320 kbps MP3 vs Original Audio CDs

[square_wave]

Did u listen in a car? Can you hear "Vizhi mudidum" song from Ayan?

I am coming to conclusion that Pioneer is the culprit in the way it handles mp3 and CDA

I am surprised you were able to hear such a difference in a car audio system. Most of the time, the head unit is highly compromised disqualifying it as a tool for such comparisons. You must have a great system
A 15 k head unit would have to manufactured under 3 or 4k. After the amplifier, tuner, enclosure and other equalization gizmos are taken care of, you would be lucky to have even 400 rupees which would go into the transport/lens assembly/preamp/associated electronics etc Not to mention the noisy environment all this resides. If you can make out the difference in such a scenario, mp3 must be really bad

 

[madbullram]

SQ: LOL to be honest, I dont rate my system very high. All technicalities aside, I heard what I heard and I couldnt believe it.

Planning to do a proper 320 kbps again from the CDA and test it this weekend and also do a ripping using apple looseless and see how it fairs.

 

[square_wave]

SQ: LOL to be honest, I dont rate my system very high. All technicalities aside, I heard what I heard and I couldnt believe it.

Planning to do a proper 320 kbps again from the CDA and test it this weekend and also do a ripping using apple looseless and see how it fairs.

To be honest, if you were to test 320kpbs and a Wav/Flac, the playback source for both need to be ideal.
A hi-end pc based source custom designed for audio connected to a very resolving headphone/audio system is the best for such a test. Otherwise, there are far too many variables. A car unit/universal player may play cds better or vice versa.

 

[madbullram]

So SW, the basic statement saying 320 MP3 and FLAC/CDA has no difference in a car environment is not true, as it depends on various factors like the player, audio setup, encoding etc.

So saying a blanket statement saying, 320 kbps is as good as CDA is wrong

 

[thevortex]

So SW, the basic statement saying 320 MP3 and FLAC/CDA has no difference in a car environment is not true, as it depends on various factors like the player, audio setup, encoding etc.

So saying a blanket statement saying, 320 kbps is as good as CDA is wrong

I dont think anybody was claiming that. The differences if any are minute is the point I was trying to make. I guess the more you spend on your equipment, the more this difference is going to be apparent. However, I suspect (this is pure conjecture) that even with a no holds barred system, there is not going to be a huge difference between the two file formats.

Theoretically speaking the differences ought to be at both extreme ends - last level of detail in bass and final definition of treble. Mid range which is where most music is should be relatively uniform.

 

[square_wave]

From my experience, in a car even with mid level separate components 320kpbs and cd will not make much of a difference. If there is, it is some anomaly with the playback system. I am aware of such a system with a friend of mine and we have checked this out.

In a high-end home system, it makes all the difference. The issue is not about the size of the difference. It is usually the last 10 percent of perfection which makes or breaks a system. That is the last bit which is all the more important and most difficult to achieve. The Mp3 format breaks the system. What is important to deliver the essence of the performance is lost with mp3. The differences are there across the audio spectrum.

There is a reason why they developed DVD-Audio and SACD which strives to sound like analogue. Mp3 takes this miles and miles backward.

 

[ranojoy]

It is usually the last 10 percent of perfection which makes or breaks a system. That is the last bit which is all the more important and most difficult to achieve. The Mp3 format breaks the system.

+1000 to that !!
exactly what i wanted to say but coud'nt find the appropriate words for.

 

[madbullram]

I dont think anybody was claiming that. .

Vortex: Off course I didn't aim this at anyone mate. IN fact in my circle people swear this statement, so I was stating it neutrally

I clearly understood what you meant

 

[thevortex]

From my experience, in a car even with mid level separate components 320kpbs and cd will not make much of a difference. If there is, it is some anomaly with the playback system. I am aware of such a system with a friend of mine and we have checked this out.

In a high-end home system, it makes all the difference. The issue is not about the size of the difference. It is usually the last 10 percent of perfection which makes or breaks a system. That is the last bit which is all the more important and most difficult to achieve. The Mp3 format breaks the system. What is important to deliver the essence of the performance is lost with mp3. The differences are there across the audio spectrum.

There is a reason why they developed DVD-Audio and SACD which strives to sound like analogue. Mp3 takes this miles and miles backward.

Hypothetically speaking, square wave, do you believe that you can successfully isolate MP3s from a FLAC of the same song if you had a blind test?

I know audio is different for different people. For me, the difference is very minimal when considering the 320 Kbps MP3s.

The difference takes a jump when using cPlay which is dedicated to lossless media playback. But then that is another matter.