0000 MAMAMA XIMMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUUMMMPPPPCCC XXXXXXX XXXXXXX 20052005
MAXIMUMPC
CHALLENGE
DO^
HIGHER
BIT
RATES
PAY
OFF?
THE CURMUDGEON
It’s not the music itself—it’s the idea of audio compres-
sion that intrigues the curmudgeon. Can an audio file
compressed one-third to one-tenth of its original size
really sound as good? A cynic with an open mind and
bat-like hearing, the curmudgeon reserves judgment—
for now.
THE HIPSTER
Electro. Drum ‘n’ bass. Post-trance
trip-hop downtempo crossover. The hipster’s
onto a genre 10 minutes after it arrives, and
can instantly ID a quarter-second sample as
Sly and the Family Stone. But can this ear for
detail discern a few frequencies that get left
behind by audio compression?
38 MA XIMUMPC JANUARY 2006
4H)S -ON4H:
ANOTHER
BY LOGAN DECKER
-PS