Like with Mastered for iTunes, Apple would always go for "better bits" before "more bits".
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iOS 14.6 Beta 1 Code Hints at Upcoming HiFi Apple Music Support
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Oh I did watch the video and it is fascinating and a straight forward scientific video. I was just being cheeky.
AIFF has no compression at all. It's a straight PCM format, same as WAV (but allows for more metadata).
AIFF is just a container. It does support numerous compression types. Since iTunes at the time was a QuickTime front-end, it presumably supported decoding all of those, but I'm not sure about encoding.
And was that becauseIf you really think you can hear the difference between a good mp3 and lossless, test yourself:
How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?
A hi-def test for your ears (and your audio equipment): Listen to these songs and see if you can tell the difference between an MP3 and an uncompressed audio file.www.npr.org
For 99,9% of the population it is completely pointless... I'd say I have very good hearing (and almost perfect pitch), I managed to guess 4/6 correct (with good headphones) and even then I wasn't sure for the most parts.
1) the high res files are not available anymore? (Am I wrong? I believe there should be three options but I only find two at each question)
2) the 'quiz' contains recordings from times 'high res' digital recordings did not even exist? (Harvest for example)
3) due to constant exposure of MP3 and AAC compression, your ears perceive the trash sound as normal and the high res sounds as a deviation from what is normal?
Even at a acoustic concert we are fed a sound coming from speakers. Because the audience at the back should also hear it. This means that each instrument is equipped with a single microphone. The sound of that is put somewhere in between the speakers to re-create some sort of stereo image. But the spatial effect of stereo is lost that way.
Once I visited Emory Cook, the guy that made the very first commercial stereo recordings. He recorded trains not from left to right or vice-versa but coming towards you. And you can hear the depth of the recordings. You can visualise the distance. That dimension is completely lost in many modern day recordings. Because they use mono-technic recording methods and put the sound somewhere in between their speakers.
But.... There is hope! There are many technicians realising it and bringing back original stereo microphones into the studio. Thanks to high res demand and to the ability to use the exceptional dynamic range offered by high res recording.
And whenever you listen to a 'test' ask yourself where was the original audio recorded and was it really recorded in High res. Because if people create such a test and they do not believe it can reproduce a better sound, they are not aware that they should search for the right material to showcase it.
AIFF is a container for PCM (big or little endian) audio only. AIFF-C can contain compressed encoded audio, none of which the available encoders are in any widespread use at all