Tag: does lossless audio work with airpods

Free Download Mp4Gain

Lossless sound quality, is it a tax on IQ? Do I feel like I can’t hear any difference at all compared to normal sound quality?

Lossless sound quality, is it a tax on IQ? Do I feel like I can’t hear any difference at all compared to normal sound quality?
answer ask questionsreport

The difference between lossless sound quality and ordinary sound quality
First, the so-called lossless sound quality generally refers to the compression of CD records into ape and flac format files. When this compressed music file is uncompressed and played by the player, it can reproduce almost full CD direct playback sound quality.

Second, to ensure a higher compression rate, the normal sound quality has been cut at some high frequencies. The human ear is not sensitive to high-frequency sounds, and after reaching a certain frequency, it is completely inaudible.

What is the difference between lossless music and normal music? Answer: Lossy audio primarily loses the high-frequency components in the audio. However, due to the characteristics of the human ear, it may not be possible to hear the difference.

First of all, I am not a music enthusiast, nor do I play lossless music, I usually listen to songs from time to time, and they are also normal MP3s. However, I know a bit about lossless music and have read some articles about lossless music, so what I said below, if I’m wrong, please advise me:

First let’s talk about the bottom line: 1. Lossless sound quality is not a tax on IQ, it has its real meaning and value 2. You don’t feel any difference from normal sound quality, whether you listen to popular music, especially popular songs, or really lack The quality of music enthusiasts, of course, can not tell the difference.
Let’s briefly talk about the so-called “lossless” and “lossy” problems of music files:

1. Except for live music or concerts, there is no absolute lossless music in the world.
I’m not going to talk about those who are too professional. In fact, I don’t understand it myself. I will only speak from my experience after learning. That is to say, in a song or in a piece of music there are many details that you cannot hear if you do not go to the concert hall or even approach the band, details of the process, etc. Mariah Carey sang a “Hero” on stage, some of her breathing, her inhaling, and some excessive vocals, and her preparations when she sang the dolphin sound Sounds, etc., maybe you can’t hear it if you don’t you do. Don’t lie on the edge of the stage. For concerts or professional recording production, the equipment is very advanced, so it can be recorded very close to the actual scene, but it can be said that this recording process, no matter how advanced the equipment or professional-level recording , can not be exactly the same Full acoustic recording, at this level, as long as you listen to music or songs other than live concerts, there is absolutely no lossless music

Free Download Mp4Gain


Mp4Gain Main Window


Mp4Gain Features


Free Download Mp4Gain

what is the “lossless sound quality” in the upcoming music streaming platform battlefield? Part 2

But what exactly is lossless sound quality?

For the music files supported by the current Dashuosu music streaming platform, the formats are mostly “MP3” and “AAC”, and the specifications range from 128kbps to 320kbps. However, the format for lossless sound quality is “FLAC”, and the specifications are “sampling precision (unit bit)” and “sampling frequency (unit Hz)”, the higher the two values, more music can be retained.

For example, in KKBOX “HiFi Lossless Sound Quality”, it is divided into 16bit/44.1kHz and 16bit/48kHz. The sound quality effect is the same as that of a CD; and the most advanced “Hi-Res high- resolution sound quality” sound quality It is better than CD and the specifications are 24bit/48kHz, 24bit/96kHz, 24bit/192kHz.

But on different music streaming platforms, the definitions are slightly different. Apple collectively calls this “lossless sound quality,” and the rating ranges from 16-bit/44.1 kHz, which is the same as CD quality, to 24-bit/48 kHz, which is higher than CD quality. CD, and even up to 24 bits. /192kHz.

Such an upgrade, if picture quality resolution is used as an analogy, is from SD to HD, or even 4K. You can hear the singer recording the “real” sound in the studio, but the music file size has changed. also increased a lot, which can be even 25 times higher than the general music streaming specifications in the past.

Apple Music VS KKBOX, the sound quality strategy is very different
Taking stock of the practices of major music streaming platforms at present, for KKBOX, which has a music library of 70 million songs, hi-fi songs exceed 40 million, and hi-res songs exceed 3 million, but KKBOX considers it as a new added value. The service costs twice the subscription fee to obtain it. It can be seen that the cost of producing lossless sound quality is not low.

