Sound quality is something rarely discussed in detail when it comes to the modern MP3 players and smartphones that dominate the music industry today. In Mobile Age, Sound Quality Steps Back takes a look into the cultural changes we have experienced in terms of music quality, and also how most of us have not even noticed.
“At the ripe age of 28, Jon Zimmer is sort of an old fogey. That is, he is obsessive about the sound quality of his music.
A onetime audio engineer who now works as a consultant for Stereo Exchange, an upscale audio store in Manhattan, Mr. Zimmer lights up when talking about high fidelity, bit rates and $10,000 loudspeakers.
But iPods and compressed computer files — the most popular vehicles for audio today — are “sucking the life out of music,” he says.
The last decade has brought an explosion in dazzling technological advances — including enhancements in surround sound, high definition television and 3-D — that have transformed the fan’s experience. There are improvements in the quality of media everywhere — except in music…”
It’s a sacrifice many are willing to make in order to be able to carry a large amount of music on one tiny device. I suffered last night when I wanted to really listen to some music in bed because I couldn’t sleep, and the subtle hiss in the background drove me crazy. But when you’re on the train or whatever, it isn’t so obvious, since there are plenty of other noises both coming from without as well as within (mental noise that is!)