This subject has been under discussion for well over a week on AA (prop head) and has included discussion by the authors of the paper. They state in this link - http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/prophead/messages/3/37109.html - that they did a single test with a high quality, but unnamed, player, and that the vast majority of tests were carried out with a Yamaha DVD-1500. The Yamaha is an inexpensive player selling at around $150 and cannot be expected to have the engineering quality of a good player, and especially not on all formats. At the very least, the tests should have been carried out in all cases with players competent enough to make any differences evident.
Study say No difference CD/SACD/DVD stereo streams
Anyone read the latest issue of AES? A year-long double blind study by Meyer and Moran with 554 people in the Boston Area (many from the Boston Audio Society) found that people were unable to discern when two channel digital streams were switched.
=> They can't identify high resolution audio from ordinary redbook CD stream!
This proves that either
1) CD is good enough for stereo playback
2) Boston audiophiles are not discerning
Will some people will say the test is meaningless as they can attest to having heard enormous differences themselves with their golden equipment and golden ears? If this is true then they should be able to prove this AES study and paper wrong in some sort of test...Meyer and Moran have thrown down the gauntlet to all those who claim to hear differences!
Note 1:
The authors readily admit that high resolution audio and the newer formats do have advantages in multi-channel and studio mixing applications. They also admit a lower noise floor is attainable with higher resolution formats (when volume is turned up very high and no music is playing)
Note 2:
This is the first test of this kind that I can recall. It may trigger lively debate for years to come. Obviously no audio equipment manufacturer will be pleased to see a result that claims 25 year-old technology is good enough!
I expect the audio rags to get hold of this and have a field day, imagine all those glowing reviewer recommendations and yet people can't even hear a difference.....lots of lively debate to come!
Remember you saw it first on A'gon.
=> They can't identify high resolution audio from ordinary redbook CD stream!
This proves that either
1) CD is good enough for stereo playback
2) Boston audiophiles are not discerning
Will some people will say the test is meaningless as they can attest to having heard enormous differences themselves with their golden equipment and golden ears? If this is true then they should be able to prove this AES study and paper wrong in some sort of test...Meyer and Moran have thrown down the gauntlet to all those who claim to hear differences!
Note 1:
The authors readily admit that high resolution audio and the newer formats do have advantages in multi-channel and studio mixing applications. They also admit a lower noise floor is attainable with higher resolution formats (when volume is turned up very high and no music is playing)
Note 2:
This is the first test of this kind that I can recall. It may trigger lively debate for years to come. Obviously no audio equipment manufacturer will be pleased to see a result that claims 25 year-old technology is good enough!
I expect the audio rags to get hold of this and have a field day, imagine all those glowing reviewer recommendations and yet people can't even hear a difference.....lots of lively debate to come!
Remember you saw it first on A'gon.