But Apple Music takes a very different approach. Users won’t have to pay extra, and the 75 million song library will eventually be fully upgraded, but by the early June release, around 20 million songs will support lossless sound quality.

Source: KKBOX
But with lossless sound quality, whether the headphones can actually deliver such specs is another question. If you use a Bluetooth headset, it must support aptX HD and LDAC decoding; wired headphones are better with DAP (Digital Audio Player) or DAC (Digital Analog Converter).
Source: Apple
Due to the large size of lossless sound quality files and the need for large bandwidth, in the initial state of Apple Music, this function is disabled by default and needs to be activated manually. Apple further explained that its AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and Beats are Bluetooth headphones that cannot support Apple Music’s lossless sound quality and must be paired with a DAC.

what is the “lossless sound quality” in the upcoming music streaming platform battlefield?

Why do music streaming platforms launch “lossless sound quality” services one after another?

Will it be the next big trend in the music streaming battle?

Many users who subscribe to music streaming platforms like Apple Music, KKBOX, Spotify, etc. You must have recently heard the term “Lossless Audio”.

At the end of last year, KKBOX launched the first “Hi-Fi Lossless Sound Quality” service in Taiwan, and then in April this year, the “Hi-Fi Lossless Sound Quality” service was also launched. ” with improved sound quality; Apple also announced a few days ago that Apple Music will start in June, gradually upgrading its 75 million songs to lossless sound quality, and even Spotify has announced that it will follow up.

Why are music streaming platforms rushing? After all the subscription fees and the amount of music library, will it become the next big trend in the music streaming battle?

With 200,000 members added in half a year, what is “lossless sound quality”?
Music streaming began to emerge in the 3G era. Due to the limited network bandwidth at the time, in order for songs to play smoothly, the size of the music files had to be compressed and some quality was sacrificed. of the music, so it is Impossible to play CDs as “real”. . However, in 2020, 5G began to be popular all over the world. After the network bandwidth and speed improved greatly, users’ music quality requirements seem to have risen with the tide.

Judging from KKBOX data, since the launch of the lossless sound quality service at the end of 2020, more than 200,000 users have applied for the experience service and become new members of KKBOX.

But what kind of people care about sound quality?

Among these 200,000 people, the ratio of men to women is 8:2, and the age range that represents the highest ratio is 26 to 30 years.

What is lossless sound quality?

What is the sound quality of the music we usually listen to?

▲ Both AAC and MP3 are destructive compression, while FLAC and ALAC are lossless compression

Before we go into the details, let’s talk about what is called lossless sound quality; From the author’s concept and cognition, the so-called lossless sound quality is a relative word rather than an absolute word. The main source is the relative word born due to the emergence of the MP3 music compression format. ; After the music industry entered the digital format, digital music files were generally recorded through PCM encoding, and WAVE files were generally used on CDs. The time and space situation of MP3 was Due to the fact that the capacity of the hard disk was generally not large at that time, in order to be limited in the limited space, a large amount of music data is stored in the storage space and you may need to compress the files. .

The reason why MP3 cannot be called a lossless format is because its essence is to compress the original WAVE file with a limited bit rate by combining concepts such as the psychology of sound. In bitrate compression mode, compared to the original WAVE file, the bitrate is at least 1:4 to 12:1. The higher the bitrate, the greater the amount of information retained . For example, AAC format also uses similar audio psychology for compression, but the efficiency is better than MP3. Therefore, the lossless sound quality of most streaming platforms today is mostly AAC as the mainstream.

▲ Although the waveform of digital music in PCM format will appear jagged, but as the sampling rate increases, it will be closer to the analog arc curve

The principle of these audio compression methods is to preserve places that are easily heard by the human ear as much as possible. In conventional fixed bit rate (CBR) mode, the audible data in the audio is removed and is easier for the human ear to hear. The more information that is withheld, the less information that is withheld when the part is inaudible. As the complexity of the sound increases, the degree of deterioration in sound quality becomes more apparent. For example, when listening to pure voice Performances and performances combined with background music, pure compressed music for vocals, sounds less degraded than the original file.

