MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: Why are speakers so bloody expensive?

> I mean for a dedicated stereo system. I don't even have a computer in my apartment
> (the horror!).

The reason for the pricing situation is that there are essentially four types of customer for speakers:
* Doesn't really recognise or appreciate quality audio, and will buy cheap crap that looks cool or has a long feature list.
* Appreciates audio quality, and is resigned to paying high prices in order to get it.
* Audiophile who wants to pay more in order to increase penis length.
* Professional who will buy what's best for the job, and price is a secondary consideration.

(I have JBL 4408A studio monitors in my living room - about $1800 for a pair here, but worth it IMO. Don't take that as a recommendation for everything JBL branded, though. Their non-pro stuff is shit.)

> By "mp3" do you mean a dedicated mp3 player, or anything playing mp3 files (such as a
> computer)? I mean, is your comment about the mp3 file format, or about the devices
> that play them?
>
> I do not know how much sound quality, if any, is lost by using the mp3 file format
> versus the format used for audio CDs.

MP3 is a crappy format that favours bass over other frequencies and causes horrible intermodulation and pre-echo effects. There are plenty of superior formats available now - AAC is supported by plenty of devices, and sounds OK for a lossy codec, and then there are lossless schemes like FLAC and MLAC.

But if you want something to sound really awful, convert to MP3, then convert to ATRAC (MiniDisc format). Something about the combination of artefacts from the two codecs makes things unbearable.