the file due to BT's limited bandwith (if you're not using the latest hardware)

But with wifi, ethernet, there's no loss absolutely, so what on earth is he talking about?

+1 to @Purité Audio ; a charlatan (but smart: he makes nice videos that people believe in). Some of the people working for him are real engineers.

@amirm did plenty of reviews of their stuff : see https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-audio-p12-review-part-2-power-testing.31432/ for a fun one.

 

[Grotti]

You are a Senior Member and you haven't heard about Paul McGowan and PS Audio???

Well, take a look around (especially for his low performance gear tested here) and all your questions are answered...

 

[Joe Smith]

I checked out their site, they sell very expensive equipment, are they any good?

General attitude here is: Overpriced, at best. Snake oil, at the least. Some items that work fine, but at a premium price for value received.

 

[Jimbob54]

Weeeelllll

It just so happens a random punter sent me a question that immediately allowed me to pivot into a sales pitch for my company's new nonsense box so here I am to share it with you....

Comment below unless you think I'm a shameless huckster in which case, keep your powder dry and post over at that nice guy Eeeemirrs site. Yuk yuk!

 

[antcollinet]

No, streamers don't degrade audio.

Hope that helps

 

[Killingbeans]

Who is this guy and is he full of nonsense??

One of the respected gurus of the high-end world. And yes, lots and lots of nonsense to be found in his teachings.

Alchemy and mysticism is rampant in the hobby, and while PS Audio might not be the worst offenders, they definitely aren't doing much to abolish it either.

 

[kemmler3D]

That's like saying ripped Blurays are less quality, they are EXACTLY THE SAME!

Am I losing my mind here? Something I don't know?

You're not the crazy one, don't worry.

 

[sonitus mirus]

To me his name is synonymous with the word "timbre" after his exchanges with Ethan Winer about nulling.

 

[Chrispy]

Why I call his company BSAudio....and you should count yourself fortunate not to have bothered with him before...

 

[simplywyn]

+1 to @Purité Audio ; a charlatan (but smart: he makes nice videos that people believe in). Some of the people working for him are real engineers.

@amirm did plenty of reviews of their stuff : see https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-audio-p12-review-part-2-power-testing.31432/ for a fun one.

Oh THIS is PSAudio, right.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

Always remember ....... scam artists and charlatans could not exist is they didn't have the ability to entrance their victims fans, and convince them by dint of personality that truth is wrong and lies are right.

Jim

 

[voodooless]

He acknowledges that it’s bit-for-bit the same, but it still does not sound the same.. and then insinuates it must be the compression… what a total nonsense

And then obviously he has to plug a new product that happens to magically solve the non-existent problem … something with noise and jitter… who would have thought…

 

[kemmler3D]

it’s bit-for-bit the same, but it still does not sound the same.. and then insinuates it must be the compression

This is like saying "yes, the glass is full of water, and it's normal water, but you'll be still be thirsty after you drink it because the glass doesn't have a handle."

A shocking amount of audio marketing relies on people not knowing what compression means.

I'm sure a lot of people hear "compressed audio files" and think "damn this cursed loudness war!"... a misunderstanding Paul is not apparently eager to prevent.

 

[simplywyn]

Hs acknowledges that it’s bit-for-bit the same, but it still does not sound the same.. and then insinuates it must be the compression… what a total nonsense

And then obviously he has to plug a new product that happens to magically solve the non-existent problem … something with noise and jitter… who would have thought…

Yeah... I completely don't understand that.

I worked in compression and my parents currently run a PhD lab working with the latest compression algorithms the H265 group. Basically, it's all subjective to the point where compressions algorithms are built to test whether or not humans can even tell the difference.

If they cannot tell the difference statistically, under PhD level human experiments, then most of this is bullshit.

Basically, they're trying to find a level of compression whereby human beings statistically are unable to tell the difference at the 99% level.

 

[ta240]

Truly gifted salespeople convince you that they are your friend and that they are just there to help you. Most people aren't talented enough to really pull it off and they tend to setoff something in your brain that says "be careful". Many just come across as slimy and instantly make you want to leave the store or dealership, but the gifted few are masters at it. What the internet has done is give everyone direct access to the handful of truly genius level salespeople. Customer's from all over the world now flock to them to hear their wisdom and the comments show they consider them to be their friend. Most companies have to give 'influencers' lots of free equipment or even pay them to use their sales skills to move their merchandise. Fortunate companies like PS Audio have someone in house that can have 200,000 people hang on their every word.

 

[Punter]

How good is this, the first comment I see on the above video.

"My wife is the least audiophile person in the world. As long as she likes the song, she really doesn't care whether it's played on a kitchen radio or on a high-end system. I recorded a mix tape for her for Christmas. All songs came from my streaming service ... except for one that wasn't available online in the desired version. I recorded it from CD. My surprise was great when, while listening to the tape, she said: "That song sounds kind of different than the others. Somehow… better". What can I say?! If even my wife hears it, then there is definitely a difference in quality."

Haaaaaa! The wife play, straight up.

Have a read of my write-up on HiFi network devices.

The Truth About HiFi Network Devices

Audio recording has come a long way since the first wax drum was cut in the late 1800’s. The search for ever higher quality and more realistic recording and reproduction has driven numerous technologies forward. From LP records to the Compact Disc, engineers and designers have poured their...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The charlatans and snake-oil salesmen have had a field day trotting out "noise" and "jitter" as the new HiFi boogeymen that they can eliminate with their magic wires and boxes.

 

[ta240]

How good is this, the first comment I see on the above video.

"My wife is the least audiophile person in the world. As long as she likes the song, she really doesn't care whether it's played on a kitchen radio or on a high-end system. I recorded a mix tape for her for Christmas. All songs came from my streaming service ... except for one that wasn't available online in the desired version. I recorded it from CD. My surprise was great when, while listening to the tape, she said: "That song sounds kind of different than the others. Somehow… better". What can I say?! If even my wife hears it, then there is definitely a difference in quality."

Haaaaaa! The wife play, straight up.

Have a read of my write-up on HiFi network devices.

The Truth About HiFi Network Devices

Audio recording has come a long way since the first wax drum was cut in the late 1800’s. The search for ever higher quality and more realistic recording and reproduction has driven numerous technologies forward. From LP records to the Compact Disc, engineers and designers have poured their...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The charlatans and snake-oil salesmen have had a field day trotting out "noise" and "jitter" as the new HiFi boogeymen that they can eliminate with their magic wires and boxes.

But could she hear the difference from the kitchen?
And of course, no information as to if it was an old or newly mastered song, was it level matched? Running old and new ripped songs together I get varying volume levels while streaming levels them out for you.