The human ear has a different sensitivity to different frequencies. There are maximum and minimum intensity of sound (the so-called pain threshold and the threshold of hearing) that is causing sound perception. Between them is the area of audibility.
Ideally, the range of audibility of the human ear is from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. However, this range is available not for everyone – it depends on the age and characteristics of the human body. Edition NPR Music prepared test “How well can you hear the audio quality?”, in which the audience is invited to choose the best sounding of the three files for one song: MP3 with a bitrate of 128 kbps, 320 kbps and WAV (he is the most clear sound).
In the test tracks of six artists – Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Neil young and Murray Perii with The English Chamber Orchestra and Suzanne VEGA. NPR Music has given readers one clue to better understand: you need to increase the volume.
As noted by Lookatme, the project is timed to the launch of the streaming service Tidal Jay-Z. As one of the advantages of Tidal referred to as a subscription to high quality tracks lossless formats for $ 19.99 per month (subscription to MP3 worth 9.99 a month). In NPR Music believe that many students are not able to distinguish the music of high and low quality.
Pass the test with six musical excerpts on the site NPR.
