RE: MP3 shootout results - UKHA2003

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxx>]

Hmmm ... That would probably be the one that I had upstairs.

Unfortunately I hadn't been told until someone came up to whip it away that
it was required for the shootout and given that it was set up and working
in
the demo that we were doing to people at the time then I really didn't want
to pull the demo apart.

Same for the exstreamer ... If I'd had some notice they were needed then
I'd
have had 'em available.

Phil

>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nick Broughton [mailto:mail@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 20 May 2003 22:45
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
>
> Wasn't there supposed to be an Audiotron in the shootout?
> What happened to that?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mark_harrison_uk2 [mailto:mph@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 19 May 2003 21:42
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [ukha_d] MP3 shootout results - UKHA2003
>
>
> Thanks to all who filled in assesment forms for the MP3 shootout.
> Your feedback is most welcomed, and forms the basis of the
> analysis below.
>
> For those who weren't at UKHA2003, we had 4 MP3 players, in
> alphabetical order:
>
> - Rio Receiver
> - SliMP3
> - XBox, using the analogue outputs
> - XBox, using the optical outputs
>
> The tests were fully blind, and which player was which was
> not revealed until AFTER the players had been scored. Until
> that point, they were simply called players 1, 2, 3 and 4.
>
> We listened to about 45 seconds from each of the following
> tracks, rating each player from 0 to 10 for each track:
>
> - I can't live without you, Queen
> - Os Justi (Bruckner), Corydon singers on Hyperion
> - The Flat Earth, Thomas Dolby
>
> The equipment was:
>
> - Meridian 562V input switch (analogue inputs only)
> - Meridian 518 mastering processor (analogue inputs only)
> - Meridian 565 7.1 surround processor (all inputs)
> - Chord power amp (front)
> - Meridian power amp (rear)
> - B&W CDM7 speakers (front)
> - B&W 603 speakers (rear)
>
> The XBox optical output suffered a small disadvantage in the
> tests, since the other outputs were run through a Meridian
> 562V and 518 processor which dejittered the ADCd streams
> before passing to the common 565 processor at 24 bit level.
> This was, in the main, due to the time constraints of setting
> everything up, since trying to set up an appropriate dejitter
> filter for the optical input would have taken too long. As
> such, I'd expect the XBox optical output to do comparatively
> BETTER in a well set-up system.
>
> Rather than just reading the individual scores, I would
> encourage you to read through to the end of this message,
> since there were some significant factors to take into account.
>
> Based on a total of 33 survey responses, the overall scores were:
>
> 4th place - XBox analogue output, scoring an average of 5.29
> 3rd place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 5.37 2nd place -
> XBox optical output, scoring an average of 5.95 1st place -
> Rio Receiver, scoring an average of 6.13
>
> Judged on the Queen track alone:
> 4th place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 4.73 3rd place -
> XBox analogue output, scoring an average of 4.86 2nd place -
> Rio Receiver, scoring an average of 5.42 1st place - XBox
> optical output, scoring an average of 5.67
>
> Judged on the Bruckner alone:
> 4th place - XBox analogue output, scoring an average of 5.45
> 3rd place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 5.61 2nd place -
> Rio Receiver, scoring an average of 6.24 1st place - XBox
> optical output, scoring an average of 6.27
>
> Judged on the Thomas Dolby alone:
> 4th place - XBox analogue output, scoring an average of 5.55
> 3rd place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 5.79 2nd place -
> XBox optical output, scoring an average of 5.91 1st place -
> Rio Receiver, scoring an average of 6.73
>
> As you can see, despite the handicap, the XBox optical output
> always scored higher than the Analogue output - something
> well worth bearing in mind when setting up your XBox.
>
> However, where people were sitting in the audience also had an impact:
>
> For people sitting at the level or, or behind the rear
> speakers the scores were as follows. It should be noted that
> MOST people fell into this category, which therefore gives
> this group a heavy weighting in the overall scores.
>
> 4th place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 5.4 3rd place -
> XBox analogue, scoring an average of 5.57 2nd place - XBox
> optical, scoring an average of 5.95 1st place - Rio Receiver,
> scoring an average of 6.14
>
> For people sitting forward of the rear speakers, but at the
> side of the room, the scores were as follows:
>
> 4th place - SliMP3, scoring an average of 4.75 3rd place -
> XBox analogue, scoring an average of 4.9 2nd place - Rio
> Receiver, scoring an average of 5.88 1st place - XBox
> optical, scoring an average of 6.25
>
> For people sitting in "pole position" - in the centre at the
> front, the scores were:
>
> 4th place - XBox analogue, scoring an average of 4.79 3rd
> place - XBox optical, scoring an average of 5.67 2nd place -
> SliMP3, scoring an average of 6 1st place - Rio Receiver,
> scoring an average of 6.13
>
> Again, for all locations, the XBox optical input was
> preferred to the analogue ones. However, those sitting in the
> best listening positions rated the SliMP3 in second place,
> wheras those with poorer seats placed it 4th.
>
> Nonetheless, the sound quality crown does seem to go to the
> original Rio Receiver...
>
> But my most important point remains, when buying hi-fi, try
> to listen in a situation that approximates to your listening
> environment. I realise that, today, this is hard to do with
> MP3 players, but the market is moving forward.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark Harrison
>
>
>
>
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