In what format is better to listen to music, and why everything is subjective

The main playable audio content today is a figure in one of the formats using lossy compression.

Compressed audio is very important concept psychoacoustic model - representation of scientists and engineers on how a person perceives sound. Ear only receives sound waves. It processes the signals in the brain. Moreover, it is the work of the brain allows us to distinguish which side comes the sound, with some lag coming wave relative to each other. It is the brain allows us to distinguish between musical intervals and pause. And as in any other job, he needs special training. The brain collects templates correlate new information and process it on the basis of already accumulated.

Yes, and the hearing is not so simple. Officially, human audible range is from 16 Hz to 20 kHz. However, the ear, as well as other organs, aging, and by 60 years the hearing is reduced by almost half. Therefore, it is assumed that the average adult can not perceive sound above 16 kHz. However, the frequency up to 16 Hz and 16 kHz after completely perceived ear tissues (Yes, here plays the role of touch, rather than hearing). In addition, keep in mind that not hear - you need to be aware of what you hear. Man can not perceive all the components of the same sound at the same time. The fact that the ear receives sound special cells. Many of them, each designed for sensing sound waves in a certain range. The cells thus broken up into groups working in its range. Such a range of about 24, and within man recognizes only the overall picture. Each limited number of colors differs range (music or sounds). Therefore, the rumor is discrete: while a person can only distinguish 250 shades.

Perfectly. Because it requires training. And the number of the recording cell acoustic wave at each different. Worst of all, that of a single person of their number in the right and left ear is different. As different perception of the left and right ear at all.

Rumor - a piece nonlinear. Each frequency of sound is perceived only at a certain volume. This leads to several interesting features. Propagating wave can not be heard as long as the amplitude of the wave (sound volume) reaches a certain value, and activates the appropriate cell. Then silence gives way to sharp and quite a distinct sound, then the person can hear a little more quiet sound. In addition, the smaller the volume, the less resolution - reduced the number of parsed sounds. On the other hand, while reducing the volume of high frequencies are better perceived, by increasing - low. And they complement and replace each other, even if this is not the person realizes.

More small remark: because of all the features of the hearing aid people hardly perceive sounds below 100 Hz. More precisely, feel osyazaya low frequency skin, it can. And to hear - no. At more or less adequate volume, of course. It makes them audible that occur in the ear canal reflections of acoustic waves, resulting secondary waves are formed. It is their people, and hear.

Strictly speaking, when playing music man does not perceive certain sounds, focusing on others. Note, when the musician begins to play solo, especially with the increase in volume, the attention is almost completely switched to him. But it may be the other way around, if the listener likes the drums - then both the instrument will sound almost the same level. But clearly you will hear only one sound and the overall scene. In science called psychoacoustics similar phenomenon called masking. One of the variants of the perceived sound masking - external noise from over headphones.

Interestingly, when listening to music, playing the role and type of speakers. From the point of view of physics, gives a different perception and sound artifacts. Earphones and headphones-droplets-plugs, for example, it is possible to adopt the so-called point source, as they give almost Retained sound picture. Headphones and any other more overall system already distribute sound in space. Both methods of propagation of sound waves create a possible overlap of the sound waves to each other, mixing and distortion.

Thanks to the great work conducted by advanced psychoacoustic model of human hearing is estimated quite accurately and do not stand still. In fact, despite the assurances of music lovers, musicians and audiophiles, for the average, untrained ears MP3 in the highest quality has substantially limiting parameters.

There are exceptions, they can not be. But they are not always easily visible when blind audition. And follow they are not of the mechanisms of hearing, and of a sound data processing algorithms the brain. And play a role only personal factors. All this explains why we love the different models of headphones and why numerical characteristics of the audio can not uniquely identify the sound quality.