Theory States Listeners Prefer Mp3 Quality over Vinyl and CD

A theory developed by Jonathan Berger, Professor of Music at Stanford University, California, says that music fans are getting used to mp3 quality on their iPods, even though producers say that the sound quality is lacking.

While older fans insist that songs heard through iPods aren’t up to standard, compared with the CDs and vinyl, but Professor Berger’s examined music tastes of his students over the past eight years and concludes:

“I found not only that MP3s were not thought of as low quality, but over time there was a rise in preference for MP3s.”

Alternatively, “some people prefer that needle noise – the noise of little dust particles that create noise in the grooves,” he said. “I think there’s a sense of warmth and comfort in that.” Professor Berger goes by saying that the digitalizing process produces a “sizzle” or a metallic sound in music.

Many producers criticize the compression quality of mp3′s, and the rising trend in mp3 desirability. “Now there’s a constant race to be louder than other people’s records,” said Stephen Street, who produced for Blur, the Cranberries and Kaiser Chiefs. “What you are hearing is that everything is being squared off and is losing that level of depth and clarity. I’d hate to think that anything I’d slaved over in the studio is only going to be listened to on a bloody iPod.”

Which is the better quality: CD, vinyl, or mp3?

Photo via img.timeinc.net
Source: TimesOnline