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Recent MOFI debacle

As a newbie I don't wish to discuss a topic that has been covered hugely in the past few weeks.  My question relates to a statement from the Mobile Fidelity website which states "GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!".  My understanding is that the average human ear can hear up to around 22 kHz, and my pet dog around double that figure.  What is the relevance to a frequency that even a bat would struggle to hear?  Am I missing the point on something here. If yes, please let me know :-)

markwatson

Showing 2 responses by tomcy6

tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,542 posts
 

Exactly.  Said much better than I managed.

tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,542 posts
 

Companies that serve the audiophile community test their recordings and equipment with devices that produce specs beyond what audiophiles should be able to perceive.

However, if recordings contain frequencies beyond the limit of human hearing, record companies that produce records for audiophiles feel that fact will be perceived positively by audiophiles and advertise it. Same for amps that advertise distortion numbers well below what we can perceive.

Audiophiles like their equipment overbuilt. So citing specs that are outside the bounds of human perception or need is not uncommon. Speakers that can handle power up to 500 watts when 100 watts will blow you out of the room is another example. Installing two dedicated 20 amp circuits for your stereo when it will never need that much power is another.

I’m not criticizing these practices, just using them as examples.

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