As for the lossless sound quality offered by the current streaming platform, there are many formats, but in fact, strictly speaking, these formats, including flac and ALAC, belong to lossless compression (non-destructive data compression) in place of lossless sound quality in a strict sense. The performance is almost the same as WAVE, but the file size is small, the decoding speed is fast, and at the same time, it can be used in streaming services. Therefore, it is also the representative format of lossless sound quality enters the era of non-optical disc media, and it is also the current music streaming service.

Also, Tidal’s MQA is a more controversial format, because although MQA is a generalized lossless audio reduction, it focuses on making high quality music files higher than CD quality to be similar to files. CD-quality flac. original high-quality sound format, but the point of controversy is whether the higher compression ratio can maintain the same real listening experience as the original high-quality sound quality has been controversial, and MQA requires a specific device to perform the hardware decoding. many devices are still only able to do MQA decoding through software.

What is lossless sound quality Part 8

In conclusion

▲The sense of hearing is an analogy with the senses, whether listening to music or returning is the pleasure of listening

It took so much space to broadcast that for different users, whether it is necessary to deliberately pursue the quality of music files, hardware or technology varies from person to person, although it is often seen that different factions of consumer groups ridicule each other. Specific technology or hardware chased each other, but listening to music ultimately returns to the personal analogy, you can hear the difference does not mean that other people can also hear the difference, what you do not mind does not mean that others do not I do not care, I just want listen to her Music is more important than anything else, and there is no need to force others to accept it.

From the previous list, the author believes that the most direct difference for users will be the introduction of spatial audio, followed by a certain level of listening in terminal equipment (headphones or speakers); a bit more advanced is the autocompression format and the search for the lossless compression format. At the same time, the external audio equipment is adequately expanded to replace the built-in equipment; for gamers who have a strong sense of hearing and attach great importance to seeking the latest, they will have more needs for high-quality files, Bit-Perfect, etc.

 

▲A high-end smartphone with a headphone jack is relatively convenient for listening to high-quality music. After all, external devices will increase the volume.

However, the author still wants to say that discarding the headphone jack in high-end mobile phones is really a very wrong decision for users who need to listen to music, since the price of wireless headphones with the same sound quality is even higher. than that of wired headphones. Interference, lag, battery life, etc. make listening to music troublesome. It is also extremely inconvenient to use an additional conversion cable to convert it to a 3.5mm output. As far as the author is concerned nowadays, the music is almost never left during the work, but instead of focusing on listening to the details, the author believes that in this situation, as long as there is a certain quality of interpretation, the search for a better sound quality is already a consequence. get out of work enjoy.

What is lossless sound quality Part 7

Assuming you really have a good sense of hearing, investing in better hearing equipment may be the most straightforward option.

According to the author’s experience, headphones with a certain level can help you hear the details and dynamics of music, and even if the mobile phone can support lossless files The occupation mode matches the Bit-Perfect playback output, and the listening experience is still not as good as using SRC mode with a slightly higher level external audio device. After all, the external audio device has relatively ideal circuit isolation and higher quality audio grade components and a more abundant driving force will make the music heard in the headphones more layered and full.

However, the sound here refers to the form of the sound. If you listen to the compressed file with a better external audio device, you will find that the sound connection is still quite broken and the fineness is not ideal. The atmosphere is better without being noticed at first glance, but looking back, how many opportunities and moods are there to listen to the details so carefully, so if the author chooses, the author will still give priority to improving the quality of the headphones and external audio equipment. quality.

Why Apple believes that spatial audio is a technology that can lead the music trend more than high-quality sound

▲ The focus of spatial audio is to break the limitation of listening to the left and right channels of stereo headphones, making the listening feeling more three-dimensional

The last thing I have to mention is that Apple put support for spatial audio technology before providing high-quality sound in the Apple Music revision. One, of course, is that Apple hasn’t completed the SRC of the playback software, and most people can’t distinguish between lossless and compression sound quality. The difference in sound quality is no coincidence that Sony is also promoting 360 Reality Audio technology with similar features. It can be said that the important point of spatial audio technology is to break through stereo and even break through the innate limitations of headphones.

