Yeah, they have exaggerated the difference - presumably so even those raised on MP3s will hear it - even with both mashed up by the YouTube video compression. Not exactly kosher, but I can see why they did it.
warrenpridgeon wrote:
Compression removes up to 90% of the original song?! huh?
Actually, yeah - it does. With 128Kbps mp3s, the file size is about 1/10th of the size of the original uncompressed audio. Now, some of the 90% is likely lossless data compression and optimisation, but the bulk is part of the sound that the algorithm simply figures you can't hear/don't need, so it literally just discards it. Most of it has minimal impact on your perception of the audio, but some of that info does matter. And your perception is just that - yours. What one person hears as acceptable loss, another will find glaringly obvious and painful.
At its best, MP3 isn't too bad, but it
does make a difference - just do a simple comparison with FFT software and see or subtract one from the other and listen to the difference left over.
There are lots of quality levels to MP3, even just using the options in one codec. Higher bitrates make for larger file sizes, and higher quality, more accurate conversion (AKA the "quality" setting) takes longer to perform. And of course, streaming/sales sites care more about filesize and conversion speed than they do quality, so 128K, fast conversion is great as far as they are concerned.
Are decent MP3's and CDs THAT bad? These people in this clip make it sound like what we hear is really really really bad compared to their originals?
Well, that's the crux of the biscuit, isn't it? To most users, a good MP3 is just fine and the convenience of a small file size outweighs the quality loss that they don't notice. After all, to most, volume is a more meaningful measure of good music than quality. But if they do ever develop their ears, they are going to listen to the same stuff later and be annoyed by the quality. Of course, if they are only ever exposed to low quality, they won't be able to develop their ears. Catch 22.
Most audiophiles have a moment that turns them into audiophiles. For me it was hearing a really good system (Linn Sondeck, Koetsu cartridge, Magneplanars, etc.) playing
The Wall, which I'd been happily listening to for years (on my old music centre that had an 8-track tape deck and could stack records 5 high to play one after the other). Something of a revelation (It's full of stars!), and changed my life...
