[Robert Peirce]

In article ,
"Arny Krueger" wrote:

"Robert Peirce" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Arny Krueger" wrote:

In the absence of blind tests supporting these claims, there is a
finite probability that the restlessness observed is due to anxiety over
not
keeping up with the latest in the emporer's new sample rates.

I can't speak for others, but that isn't the case with me.

How do you know that for sure?

Because 44.1 is 44.1, or at least I believe it is. Are you suggesting
people doing CD mastering are slipping in higher bit rates and longer
word lengths than advertised and my observation is based on that? I
guess, if they are then I am, but I have no way to know that. As far as
I know, everything I am listening to was recorded at 44.1/16.


At present,
my listening argument is limited to 44.1/16 and my observation is, on
the same equipment, recent releases are easier to listen to for long
periods than early releases.

So far, I see no procedural controls that would make me believe that the
observed results surely have the stated cause.

And you aren't likely to. I would have to subject myself to several
hours of listening to bad CDs and several hours of listening to good CDs
without knowing which I was listening to or when they were recorded and
determine how long it takes before I want to turn them off. I'm not
sure that is a doable test.


You are still talking sighted evaluations, which have their strongest
supporters in the world of true-believer high end audiophiles. Remember,
sighted evaluations are the primary and generally only evidence for every
new and old example of audio snake oil.

As I said, without knowing. I don't formally keep a list of when a CD
was mastered. I have just noticed when I am listening to music I like
and I am not enjoying it, it is usually an older CD. That is not always
the case.

I am not disagreeing with the idea that bits are bits. My problem is
with what sometimes happens to the music before it becomes bits. Years
ago I had a preamp which allowed complete control of the playback curve
for an LP. This was from the pre-RIAA days. It was amazing how
different an LP could sound with different playback curves. I think
something like that (improper equalization) may have occurred in the
early days of CD, but of course, I don't know that.