Re: High-frequency hearing in humans (Bob Masta )


Subject: Re: High-frequency hearing in humans
From:    Bob Masta  <audio@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Fri, 4 Feb 2011 09:20:43 -0500
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

On 3 Feb 2011 at 23:08, Kevin Austin wrote: <snip> > Anecdotally, I know someone who can 'hear a difference' > between a 96kHz and 192kHz recording. He's not sure > "what" the difference is, but he hears it. [He's one of > the few people whose hearing I really trust.] This > implies [somehow] that there are / were people who had > this 'extra' advantage of extremely wide frequency > response. I must say I am extremely skeptical that he is actually hearing a frequency response difference. If these are commerical music recordings, then I would ask what else is different besides the sample rates... a "premium" recording might also use different microphones, different placement, etc, etc. Not intending to offend your friend, but I have noticed that, in general, when such "extreme audiophile" claims are made they never involve double-blind testing. Admittedly, that might be very difficult to do properly, so that a stray perceptual cue didn't give away the game. But otherwise this is a case of extraordinary claims needing extraordinary evidence. If he really can hear a difference in sample rates, and it is not due to anti-aliasing filter artifacts, then presumably he could be tested entirely with 192 kHz material that had various cutoff frequencies applied, or (better yet) using synthesized clicks having controlled spectral content. And note that getting headphones or speakers that have acceptable output above even 24 kHz is not trivial, and above 48 kHz is probably going to involve a quest in itself. Best regards, Bob Masta D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis www.daqarta.com Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Signal Generator Science with your sound card!


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