

How much difference is there between MP3, CD and 24-bit audio? - chunkyslink
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/21/mp3-cd-24-bit-audio-music-hi-res

======
byoung2
_But that difference wasn’t always a good thing. It was disappointing to hear
a recording of Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma sound worse in studio master, as it
exposed the fact that the orchestra and the tenor’s tracks were recorded
separately in different environments. They sounded disconnected – something
that is masked in the CD version._

That's similar to what happens with digital cameras and HDTV...you see a lot
of detail that you couldn't with standard definition, and somehow a bit of the
warmth and magic is lost. I remember reading an article by a television makeup
artist about how HDTV changed their approach. On HD, you can now see small
details like stubble, acne, and pores, so they end up putting on thicker
foundation to smooth it out and make it more like standard definition. I
wonder if HD audio will take a similar path, by "smoothing" out the audio to
make it more like standard definition.