Because compared to the speakers that are placed in an open space and transmit the sound by direct exposure and reflection in space, and finally heard by the human ear and produce a sense of space, the headphones directly connect the left channel and the right channel. right. is transmitted to the left ear and right ear, but the earphone will not be able to hear a part of the right sound as a speaker, and the right ear can also hear a part of the sound from the left ear. This is also the key for many music players who believe that speakers still appreciate more than headphones.

▲ Sony’s 360RA is further corrected for ear type data and can be optimized for specific headphones and speakers

But after all, most of today’s music formats use stereo as a reference point, but do not take into account the differences between headphones and sound devices. Once recorded in traditional stereo, it is difficult to change the innate limitation of the headphone listening experience; The technology allows headphones to simulate the flat sound field of speakers, but in analog, sometimes the spatial position of the sound gets weird.

Whether it’s Dolby Atmos, which is the basis of Apple’s spatial audio technology, or Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, in the post-production process, the music creator defines the sound space and uses analog technology to create the corresponding frequency in the sense of hearing It can not only overcome the flat sound field of traditional virtual surround sound, but also because it is a real spatial positioning narrative, it can also hear the listening feeling that is closer to the original creator’s desire to express.

To listen to music with headphones, it can help break the original stereo playback positioning method, so that at first glance the sound can be as three-dimensional as using a speaker, and the user’s sense of hearing will be more direct than enhancing the details . Of music It is also easier to feel the difference with the general public’s sense of hearing, of course, spatial audio technology is also suitable for multi-channel speaker systems, and multi-channel speaker system and spatial audio is expected they complement each other.

What is lossless sound quality Part 6

Only a few third-party playback programs can exclusively bypass SRC on external sound devices.

From the author’s personal test with an Android mobile phone, once an external audio device is connected, if the playback software that follows Google’s standard music playback API is used (usually the default music playback software mobile phone), the result will be the following 24bit 48kHz.

The format will be forced to convert to 24bit 48kHz, but music with a format higher than 24bit 96kHz can be output normally. As for the KKBOX app, the speed is limited to 24bit 48kHz. If you want to play the native format on Android through an external audio device, you still need to rely on third-party music player software with USB Bit-Perfect function, such as Haibei Music. At the same time, manual settings are required, which is complicated for ordinary consumers.

Is the quality of the file important, being able to do exclusive mode and Bit-Perfect, or the sound quality of the device itself?

▲ Even if it is CD sound quality, exclusive mode playback may be clearer than SRC

Although much has been mentioned above, from the most fundamental point of view, is it important to need high quality audio files, or is it important to be able to decode and play at the native sample rate, or is the audio structure of the device important in itself and the headphones and speakers used to listen? Ideally, I’d have it all, but if I’m limited, I always have to choose.

Let’s start with the quality of the files. CD specs at that time will be set to 16-bit 44.1kHz, which is based on the sound that the human ear can theoretically hear in the 20-20kHz range. Angles are less audible, and people with better hearing can “feel” more nuance. But if you look at the listening density, the compression format will be different from original sound quality/lossless compression.

▲Compared to using a mobile phone to play lossless sound quality, playing 320K AAC with a high-end player or external DAC sounds more pleasant at first glance

For a 16-bit 44.1 kHz piece of music in the conventional original WAVE format, the overall encoding stream is about 1.4 Mbps. As for the use of lossless compression, it will vary depending on the complexity of the song and will typically be between 600kbps and 1Mbps. However, the lossy compression format will be less than 320kbps, which means that since the original file is destroyed and compressed down to 320kbps, at least almost 3 /4 of the information is destroyed, and in terms of PCM characteristics, it is equivalent to the signal. The middle of the curve is greatly reduced, returning to the sense of hearing means that the dynamics of the music are reduced, and the connection between sound and sound is broken.

It is absolutely important whether or not to use Bit-Perfect in exclusive mode. The author thinks that if you only listen to CD quality and destroy the compressed format, it is a relatively harmless situation, because the essence of the destroyed compression format is to use CD samples as a model for compression. Generally, the default value of SRC provides enough flow for CD, although the actual information through SRC is not forced to drop because of SRC, but rather because the input signal must be shared with other applications. , the sound seems to be covered in comparison.A layer of thread.

