MQA: The Rolling MQA Debate: A Sound Quality Test on TIDAL That Leaves More Questions than Answers – writes Trav Wilson

A recent video published (on April 15, 2021) by GoldenSound has once again stirred up the MQA pot. In the last couple of weeks, the video made the rounds (again, and again) through most audiophile groups, and, as of writing, has racked up about 150,000 views. Additionally TIDAL (the main distributor of MQA) has announced […]

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192kHz: What’s this fuss about it?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different sample rates and why? The compact disc samples at 44.1kHz/16 bits. But then there’s these other rates like 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz. Wow, that’s a lot and the spacing doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. How did we get to these numbers […]

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HIFI PODCAST OF THE DAY

PS Audio’s Senior Analog Design Engineer Darren Myers and The Music Room Testing Technician Duncan Taylor discuss all things hifi audio, covering such audiophile topics as speakers, amplifiers, DACs, preamplifiers, vinyl, cables, music, stereo soundstages, tweaks, adjustments and much more. https://the-hifi-podcast-with-darren-and-duncan.simplecast.com/

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VINYL REPLAY: News

A record-pressing plant on Teesside is to double production after a successful first year in business. Press On Vinyl opened in Middlesbrough in early-2022 with the aim of producing 50,000 records a month. Co-founder David Todd said the continued resurgence of vinyl records was due to factors including collectability for fans and profit margins for […]

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AUDIO INSIDER

DIMINISHING RETURNS: Is audiophile quality diminishing?

Michael Vronsky asks: Neil; Do you think the market for audiophile quality is diminishing, or static or expanding? If I believe the reports I read it’s been diminishing under the onslaught of alternative ways of spending money on home entertainment like home cinema and video games etc. I think there is a very serious core […]

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Q&A

Q&A: Can you hear a difference in quality between Spotify’s 320 kbps stream and TIDAL’s HiFi lossless audio stream?

DANIEL FALLMAN: Yes, absolutely. If you can’t hear the difference between say Spotify and Tidal’s FLAC streaming you might have either or all of these three problems — all of which have to do with the dynamics of the music: 1. Your equipment isn’t good enough. If you’re listening to your music through your iphone […]

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UNDERSTANDING: Dynamic contrast

Dynamics are defined as the difference between loud and soft. That the greater the dynamic range the greater the magnitude of differences between the loudest and softest. At least that’s the official definition. In reality, we rarely come close to using anywhere near what is possible. For example, the maximum dynamic range of a vinyl […]

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THE ART OF HIFI

PAUL McGOWAN / PS AUDIO One of the great joys of having our own state-of-the-art recording studio includes the ability to record and release the kinds of recordings rarely ever done. Recordings that are specific to those of us interested in High-End audio. When I first proposed the idea of launching a new series that […]

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BOWERS and WILKINS: News 05

The new year is upon us – a time when many reflect on the past and set goals for the 12 months ahead. New Year’s resolutions come in all shapes and sizes; it could be fitting more exercise into your busy schedule, saving for a well-deserved getaway, learning a new skill or hobby, or spending […]

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BOWERS and WILKINS: News 06

Px8 007 Edition The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 007 Edition headphones unite two icons of British style and performance. As elegant and timeless as the world-famous secret agent himself, these special-edition headphones deliver the high-performance wireless sound synonymous with Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship headphones. SEE ALL OUR B&W posts at https://www.hifianswers.com/tag/bw/  

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STUDIO: Remote recording tech helps artists make sweet music writes Matthew Wall

The latest digital audio recording technology has helped an unsigned London-based band hook up with one of the world’s most famous producers in California – even though they were 5,500 miles apart. And it is helping recording artists and session musicians around the world collaborate remotely, saving time and money. Electric Litany weren’t expecting any […]

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BOWERS and WILKINS: News 07

Px8 McLaren Edition Celebrating the long-standing, award-winning partnership between Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren Automotive and the McLaren supercars and hypercars in which Bowers & Wilkins has been integrated, the Px8 McLaren Edition headphones fuse McLaren-inspired styling with high-performance wireless sound synonymous with Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship headphones. SEE ALL OUR B&W posts at https://www.hifianswers.com/tag/bw/ […]

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STUDIO: 4 Brilliant (But Old School) Tips For Better Recordings

Have you heard of the phrase “chronological snobbery”? It was coined by the famous british author C.S. Lewis (of the popular Chronicles of Narnia series) and as he put it it referred to “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is […]

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BOWERS and WILKINS: News 08

WIRELESS LISTENING: There has never been a better time to get into wireless listening. Technological advances coupled with Bowers & Wilkins unique engineering offer great performance and innovate usability across a wide range of products. Gone are the days when wireless was a dirty word in Hi-Fi circles. Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and other wireless technologies […]

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SPOTIFY: What is ‘Loudness Normalisation’ and how and why is it used?

Audio files are delivered to Spotify from distributors all over the world and are often mixed/mastered at different volume levels. We want to ensure the best listening experience for users, so we apply Loudness Normalization to create a balance. It also levels the playing field between soft and loud masters. Louder tracks have often been […]

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