On 07/02/09 15:48, Brenda Ann wrote:

2) There is NO mp3 player that can as accurately reproduce a complex audio
waveform as well as a high end cassette machine. I don't care how many
samples you take of a complex waveform with an ADC/DAC system, the resultant
playback waveform will never represent the original analog waveform as well
as a high end analog device. Even a simple 1000 Hz sine wave will not come
out as a pure sine wave after digital conversion, it will be a series of
stepped square waves. You may not be able to tell the difference with your
ear, as long as there are enough of those little steps, but that's not the
point. The point is, it will not "run circles around" a high end analog
device.





If you take a look at a 1khz square wave after digital
conversion, you'll see ringing at both ends of the flat top. You'll
see that same ringing wherever there is a hard rise or fall. Is it
audible? Oh yeah. More so on a naked square wave. Less so in complex
music. But you can hear it.

You'll see this wherever there is hard digital filtering, such as
anti-aliasing on CD players. You'll see it where there is copious
amount of data loss, as in MP3.

An MP3, at it's best is a 4:1 data loss. The songs on iTunes and
elsewhere are mostly 10:1 data loss. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Noise may be reduced, but it's hardly high fidelity audio. And
though cassettes have their many flaws, a properly set up Nak will
have more noise, but far less digital artifacting and zero data loss
than any MP3.