| 1. Spotify is testing lossless audio. Can you hear the difference? |
| By Frank Bi and Andrew Marino, The Verge |
| Below are three songs, each presented in three different versions: a lossless version at 1,411 kbps, a “premium” version at 320 kbps, and standard version at 160 kbps. Try and see if you can pick the lossless audio out of the three. More» |
| Why This Matters: I think this makes me sad. Because, without a trace of irony, it presumes that the fidelity of my device speakers is the constant. It does say: “this test works best on Chrome browsers.” I’m not kidding—it says that. Makes me want to tour the country with a good Genelec or a pair of mastering headphones and introduce people to…well, music. –Cynthia Wisehart |
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| 2. Top 10 best studio monitors ever |
| Via The Wire Realm |
| You’d be surprised at how many home studios have beautiful microphones, sets of MID controllers, even audio interfaces but lack one of the most important pieces of music equipment: proper sound output. Studio monitor speakers are actually relatively affordable (some of them at least, unless you’re going the professional engineering mastering route). More» |
| Why This Matters: Inspired by the sad Spotify test, I give you this. It’s written for amateurs and explain things like the “benefits of studio monitors” because apparently, those thing must be explained. But it might help with my/our evangelical mission to bring back fidelity as a thing. Pass it on to everyone you know who thinks their phone sounds good enough. The same author also picks the 10 best studio headphones. –Cynthia Wisehart |
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| 3. The 5 best Hi-Fi Bluetooth Speakers |
| By Tom Samiljan, Gear Patrol |
| High fidelity and Bluetooth generally won’t be found in the same sentence. And it’s still the exception rather than the rule — but the advent of aptX, an audio codec for Bluetooth that lets listeners stream CD-quality lossless tracks to their speakers wirelessly, has meant that renowned audiophile brands (and a few upstarts) are at last getting into the post-dock portable speaker game. More» |
| Why This Matters: Hi-Fi and Bluetooth still really don’t belong in the same sentence. But, if you must, here’s a roundup. And it does give me small hope. If people are willing to carry around a speaker that is not their device, maybe someday they’ll be willing use a speaker that they can’t carry in one hand. -Cynthia Wisehart |
