Thursday, September 13, 2007

Is Apple's (AAPL) iPod ruining music?

The Wall Street Journal's Lee Gomes makes an interesting argument [subscription required] about digital music that iPod and iPhone buyers should consider: "[B]ecause both compressed music and the iPod's relatively low-quality earbuds have many limitations, music producers fret that they are engineering music to a technical lowest common denominator. The result, many say, is music that is loud but harsh and flat, and thus not enjoyable for long periods of time."

According to one expert, high frequencies which sound good on a CD may sound poor on an MP3. Music today is also being released at higher volume levels, which can also weaken the distinctions between high notes and low ones in a track.

So add that to the list of complaints about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). MP3 and iPods are weakening the quality of recorded music. Part of the problem is the ear buds that are commonly used with iPods are relatively poor quality.

But hopefully engineers are hard at work making MP3 technology better, just as they did with CDs when they first came out. Either way, don't count on CDs making a comeback any time soon.

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