ZA Furries

I'm kinda unsure where to put this. Decided music is the best place...

Why don't general people care about sound quality anymore? A lot of people, when I tell them I refuse to get cheap headphones because of the bad quality, a lot of people would say "no, man, the cheap headphones can go just as loud" or "They can last just as long"... It's as if people don't even notice how much better the sound sounds with zennheisers, for example, than their crappy earphones they got with their phone.

Normally, this would only frustrate me a little. But... Well, moved recently. At the old house, we used my TV for the TV. Now I have it in my room. So, set it up with the sound system, set it up with my PC, got an audio cable from my sis to connect the PC to the TV, played a song to test the sound... The sound system wasn't playing, the TV's speakers were, and it sounded horrible. Could barely make out the lyrics of the song. Assumed it was the audio cable's fault, cause bad audio cables can do that. Didn't even bother to try and let the sound go to the sound system, as I thought "My TV can't sound that bad"... I was wrong. Got a new cable, sound is equally bad. Did some things to let the sound play on the sound system. It was fine...

This means, it's my TV's sound that's this horrible. I used to like my TV. Sony bravia 32 inch. Got a bunch of cool features, like switching to my playstation when I turn it on, and switching back when I turn it off. Have always been using the sound system. I like this TV sooooo much less, knowing it can make sounds this horrible...

So, why? Is my ears just great? Am I the only one who gets disgusted by bad quality sound? Why give the TV speakers at all if you can't make out song lyrics on it?

You probably have better ears than most people. Don't worry you're not alone.

TV speakers usually are crummy anyway, so for your sake I would get a decent sound system, it's worth it if you yourself can hear the difference, and screw what other people say. It's a good investment too.

Have you considered that it may be the file itself that is of poor quality?

I did say, I eventually got the sound system working. And it sounds fine now. Have previously used headphones, which have great quality ^^

My bad, I read wrong. But what I said remains valid though.

*Sennheisers.

I spent 2.2k on a headset and another 1.3k on a sound card, so you are definitely not alone. The only thing that sounds better than my PC is the V4 engine on my bike.

People use TV speakers? Yeah they should just be removed - lower the cost of the TV overall.

Funny thing you're talking about this, I recently bought some CX300-II IEMs to replace my old ones for listening to music in bed, on the train or watching anime on my tablet. They were R500. And immediately everyone is like "oh my god, that's so much! Why didn't you just pay R30 and get some cheap ones!"

It's like... dude... do you even sound bro?

I mean these were 'good' bang-for-buck, but they still sound pretty average. Too boosted lows and highs are very veiled. But they're comfy and good noise isolation, so I don't mind those other flaws. Also R500 is cheap IMO.

And a lot of the time it is just that people cannot notice the difference between their headsets (which are almost all basically crap compared to headphones + dedicated mic... but that's a rant for another day :p) and a R10000 headphone setup.

I actually feel sorry for them in a weird way, because enjoying the intricacies of music and whatnot is just able to be expanded to whole new levels. It's almost like they're colorblind to sound... so no matter of 'convincing' will actually make them 'see' the 'colors' that they can't see.

I get what you're saying about pitying the "colourblind" and I kind of feel the same way... but practically speaking, if they can't hear the difference, why should they bother with quality audio? It's a waste of money and quality hardware for/on them.

Leeward wrote:I get what you're saying about pitying the "colourblind" and I kind of feel the same way... but practically speaking, if they can't hear the difference, why should they bother with quality audio? It's a waste of money and quality hardware for/on them.

I'm not saying they should, I'm just saying that they shouldn't criticize people for liking those colours and wanting to experience them. Which often happens in the form of "why did you get X when Y is so much cheaper and still 'plays sounds'".

That's a universally applicable criticism though. You could also say "Why did you buy that super-expensive gaming rig when you can buy a R5000 laptop to do all your word processing? I don't need it to do any better." There is a French saying based on a passage of Aristotle's treatise On the Heavens that goes "Qui peut le plus peut le moins" which literally translates to "That which can do much can also do little". In other words, going overkill doesn't prevent you from achieving exactly as little as you'd like.

Can general, normal people really not hear the difference? I mean, really, when I can barely make out the lyrics of a song, they should at least be able to tell that something's a little off...

I mean, I know my ears aren't perfect. I wouldn't buy a R10000 pair of headphones, cause it'd be a waste. I can't really hear the differences in those super expensive headphones, but I think most people should be able to hear the difference between a R100 pair and a R1000 pair...

jacojerb wrote:Can general, normal people really not hear the difference? I mean, really, when I can barely make out the lyrics of a song, they should at least be able to tell that something's a little off...

I mean, I know my ears aren't perfect. I wouldn't buy a R10000 pair of headphones, cause it'd be a waste. I can't really hear the differences in those super expensive headphones, but I think most people should be able to hear the difference between a R100 pair and a R1000 pair...

People think Beats are actually good headphones, so obviously not.

Often times it's really not about monetary value though. You can get some really good-priced headphones that sound great for specific needs. But you can get decent IEMs for under R500, and decent headphones that won't require an amp for under R1500 (although I'd highly suggest an amp/dac).

But to most I think it just isn't a thing they care for. While some just care for how 'loud' it is (car audio).... it just seems so strange to not care about an entire sense of your body...

Firstly it’s not so much people not hearing the difference but rather people who don’t appreciate quality over quantity. The funny thing with beats headphones is the low end. I cringed and then bursted out laughing listening to a set the first time and told the guy I can see why people buy it. It’s so bottom heavy and overdriven that the bass just fucks out all the other audio with each kick. Almost like a side chain compressor dipping everything down to null. Terrible for quality, but fun for those oaks who would smack two 12” DVC subs in their car and drive around waking up the suburbs around them.

But in all honesty music can be listened to a couple of ways. Generally all popular music is recorded in stereo so playing it back on a 5.1 or 7.1 or whatever channel surround system just emulates a thing called pro logic built for a wider audience to give the sense of binaural panning. This however causes crappy artifact sounds in the rear speakers that sound terrible if played too loud, configured wrong or placed in the wrong size room. Yes you get some stuff recorded that way but not your general EDM, Rock or pop album.

The funny thing is if people ask for a sound system or speakers I still direct them to the best quality for the average listener. The advanced listener’s sound will sound flat and colourless to the average Joe because that is what we actually want in audio. A sweet spot with no reverberation at all that can cause wave interference. This accompanied by a flat speaker system without any band pass technology at certain frequencies. The reason for this is, then and only then you hear the album as it is. This is the difference between studio monitors and Hi-fi speakers.

That was a rather interesting read. Thank you, Accretion.

OK Sennheiser just made me ROFL.





Here's another lol, don't want to embed though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYLsmkkv4zo#t=12