Study Shows "Non-Audiophiles" Can't Hear Difference Between 64 and 256 kbps MP3 Files

[kennyt]

Originally Posted by deacongreg

In fact, if any of them are cool enough with you, invite them over to hear your system, and who knows what will happen.

I do and have!

[kennyt]

Originally Posted by Enoch

They huddled for all of 6 seconds, the father spoke up, "We'll take the Bose please."

This goes to show what solid marketing and brand name loyalty can do! Most people who buy Bose have never listened to it! At least they listened to it! I bet the wife had some say in it for the size.... Women like some things small I'm told!

[Ken S]

I thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel with the introduction of SACD and DVD-A, now I think the whole music industry is going backwards. It won't be long when MP3 is the only format for listening to music, I dread the day. Even Krell (can you believe it) has succumbed and introduced an iPod Dock (KID). More dumbing down of the American music consumer, and if a high-end manufacturer like Krell does it, it must be good, right? Maybe Accuphase should introduce a cassette dock! I guess everyone caves in when there's money to be made.

[Dr. AIX]

At the risk of hearing gasps come from the collected audiophile community, I'm not afraid to state that I applaud the engineers and people I know at Bose. I have worked closely with the automotive engineering team at the company over the past 5 years and can say without hesitation...they are experts at sound reproduction in a car! I've developed a few demonstration tracks for them for Acura and others and the results have been astounding.

They gave me a lifestyle system that I have set up in my office...it's for listening to fm broadcasts and some music. It's not even close to my big studio with the B&Ws etc...but I have a great deal of respect for the founder, the engineers and the organization. Bose bashing is a cheap shot...at least in respect to their automotive systems.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Dr. AIX

At the risk of hearing gasps come from the collected audiophile community, I'm not afraid to state that I applaud the engineers and people I know at Bose. I have worked closely with the automotive engineering team at the company over the past 5 years and can say without hesitation...they are experts at sound reproduction in a car! I've developed a few demonstration tracks for them for Acura and others and the results have been astounding.

They gave me a lifestyle system that I have set up in my office...it's for listening to fm broadcasts and some music. It's not even close to my big studio with the B&Ws etc...but I have a great deal of respect for the founder, the engineers and the organization. Bose bashing is a cheap shot...at least in respect to their automotive systems.

I'm sorry but I've sat in an Acura. It doesn't make for a good sound system.

Cars are about base and clarity with little thought towards sound stage and imaging.

I used to agree and think Bose was "pretty good," for cars but then I sat in a Volvo and heard the Dynaudio system they had. It actually sounded good.

That experience totally changed my opinion of Bose and made me realise that the only reason Bose was considered decent in cars was that the competition wasn't as serious as in home stereo.

[kennyt]

I was reading the new issues of the print mags and I think it was Stereophile did a test like this and the listeners were almost always correct, even to 320kbps.

I guess it depends on who you test.

I was walking into the hospital the other day and actually saw a crowd of people sitting around listening to what I can only assume was MP3 over the speakerphone of a cell and jammin' to it! I suspect these people have no idea what good sound is nor would they be able to tell it from bad!