Are Cnet reviewers qualified?

by Lewie82 Sep 8, 2005 3:13PM PDT

I've just stumbled upon something very startling while looking at a review for Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers:

''With the suggested setting [bass setting at 10 o'clock] as our starting point, we played U2's new ''Vertigo'' MP3. While the mid-to-high frequencies sounded crisp and clear, the sub seemed to offer more rumble than clarity--the bass line and the kick drum were nearly impossible to separate, and fiddling with the sub level didn't help clear things up.''

MP3??? Since when does one test a set of speakers with MP3s!? Now, I'm not quite an audiophile or expert on home theater systems, but I do know MP3s are pretty lousy quality when compared to other types of media; even other compression formats such as AAC and WMA. Were they too lazy or embarrased to pull that Celine Dion CD out of their car for a decent test?

It's things like these that lowers the credibility of this site. More and more I've been turning to other sites which give more professional reviews of home theater and electronic equipment.

Discussion is locked

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I'm not a reviewer for CNET

by TONI H Sep 8, 2005 9:43PM PDT

and didn't read the entire review to know if they did, in fact, test with anything else, but I know users because over time as a member and as a Moderator in the various Help type forums here, the users actually do things 'their' way when it comes to entertaining themselves. One of the ways they do this is to rip their cd's to the harddrive and create playlists that are specialized to their tastes. Therefore I would think that an .mp3 test would be almost a no-brainer to make sure that the quality of sound is up to par for that type of format. What gets played via a store bought cd is actually in a .cda format of sorts that is recognized by all audio players, and yes, I agree that the sound quality would be much better directly from the original source, but a test for reviewing, I would think, would include as many sources as possible, and an .mp3 file would automatically be included as a legitimate test since the speakers ARE for a pc after all.

TONI

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RE: I'm not a reviewer for CNET

by Lewie82 Sep 9, 2005 4:56PM PDT

There was no mention of another music source used. I understand your point, but they faulted the speakers for the lousy bass, and not the source. Even a $2000 speaker system couldn't make an mp3 sound like a CD. In fact, it would only enhance the imperfections of the mp3, which I think happened in this case. And then they continue to praise the low-end for games and DVDs. It just doesn't add up.

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you ignore the fact that not all mp3s are created equal

by jonah jones Sep 9, 2005 4:10PM PDT

i can very rarely hear the difference these days, but "way back when" i could tell you what was ripped at 96 kbit (which btw, was defined by Roxio as "FM quality") and 320kbit (which i believe is almost a 1-to-1 rip)

jonah

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I did not ignore

by Lewie82 Sep 9, 2005 5:16PM PDT

I assumed it was 128kbit, as that's the "standard" bitrate used most often for online music stores.

Even so, you shouldn't benchmark a speaker system with low quality testing material. You don't put cheap tires on a sports car during a road test.

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You also wouldn't

by TONI H Sep 9, 2005 7:20PM PDT

plug pc speakers into your expensive sound system to compare the sound quality with speakers built for that type of medium and expect the same results. A sound file on your computer is going to be not only be based in quality on how the mp3 was ripped, what kind of sound card is installed and drivers for it, accustics in the room, layout of the speaker system, quality of the original source of the mp3, what else you are doing with the computer at the same time, etc.

I have no high expectations for a pc sound system when playing mp3 files or even the original cd bought from a store anymore than I have for video (mpg, avi, or original dvd) because it will never be the same as what I get on an HDTV....even with the proper codecs installed.

I think you are looking for perfection where none is expected with a pc. A pc is a multitasking machine and as such, many factors at once go into the quality....a stereo system is a one function at a time only device for the most part.

TONI

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I just so happen to own that Klipsch set

by Steven Haninger Sep 9, 2005 10:04PM PDT

and I think it's about as good as I have heard in comparable price range. But, there's a latin phrase something like "De gustibus non disputantem" which basically means that taste/personal preferences are not argueable. In the world of audiophiles, one person's ear will not necessarily agree with another's. I've known plenty of folks who just adopt the viewpoints of reviewers even though they have no sense of how to judge and they will argue to death the quality of a product anyway. As such, I would say there is no sense in either relying completely on others to make your choices or to argue with others about the validity of their opinions. In the case of speakers, listen yourself, make your choice and stick to it without feeling a need to defend it. Also, don't squabble with others about theirs. Just always remember "De gustibus non disputantem".

Are Cnet reviewers qualified?

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