▲With the right gear, hear the dynamics and connection of native hi-res music

But if you’re pretty sure of your hearing, the key difference between playing music in exclusive mode with Bit-Perfect is playing hi-res music, because if you use SRC, it will force the original amount of information and dynamics to be in SRC.After being erased, the sound quality is the same as listening to the CD, and the original harmonics will also disappear, but the premise is that the user must have the corresponding equipment and the sense of hearing that can feel the harmonics. For example, the Vic

What is lossless sound quality Part 5

Web-based players are often difficult to bypass SRC restrictions

What is the function of SRC? In a nutshell, it is to first convert all current output sounds from the device to a fixed sample rate, whether CD quality or high quality, etc., and perform pre-processing equal to a rate, so that the sample rate device sound can be decoded at the same time Process audio for a large number of applications and systems. But the problem of SRC is that PC and mobile devices can’t hear the real high-quality sound, and even CD-quality music will sound exhausted. After SRC, even if the music is played losslessly, it will be processed in CD-quality data The external device is equipped with a monitor panel, and you can also see that the sound quality is 24bit 96kHz, but it is processed in SRC 16bit 48kHz (Note: SRC can be set manually in the PC system for sampling).

▲On mobile devices, the app must also have an exclusive mode to not be restricted by SRC

Simply put, because SRC will convert digital audio from various applications and systems before it is decoded by the input audio device, and all sounds will be compressed into the same input signal, regardless of music, sound effects, etc. the movies etc. is boosting, cutting, or the same frequency as the SRC, the above signal processing is a kind of loss, which will eventually make the sound less than the original appearance.

▲ Although KKBOX can bypass the SRC restriction in certain versions of Android system, it will be blocked when an external sound card is connected.

In order to allow PC systems and mobile devices to play the original level of music files, they must be played in Bit-Perfect mode through the audio device’s exclusive mode, but most general-purpose music playback software and web-based music software do not have this feature. . Audio device exclusive mode and Bit-Perfect, respectively, allow the playback software to bypass the SRC mechanism and get the sole right of input from the audio output device, which is equivalent to sound effects in other systems that cannot be produced exclusively by the device. general public explains why there is only music left, and not even YouTube videos.

Mentioned in photo) Sound, Q Speaker – Content, Playback, Contains screenshots, Sony HW700DS, Computer, Software, PlayStation 4

▲Although the SRC setting can be fixed to high sound quality, both compressed music and high sound quality music need to be reprocessed, and the sound quality will be damaged

Currently, there are many professional music playback software on PC or music software provided by audio equipment that can play music in exclusive mode. For example, KKBOX has also completed the configuration function of exclusive mode and Bit-Perfect version driver in the latest version for PC. Mobile devices are more embarrassing. In recent versions, Apple and Google allow exclusive and Bit-Perfect playback of built-in audio devices, but it gets complicated when it comes to external audio devices.

What is lossless sound quality Part 4

However, there are many early music recordings that also provide high-quality files in the process of being digitized, but in theory there is no such thing as high-quality digital radio at the time this record was released. How did these files come about?

 

Broadly speaking, early digital mastering music can be divided into analog mastering and CD-level digital mastering with upscaling; Since the waveform of the analog audio signal can present a real smooth curve, it can be achieved through suitable analog digital conversion equipment. Achieve the information density of the high-resolution level, but after all, we have to consider the high and low frequency limit of the radio equipment in the recording era, so the expressive power of high and low frequency is not necessarily better than modern recording.

As for the expansion of CD-level master tapes, most of them will be marked Remaster. This type of file is presented by combining CD-level sound quality files through post-production upscaling and mixing technology. However, the effects of the Remaster files in different periods appear different, but also affected by the personal preferences of the sound engineer who carried out the Remaster project. Some players think that after the Remaster, although the amount of musical information is gets bigger, at the same time, the musicality can be worse than the original CD.

The innate limitations of listening to music through mobile phones and computers and the high-quality sound you hear may not be the high-quality sound you think.
EVGA., HTR are mentioned in the photo, including car, car, car design, design, car engineering

▲Perhaps many people do not know that even if a 32-bit sound card is installed, the actual listening format is due to the SRC card in CD quality.

