WavPack 3.97a hybrid mode ABX
2002-12-15 05:11:20
I decided to test out WavPack again and see what I think because it has been a couple of versions since and it is now open source as well. I decided to see if I could ABX the hybrid 320 mode. I used the WavPack frontend along with the 3.97a compile that john33 put up on his website. I am using my Altec Lansing computer speakers which have ok sound. I encoded "Earshot - Headstrong.wav" ( a song I have often used for testing because of familiarity and the complexity of the music ) using the high quality setting. I then made a copy of the resulting file, naming it "Copy of Earshot - 01 - Headstrong.wv" to make sure the decode was just the lossy part, and not the lossy + correction file. So, I decoded it with the frontend, and then compared file sizes, which were equal, though the contents were of course different, as I did a binary comparison. I have a head cold and earache, so I am not testing with the best conditions, but that should only ADD to the significance of my results. I was able to ABX in two separate tests of the original WAV and the decoded lossy WavPack 6 of 9 and 11 of 15. I think what I am hearing is not necessarily a sound quality difference, but possibly a difference in loudness or a difference in the output of the left and right channels. I have a pretty good idea of the difference and what I am looking for, and might be able to get even better ABX results now, but I wanted to post my original results first. Could this have to do with Joint Stereo as compared to Normal Stereo? Is Joint Stereo on as default? If so, have others tested the Stereo modes side by side and has anyone else tested WavPack and obtained similar results? Possibly I am not using the best settings for WavPack, as I am not very experienced with the program as of yet, but ABX does not lie that I am hearing SOMETHING different. I will listen some more while I wait for a response to see if I can better describe what I hear... Edit: in a related question: What work has been made to make better the seeking capabilities of this format and/or the Winamp plugin?