Can you still be an audiophile in the digital world?
MAR 10, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024147
Sciencebase : Back in the 1970s LP’s were the common medium of choice for Hi-fi enthusiasts. When the compact disc emerged on to the market with its claims of superior quality and scratch resistance, the hi-fi enthusiasts split into two camps: those who clung to vinyl and those who went digital.
But, was concentrating on audio quality all for nothing? Within another generation the notion of digital audio had changed with compressed formats such as MP3’s becoming popular. Jerald Hughes of University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg writing in the International Journal Services and Standards has a nice table showing the technical specification of the human ear and comparing it to the various analogue formats. It turns out that if you want the best quality, LP’s are not the way to go, an older format reel-to-reel better matches to the audio range of the human ear. Related Link Int. J. Services and Standards, 5 (4), 333-353
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