Coming back to music playback itself, the current mainstream of digital music playback has shifted from traditional players to PC platforms and smart mobile devices, but some people may be confused as to why music performance seems strange. heard on a computer or mobile phone. At the same time, people who are fairly confident in their hearing and can tell a CD from high-quality music on a stand-alone player have difficulty telling the difference in CD quality when listening to high-quality content on a computer.

▲To bypass SRC, you need to use playback software and sound driver mode that supports exclusive mode, but most music playback software does not have this function

The reason for the limited listening experience on mobile devices and PC platforms is that these devices are embedded systems, and the audio output on the device is shared with multiple applications, including the system itself, the browser, and each separate application. time, these sounds are often sent synchronously, so modern operating systems will provide an audio device sharing mode called SRC for audio, in order to prevent the audio chip from inserting different audio formats and not can be decoded.

What is lossless sound quality Part 3

Although the sense of sound can be quantified through data, it has always been a subjective awareness.

However, apart from the difference in the sense of human hearing, the quality of each piece of music still goes back to the original recording and after recording. production; Many years ago, Sony started promoting high-quality music. When it comes to music and sound quality equipment, the author once talked to a senior engineer at Sony about the difference high quality sound makes to the listener. At that time, the senior engineer pointed out that from the data plane, the high-quality sound format is actually a large extension of high-frequency. However, if you ditch the data specs and record high-quality music with modern equipment, you’ll be able to present deeper, more realistic low-frequency dynamics.

The photo contains electronic accessories, electronics, Sony Walkman NW-WM1 series, Sony DMP-Z1, headphones

▲Although the quality of the original sound is very important, even a well-recorded 320K file with a good playback and listening device can work better than directly using a mobile phone to play a high-quality file with the included headphones

However, this is also seen from the original conditions of the radio equipment, but generally the music released to the market will not be released directly after being picked up. The original audio still needs to go through steps like re-editing, post-production. , synthesis, etc.. The music post-production process will also degrade the sound quality and involve personal preferences. If the editing is excessive, the sound quality will also be affected.

However, if the WAVE format, which is commonly used in standard digital music, is used, no matter what the result of the front recording is and how damaged it is, the music will eventually be compressed into a file with a fixed format. sampling rate, but the content will also include a large amount of inaudible information. ; As for the lossless compression of FLAC, AAC, etc., the sound psychology theory removes information that can be considered non-existent, so that the file can be simplified.

OTOTOY is mentioned in the photo, There is a sound you can’t bru-, Genre Main > Best Selling Album Best Selling EP Latest Release Featured Item Music Information Merchandise Sale IN STORE OTOTOY Academy, including web pages, multimedia, online advertising, computer programs, product

▲ The new generation of recording methods will also use the 24-bit 44.1 kHz or higher format, which can record richer details (Image taken from: Ototoy)

Before we go on to mention high-quality sound, let’s talk about the changes related to recording in recent years; With the improvement of digital recording technology in recent years, the front recording project has also begun to introduce high-quality sound recording to exceed the traditional CD sound quality 16-bit 44.1kHz sampling above 24-bit 44.1 kHz The format is used like the original master tape, although it can only be increased from 16-bit to 24-bit, but the increased amount of data per second means there is more information. If the subsequent sampling rate is increased to 96 bits, the PCM encoded sound curve of the sawtooth waveform can be improved. Close to analog waveforms.

For example, the Japanese digital music platform Ototoy will mark such music based on high-quality recordings with the HQD symbol. Before the term Hi-Res Audio, this type of 24-bit audio based on high-quality recordings and not re-pressed into CD-quality sound. The file is usually completed with a digital mastering level sound quality file, and has been in practice for many years before the appearance of the hi-res level mark. Incidentally, SACDs recorded in 1-bit format and presented in DSD format that is close to an analog curve can also be considered as mastering. It is a kind of high-quality sound quality, but strictly speaking, since the DSD format does not have the editing function, in fact, the DSD file is still converted as a high-density PCM file.

9:41, all colors are mentioned in the photo, including Apple Music Lossless Android, Lossless Compression, Apple Music, Dolby Atmos, 3D Sound

▲Currently, high-resolution music is divided into analog mastering transcription, CD-quality mastering scaling, and high-quality native sound mastering, among which the scaling effect is still the worst