What does 4K and Atmos/DTS X mean for those of us happy with legacy equipment?

[Dan Madden]

I feel like such a luddite. I only have 1080p, but I'm happy with it. I only have 5.1, but I'm happy with it. I listen to mostly stereo, but I'm happy with it. I am such a luddite.

Someday, I will build a new system. At that time, I shall assess which of you are true prophets and which are preaching with the forked tongue. Some of you, I suspect, are just grousing. Meanwhile, I am still enjoying my toys and my music on this shabby old hardware. sigh.........

I'm right there with you Buck !! I'm totally happy with my 1080P set and 5.2 surround setup !

 

[Auditor55]

4k is easily resolvable on a 55" display at a distance of 10 feet, even according to the charts. I can here down to 15hz, a majority of people can't but you can definitely feel it, even if you're deaf. Lots of things are marketing hype but 4k isn't one of them and neither are infrasonic subwoofers. 1080p is too low of a resolution for a very large display, it's why theaters have been using 4k for longer than the consumer market has.

Nobody is going to argue that 196/24 is better than 48/16. Humans just can't hear above 22khz and most of us would be lucky to hear above 18khz.

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That's not the the argument, technically 24 bit 192khz is superior, however it's useless because the human ear can't discern that resolution, that is an absolute fact. Only the goldeneared audio-fools claim otherwise.

Sitting 10 feet from 55 inch 4K set is waste. All the data proves it.


"Looking for a new Ultra HD TV or a top-of-the-line smartphone? Experts agree: tech fans crazy for sharper resolution are sometimes paying for more pixels than their eyes can actually see.

When it comes to televisions touting new 4K technology, "a regular human isn't going to see a difference," said Raymond Soneira, head ofdisplay-testing firm DisplayMate Technologies.

In 2010, when Apple unveiled the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs explained that with the phone's breakthrough "Retina" screen, the eye could no longer distinguish between individual pixels on the display when viewed from an ordinary distance. The promise wasn't just a sharp screen, but a screen so sharp that further refinements would be unnoticeable.

Yet the number of pixels-per-inch (PPI) on mobile devices has been on the rise. The iPhone's pixel density has stayed the same at 326 PPI, but Android-powered competitors such as the HTC One and the LG G2 have screens that rate well over 400 PPI.

Meanwhile, as shoppers line up with their holiday carts, stores are starting to carry "Ultra HD" TVs — also called 4K. These sets have a resolution of 3840 x 2160, or four times as many pixels as ordinary high-definition TVs. But even those standard HD sets, at the distance viewers regularly watch them, can be considered "retina" resolution. The number of pixels is quadrupled for 4K TVs, but experts say that in most cases, the human eye cannot even perceive the difference.

"There's going to be some density beyond which you can't do any better because of the limits of your eye," said Don Hood, a professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University, in a phone interview with NBC News."

 

[KenM10759]

I also have a 5.1 system and am very happy with it. My TV is 4K capable, I don't know that I have any 4K source material and don't care. I need glasses and can't see the detail anyhow. I also use my system 95% of the time for music listening in 2.1 stereo.

But I don't feel like a Luddite. Just because I don't use or in some cases use the technology doesn't mean I can't accept and appreciate it for those who do enjoy it.

 

[Bucknekked]

I also have a 5.1 system and am very happy with it. My TV is 4K capable, I don't know that I have any 4K source material and don't care. I need glasses and can't see the detail anyhow. I also use my system 95% of the time for music listening in 2.1 stereo.

But I don't feel like a Luddite. Just because I don't use or in some cases use the technology doesn't mean I can't accept and appreciate it for those who do enjoy it.

Bless you. I usually make the Luddite comment for humor and not for accuracy. I get new tech and accept a lot of it. I too am 95% of my time listening to music in stereo. Its a rare thing to find.

 

[Bucknekked]

4k is easily resolvable on a 55" display at a distance of 10 feet, even according to the charts. I can here down to 15hz, a majority of people can't but you can definitely feel it, even if you're deaf.
Humans just can't hear above 22khz and most of us would be lucky to hear above 18khz.

Its challenge time ! For those of you with REW or a similar program, how many of you have sat and listened to the lower register and higher register tones? How many of you used the tone generator and picked a tone you thought you could hear and ended up with bupkiss?

CHALLENGE: All you Audioholics with gear, get out your REW (or equivalent tone generator) and try 15hz. Then try 10K 15K or 18K.
Report back what you hear. Not what you have feelings about. What do you hear?

MY REPORT: I know what my report will be because I just did this while working on my room setup. But I don't want to affect the results of others who may actually take the challenge and report back. I shall sit and listen patiently for your reports.

 

[yepimonfire]

Its challenge time ! For those of you with REW or a similar program, how many of you have sat and listened to the lower register and higher register tones? How many of you used the tone generator and picked a tone you thought you could hear and ended up with bupkiss?

CHALLENGE: All you Audioholics with gear, get out your REW (or equivalent tone generator) and try 15hz. Then try 10K 15K or 18K.
Report back what you hear. Not what you have feelings about. What do you hear?

MY REPORT: I know what my report will be because I just did this while working on my room setup. But I don't want to affect the results of others who may actually take the challenge and report back. I shall sit and listen patiently for your reports.

I got 15hz and 18k. This is with Iem's flat to 5hz as I don't have a sub capable of much below 30hz. At one point when I was younger I could hear up 21khz but not anymore. 20khz is barely audible at very very high volume. 15hz is about as easy to hear as 20hz.

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