2. digital
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Oh Ye of Little Format

Tonight our group of 13 people held a blind A/B/C  test comparing

Formats of CD, SACD and Apple Sound.

We listened to one minute three formats of five different cuts

ranging from Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Santana

Celine Dion, & one other.

 

The cuts were removed from the same CD using different layers.

 

Bottom line- Nobody zeroed in on anything! The Apple Sound actually

was slightly the favorite. Try it yourself.

 

Sound leveling software was employed and were the services 

of sound engineer. 

 

I always thought SACDs were nothing special. 

Now if an XRCD had been included I think it would have been preferred

but you can perform the same test using XRCD due to the way

it is recorded.

 

The fun never stops here...

 

 

 

 

chorus

Showing 3 responses by chorus

chorus OP
976 posts
 

R69-The SACD had two layers- One is SACD the other is CD.

 

SFsas- The gear was not mine. Speakers & other all  belonged to an engineer.

A notch above  the  "Close and Play" level. 

 

SNS-Comparison was not "Streaming vs CD"

 

cz- Yes but somethings require confirmation

 

chorus OP
976 posts
 

 

 

We used  Brothers in Arms. That was the only one of the five I guessed

correctly.

chorus OP
976 posts
 

Of course the quality of a recording trumps all formats.

 

Relar- Thanks for sharing your comparisons.

I wonder if a high res download would sound superior to

the same hi-res ripped of a CD and stored as a file?

 

Sandy- Magic in the middle. I like that idea. It is funny how

the magazines, Youtubers and other Experts all eschew the

merits of blind anything. 

To me you have to be blind not to recognize the value of such tests.

 

 

 

cd318- Very clever! Thanks for the memories!!

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