MP3 sound preferred by young people

Years of experiments by a Stanford University music professor found that his incoming students actually prefer the sound of MP3, despite its low quality.

Jonathan Berger presented his findings at a meeting of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, O'Reilly Radar reports. Each year, Berger plays a variety of music in different formats for incoming students, from MP3 to lossless audio. And each year, it seems that more students choose the sound of MP3 over technically better-sounding formats.

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"He said that they seemed to prefer 'sizzle sounds' that MP3s bring to music, Dale Dougherty reports for O'Reilly. "It is a sound they are familiar with."

Dougherty theorizes that this phenomenon is similar to the way some older music lovers fetishize vinyl. Say what you will about the "warmth" of old records, but perhaps it's the technically unwanted artifacts -- crackles and pops -- that are most desirable. The same love of MP3s unpleasantries could be happening with today's younger listeners.

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That seems like a bit of a stretch. People like vinyl not just because of its sonic quirks, but because of its tactile and totally unportable nature; it really forces the listener to relax at home with the music, while MP3 does the opposite. Still, I can buy the idea that people become used to the "sizzle" of MP3, provided that it's not completely warbling.

There are definitely some audiophiles lurking on this site. Does the news make you die a little inside?

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