Always interesting to know our chums musical tastes. Be they good, bad or downright embarrassing. 
So what music are you listening to right now?


The Doors - People Are Strange

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdYoVmE06x0

So Poppy has changed somewhat the past half year or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwoGhpYdebQ

It might fit in with a current trend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYG_4vJ4qNA

Mika's new album, My Name Is Michael Holbrook. It's available in pointless hi-res, but I don't know if it's got better dynamic range than the regular CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AbE5M6tHLk

I believe that just means it is CD quality. Cloud services like to cut some range to save space. Arguably out of earbuds or some headphones you wouldn't need it anyway.

Old songs a 'friend' scalped off YouTube have never sounded right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn10jweYYM0

I believe that just means it is CD quality. Cloud services like to cut some range to save space. Arguably out of earbuds or some headphones you wouldn't need it anyway.

I think hi-res audio is probably pointless in theory but the CD master is often messed up, see here. Sometimes the hi-res audio isn't messed up, in which case it'll still sound better if you downsample it to CD quality or even to mp3. Similarly vinyl records often aren't messed up even though records are inferior to CD, making them superior in some weird twisted way.^[1]

Back in the early to mid-2000s I didn't understand this was the reason less processed live recordings often sounded better even though it didn't seem like they should.

¹ Speaking of which, I was in a Fnac the other day and they had at least a dozen record players out. Pity they take up so much space, but I'd definitely like to have one that could play my 78 rpm records. I don't really care about the 33 1/3 & 45s.↵

Going on a podcast I listen to and some half read follow up I did...

Online audio sources compress the audio (seemingly most do). To achieve higher sampling rates (quality) in less space by digitally approximating the sound (or somesuch ). Apparently some information can get lost and the ranges can be tampered with in the process. It seems complicated.
( Audio Fundamentals, Compression Techniques & Standards )

For my part, a CD just sounds better. And I don't see any real quality difference between digital audio and other formats. Vinyl Has its own distortions and downloaded music is just lacking something in the ranges (or overcompensating). Having the ranges peek differently for different speaker setups, e.g. portable speakers or headphones, makes sense, but there's often distortions I have to tweak out with the equalizer for my setup. Same song from a CD requires less manipulation on my part. Feels to me like the edge of the ranges lose something too. Songs I've ripped from CD stay at way more balanced and consistent levels. Without tweaking low & mid ranges. But then what sounds right to me and someone else can vary. The psycoacustical part of it explains 'the loundness war'. Louder is better to a point. And sometimes I might push up the middle switches on the equalizer where you'd of left them alone. So you probably are right in that it doesn't much matter. Hi-res is just a throwaway term for a different sample rate and less or no compression. At any rate the loss isn't critical to enjoying some music.

I wish Youtube would standardize loudness for all its content. At least under 80dB @ half volume. You'll barely be able to hear one thing, then the next vid in que is like  

but I'd definitely like to have one that could play my 78 rpm records.

Idk if I've ever gave real attention to the difference between 78s and like LPs. I assume higher sample rates with less on the disc? Prolly not much difference swapping digital glitches for mechanical noise.      

downloaded music is just lacking something in the ranges (or overcompensating).

Besides CDs, I only (occasionally) buy lossless CD quality or hi-res audio on Qobuz. That's in the FLAC format, avoid lossy ones like mp3. Those are the ones that have audible defects or lack frequencies.

That being said, I'd be hard-pressed to pick out Vorbis or Opus from lossless. It's mp3 specifically that has a few identifiable defects.

But overall the difference in sound quality depends more on the DAC/amplifier and your IEMs/headphones/speakers than the encoding, imho.

Idk if I've ever gave real attention to the difference between 78s and like LPs. I assume higher sample rates with less on the disc? Prolly not much difference swapping digital glitches for mechanical noise. 

78 rpm is older, and more brittle when made out of shellac instead of vinyl. The difference is simply that I have 78 rpm records from the '50s that aren't necessarily available in a modern format, or only in a way that somehow sounds very different, while I don't think I have any vinyl LPs or SPs to which that applies as strongly.

Here's more or less what those records sound like:

https://youtu.be/jaqpj-R7Zkk?t=128

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPIgO3X0Vc

https://youtu.be/9LbziknNpCE

Mildly kitschy Dutch imitation American '60s music. ("she'll be cryin' 'cause you were lyin' " = lol)

Pretty decent sound though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ql9I6gC2Mc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nqV64QPxY

I own this album on CD, and I can't quite tell if I think this YouTube vinyl recording is better or worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzVTuKb6vzc&list=PL0YcRc9TaumX6y7I6nYqGf3qSIuETThgd&index=3

https://youtu.be/ykieEE1j9eA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEpfvTdR5-U

This one attempted to get to Eurovision some years ago, but did not win the national round in Estonia. This year there is no Eurovision at all

Supergrass - Going Out

Remember when we could do that? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yoik35NtFPI

I like several of her songs. This one's been stuck in my head. A goofin' vid, but it's better than the seizure inducing official one.

That's not even her song.

The last updates to musical styles and trends occurred in the early 90's. There has been no creativity after that, only recycling. And it is not helping that she looks like one of my evil aunts.

I've noticed older versions. Can you name the original, please? I'd like to hear it. Might help with the earworm.

She has odd mannerisms too. She's just got a couple songs I've liked... And she's an East Tennessee girl originally.

Edit: NVM found it, I think... Totally helped get it out my head too.

Few years old and not safe for work song... Crude but first one I liked.

I've noticed older versions. Can you name the original, please? I'd like to hear it. Might help with the earworm.

This is the original https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Up_That_Hill

Youtube is full of Kate Bush's versions, studio, video, and live. Some time earlier this century the song was also repopularised by Placebo.

Screaming Blue Messiahs - I Wanna Be A Flintstone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53baYQPcC4s

Kenneth Copeland destroyed the virus. Here is the original https://youtu.be/XTX3osKtAbs?t=1730

And here is some musical variation on his theme.