On my 13th birthday, my parents gave me a portable CD player and the masterpiece that was Fresh Hits 1997. Like more than 600 million other people, I have long since swapped my box of CDs for the Spotify app on my phone. But I found my old birthday present recently and discovered it still worked. Even using headphones from the 1990s, I was staggered by the richness of the sound.
My ears didn't deceive me. CDs have a bit-rate of 1,411 kilobits per second (kbps), which is a measure of how much data is used to represent sound. Spotify Premium ranges from 24kbps to 320kbps, while free Spotify listeners are limited to 160kbps at best. I realise this is hardly news to music aficionados. Neil Young, who grudgingly returned his music to Spotify in 2024 after a spat involving Joe Rogan, complained: "There is so much tone missing that you can hardly feel the sensitivity."
If hundreds of millions of normal music listeners (like me) have decided to trade audio quality for convenience and variety, then fair enough. But what disconcerted me is that I didn't know that's what I'd done. I had simply forgotten how much better music used to sound.
This story is from the December 04, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 04, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Welcome to the post-American new world disorder
From Aleppo to Tbilisi and even Paris, last weekend gave us a glimpse.
Dementia caregivers' dilemma: No tube feeding? Am I killing him?
Tube feeding worsens a patient's quality of life. But many caregivers feel they have no choice.
What's worrying about Prabowo's 'free and hyper-active' foray into S. China Sea claims
Jakarta foreign policy community fears new president has given too much away to China in a departure from longstanding policy.
Over 70 media apprentice spots under new IMDA scheme
Workers in the media industry who are keen to strengthen their skills can tap over 70 apprenticeship openings across content production, business management and technical roles.
VSMC begins work on $10.5b chip plant that'll create 1,500 jobs
Plant will produce 55,000 wafers a month when at full capacity by 2029
Thailand's headline CPI misses forecast, below central bank target
Thailand's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.95 per cent in November from a year earlier, driven by higher food and energy prices, after the previous month's annual increase of 0.83 per cent, the Commerce Ministry said on Dec 4.
Cargill embarks on drive to cut headcount by 5%
CHICAGO - Global commodities trader Cargill began laying off employees across its vast operations on Dec 3 in a drive to slash headcount by 5 per cent, sending US workers from supply chain, inventory control and other roles to look for new jobs.
Bank Indonesia ready to intervene to steady rupiah
Indonesia's central bank said it is ready to intervene in currency markets to steady the rupiah as it weakened towards the psychological level of 16,000 per US dollar.
Scheme offers fresh grads advice specific to chosen fields
Initiative will involve 50 volunteer career advisers from sectors including retail
Aussie economy fails to rebound as strongly as hoped for in Q3
Australia's economy in the third quarter grew at the slowest annual pace since the pandemic, disappointing hopes for a rebound as government spending did all the heavy lifting and consumers remained cautious.
