[Arny Krueger]

"Audio Empire" wrote in message
...

Good ones aren't. Good speakers, especially, are quite expensive. For
instance, there is little decent in the way of speakers below about the
$1K
level (actually I only know of one really decent speaker below $1K and
that's
the Magnepan MMG at $599.

I certainly hear artifacts in lossy compression, but I wouldn't exactly
characterize them as a crackling noise, I would say that it's more like a
buzzing bee-like distortion that rides the waveform. It's only audible
during
low level passages and during transitions between loud and soft passages
(and
vice versa) and then only on headphones and very loud speaker listening.
As
background music and in the car, lossy compression artifacts are lost in
the
ambient noise.

I find it ironic that the entirety of the previous comments could be put
into a vastly different perspective if unbiased listening techniques were
used by the writer.

Many misapprehensions about both MP3s and quality inexpensive speakers can
be dispelled with blind listening. I've said enough about misapprehensions
about quality MP3s lately so I won't repeat myself.

I recently participated in blind listening tests comparing a $12,000 speaker
system from a well-known designer with excellent technical chops to a
European-designed, China-built studio monitor system that sells for under
$400 the pair. They did sound a little different from each other. The
listening panel was about evenly split as to which they preferred based on
dynamic range, tone quality and imaging. They all agreed that both pairs of
speakers sounded very, very good.