How well can you hear streaming audio quality?

[editor]

Here's an interesting little test. I didn't have decent headphones to hand so did it through my PC speakers. I only got 2/6 right with the other four being 320kbps mp3 samples. So at least I can tell the difference between those and shonky 128kbps!

NPR Cookie Consent and Choices

 

[killer b]

5/6, on my laptop speakers

 

[editor]

Just to add that given the fact I was pretty much deaf around this time a year ago, I'm fucking grateful that I have any kind of hearing intact

 

[nogojones]

1/6 correct and picked the 128 three times out of 6.

This chimes. I think my ears are made of cloth and generally can't distinguish between high quality or shite. I'm generally happy with 128 and can now see why.

 

[Aladdin]

3/6 on my phone with no head phones.

 

[Epona]

I have horrific tinnitus, not even going to try, it might be depressing

 

[a_chap]

1/6

And I've just forked out for some new (well, second-hand) PC speakers to replace my 15 year old ones. Money well spent it seems...

 

[dessiato]

I'm partially deaf, mid range, in my left ear, and bad tinnitus in the other. I have very poor fine hearing.

 

[girasol]

3/6 but the Jay-Z one counted as incorrect but I accidentally checked a box while scrolling, before even listening and wasn't allowed to listen after that. It was tricky through the phone speakers, I have to say. It was easy enough to pick the 128kbps, but tough between 320 and uncompressed.

 

[gentlegreen]

1/6

Mind you I'm listening to teeny £7 earphones connected via BlueTooth
I could probably do better if my Quad ESLs were currently operational ...
To be honest I've forgotten how a concert piano should sound .. I should have done better with Susan Vega though ...

 

[MickiQ]

I got 3 right and 3 wrong (picking the 320kps instead)

 

[NoXion]

I got 2/6. Absolute garbáge.

 

[BristolEcho]

4/6 on my phone speaker. Which is better than I thought I'd get.

 

[High Voltage]

4/6 by just guessing - in other news my appointment for "yet another" hearing test is early next month - it's not going to be good

 

[ska invita]

they all sound identical to me apart from Jay Z which i picked the WAV (may have been luck) and sounded slightly heavier
i think bass is one key area at volume where quality makes a difference - Vega acapella no difference, classical no difference, neil young
id like a test with 6 spectrum pushing dance cuts

that said ive had some really shit sounding 128s before - these are good conversions

my god that coldplay track sounds shit and muffled - terrible production

 

[ska invita]

And I've just forked out for some new (well, second-hand) PC speakers to replace my 15 year old ones. Money well spent it seems...

tbf it still is money well spent if they sound better than your old speakers!

 

[BristolEcho]

they all sound identical to me apart from Jay Z which i picked the WAV (may have been luck) and sounded slightly heavier
i think bass is one key area at volume where quality makes a difference - Vega acapella no difference, classical no difference, neil young
id like a test with 6 spectrum pushing dance cuts

that said ive had some really shit sounding 128s before - these are good conversions

my god that coldplay track sounds shit and muffled - terrible production

I pretty much went off the bass makers too.

 

[RoyReed]

3/6 (the three wrong ones all 320kbps) on £30 Logitech Z200 speakers from desktop PC.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I don’t think there’s an awful lot of difference unless you’re using pro range cans or speakers that can bring out the greater detail. I’ll do the test in a bit.

 

[RoyReed]

I don’t think there’s an awful lot of difference unless you’re using pro range cans or speakers that can bring out the greater detail. I’ll do the test in a bit.

I thought it was pretty easy to spot the 128kbps ones.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I thought it was pretty easy to spot the 128kbps ones.

I haven’t tried yet! Will do soonish.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

128 should sound pretty bad though. CD quality to Wav would be harder though.

 

[ska invita]

I thought it was pretty easy to spot the 128kbps ones.

you got three out of six! thats nearly random

 

[RoyReed]

you got three out of six! thats nearly random

No it's not, each of the samples has three options, WAV, 320MP3 and 128MP3. I got 3 WAVs, 3 320MP3s and no 128MP3. I wasn't claiming to be able to hear the difference between the WAVs and 320MP3s on my crap speakers, but I could tell the 128MP3s every time.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I struggled. Maybe a need better headphones.

 

[ska invita]

I struggled. Maybe a need better headphones.

ive got two pairs of good headphones and a banging hifi setup - i couldnt hear a difference tbh
ive done blind 320-wav comparison tests at home before also - and against vinyl rips - cant hear a difference myself
WAVs are often louder, so you need to make sure the volume levels are equal when testing (they are in this online test in the OP)
im happy with that

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Yes, the volume has to be identical (ideally within 0.5dB). We are basically wired to prefer higher volumes, as as things get quiet our ears start ignoring upper and lower frequencies, focusing on the range human speech lies within.

 

[NoXion]

I've tried again now that I can have it turned up louder on my amplified bookshelf speakers, because apparently that can help.

So, this time I got 3/6, and none of my wrong guesses were 128kbps. It still felt a lot like I was just guessing completely at random though, as I genuinely struggled to find any subjective sense that each of the examples were audibly different. Whether that's because the example MP3s were well made or because my hearing and/or my audio equipment is just that dogshit, I have no idea.

 

[gentlegreen]

I found myself on this thread from 2012 ...

MP3 or Lossless - almost impossible to tell the difference, apparently

Interesting piece: Think you can tell the difference between CD quality music and compressed MP3s? This simple test can prove once and for all whether storing your music in lossless is worth your time (and hard drive space). Lossless music, as we've talked about before, is music that hasn't...

www.urban75.net

Which featured this video of all the bits left out of "Tom's Diner" !

 

[contadino]

5/6 Got the Jay Z one wrong and listening back repeatedly I can tell the difference between the WAV and 320. Listening thru amp and speakers.