Rarewares starts 64kb compressed audio public listening test

September 12, 2003

On the news site of the audio freaks of HydrogenAudio we can read that a public listening tests on audio codecs has been started. Currently MP3 is the main format for audio files on the internet, but there are currently a lot of other formats available who promise reduced file size on the same quality, this due improved compression techniques. The listening test will try to compare the quality of Nero's HE AAC codec, Ogg Vorbis, MP3 Pro, Real Audio Gecko, Windows Media v9, Quicktime AAC LE 6.3, Lame 3.90.3 and FhG (all settings and versions here).

The tests are blind, so you don't know what kind of format you will be listening to, and the size of each sample package is about 10 MB, so a fast connection is prefered. Intresting is that the settings for Lame are at a bitrate of 128 kb/s, while others are at 64 kb/s. Lame is compared to the other codecs less advanced (MP3 - MPEG Layer 3, others are mainly MPEG-4 or other next generation audio compression). Below is why.

Who should take the test?

Anyone interested in low bitrate audio quality, or people that have no interest but would like to help making this test better. You don't need excellent hearing, but some good gear is welcome (headphones are strongly recommended).

Why lame at 128kbps, while all other codecs are at 64?

The purpose of this is to find out if the new generation codecs (most notably WMA and MP3pro) deliver the marketing plot of "same quality as MP3 at half the bitrates"

If you are intrested in taking the test then visit this page. If you would like to learn more about MPEG-4 then we suggest you read this article. MPEG-4 is considered to be the next multimedia big thing, so be sure to know something about it. Also feel free to discuss this subject in our Audio Forum. Who do you think will win this test?

Source: HydrogenAudio