I paid $30,000 and MP3 files still sound like crap

[NQ6U]

Behringer is on hand at CES 2012, displaying its enormous iNuke Boom iPhone speaker dock [...]. The over-the-top accessory is 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall and weighs over 700 pounds. Billed as the loudest iPhone speaker dock, the 10,000-watt speaker can indeed put out overwhelming sound.

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2012/01/inuke-ces11-500x343.jpg

Garbage in, garbage out. Click here for the full story (http://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/10/ces-2012-behringers-30000-inuke-boom-speaker-on-display/).

[NA4BH]

Yeah but the blonde comes with it

[n2ize]

Yeah but mp3's sound like garbage to begin with.

[W5GA]

I wonder how long before you see one in someone's car?

[kf0rt]

Yeah but mp3's sound like garbage to begin with.

You have to use digital speakers.

[kb2vxa]

That's because mp3 has compression artifacts, try FLAC.

[W3MPS]

Yeah but mp3's sound like garbage to begin with.

I guess I'm missing something here?? Please forgive me for being one of the Philistines of the audiophile world.

I never really noticed any problems with mp3s. Guess I'll chalk it up to my chronic tinnitus.

PSA: This is why you don't crank your stereos or personal media players up to the pain level. Also wear hearing protection when in high noise environments such as, but not limited to:

Where pneumatic tools are in use

Firing ranges

Flight lines

Open header night on Super Chevy Sunday at your local drag strip and or raceway

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!

[KG4CGC]

You have to use digital speakers.

And a digital antenna with those new HD receivers. Don't be fooled by those that merely say, Digital Ready! Nothing but rebranded NOS.

[NQ6U]

I guess I'm missing something here?? Please forgive me for being one of the Philistines of the audiophile world.

I never really noticed any problems with mp3s.

MP3 is a lossy compression scheme, meaning that some of the data from the original is removed in favor of a smaller file. They are okay when you're just listening casually through an iPod or similar device but if you're really concentrating on the music and (especially) playing it back through a decent audio system, the difference in quality become apparent immediately. Try it some time: rip a favorite track or two from a CD, then compare.

I am by no means a "Golden Ear" or any of that other audiophool nonsense but I find that listening to MP3s starts to bother me after a little while. I switched over to AAC, a lossless compression scheme, some time ago.

[kb2vxa]

Not exactly lossless but an improvement over mp3 at the same bit rate.

[WØTKX]

MP3 at a higher bitrate is OK. Me likey .FLAC tho...

[n2ize]

It's a tradeoff. Better quality sound = more storage space needed = less songs on any given device.

[kf0rt]

Much above 128Kb/s, I can't hear the difference on MP3's for "routine" listening.