Re: Point of transparency of Opus 1.2
Reply #39 – 2017-10-15 07:55:49
Playing around with some 'QUICK ABX testing' on my PC, which has Klipsch Pro-Media speakers(which are better than average PC speakers for sure(i have had them since the early 2000's)), i started off at 32kbps and then went to 48kbps and then stopped at the 64kbps setting in that, without actually finishing a ABX test, i simply did a QUICK test without spending too much time and it seems once i hit 64kbps i lose confidence in being able to more easily notice the FLAC file vs the Opus 64kbps file by simply clicking back and fourth between Sample A and Sample B to where i can tell it's noticeably more difficult once i hit that point to where i lose confidence in claiming i can quickly spot the FLAC and Opus file without actually completing a ABX test. so in other words... once i hit the 64kbps setting it's not easy for me to detect artifacts anymore, especially when spending little time without focusing TOO much on things. because as others have mentioned once you start to strain on finding artifacts that's probably a good general guideline of a minimum bit rate you would consider using for general listening to the music straight up to enjoy it. because it appears some people around here can go beyond 128kbps Opus occasionally but i figure at that point you got to be more in that hardcore nitpicking level to where it's almost a non-issue when just straight up enjoying your music if by some chance some minor artifact turns up very briefly on a random song you got as to me it's not worth loading up on excessive bit rate just to 'maybe' clean up that semi-rare artifact that turns up if say the vast majority of music is either transparent or close to transparent to most people at say 96-128kbps range. so given that info... i suspect ill be very similar to those who mentioned the 80kbps being hard to spot artifacts crowd of people that IgorC mentioned in here. who knows if there would be much of a difference for me if i tested with headphones. even if there is, i can't see myself going all that much higher with the bit rates in Opus especially assuming what was mentioned in this topic that Opus @ 96kbps is 'approaching transparency' is a good ball park figure. p.s. for whatever it's worth ill be 38 years old later this month.