Sound fidelity factors: knowledge wanted

[danaeris]

Writing an article on convergence devices for work.

I know that the format you store an audio file in can affect sound quality (right?)
I know that the speakers or headphones you use to listen to it can definitely affect it.
I know the wires used to move the data from the device playing the music to said speakers can affect sound quality.

But, how does the device itself impact the sound quality?

Given the same output method, and the same speakers or headset, but a different MP3 player, for instance, would there be variation in sound quality?

And, has anyone used their PDA or cellphone as an MP3 player, and if so, how did the sound quality compare to a normal MP3 player?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_duncan/]

Yes. Different devices may have different response curves, different noise floors, different levels of isolation between the digital and analog segments, different clipping levels, different driver impedences, different levels of RF interference rejection, etc. They may behave differently when given slightly defective input files and may have different parameters written into the decoding firmware.

/audiogeek

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Now I guess the remaining question is, how badly are all of these things implemented on the mp3 players you can find on cell phones nowadays? I'm sure there's a range of quality, but the average new cellphone and top end new cellphone is the key question. Not that I expect you to know. :)

[johno.livejournal.com]

Phones are optimized to carry voice only, which can be contained in a very narrow band of frequencies (only about 3KHz wide). This optimization carries through on many to their output circuits.

With this in mind, many phones have simply had a MP3 player grafted on, but still using the same output circuits. Now you have a full range of audio (12KHz to 15KHz) trying squeeze out though a voice only circuit.

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

Ignoring the battery problems, this is presumably something that, with enough advanced miniaturization technology etc., we could surmount, right?

For instance, its clear that a phone can effectively be a PDA, and that the two together can effectively replace the snap and shoot camera (not only has at least one cameraphone with 3MP and 2x optical zoom been released, but a new technology using electricity and liquid lenses is currently being licensed out to cellphone manufacturers, which could make lenses of any size and any resolution as I understand it). What about MP3 player?

[johno.livejournal.com]

Any of the issues discussed in any of the replies you have recieved can be resolved.

What is creating the current issues is the time/cost factor.

It takes time to design the systems to work well together and to use better/costlier componets.

The current crop of combo phone/MP3 were rushed to market, with only enough time for the engineers to make the systems work together, but alas not well and with standard componets. Thus the complaints about them not being worth while.

In the next 1-3 years the integration will improve vastly and new technologies will used.

The issue there is: What is the final cost to the consumer?

[aaangyl.livejournal.com]

Music on my PDA sounded so bad (to me) that it wasn't worth it. But also, there's just not much storage room, especially for the file size I rip at. I got a 30G Creative Zen Xtra and hacked in a 60G drive and I love love love it.

re: storage medium

[etherial.livejournal.com]

MP3 players are popular because Sound Quality doesn't matter. I have an MP3 player on my Cell Phone, and I only really use the headset to avoid annoying other people.

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

PDA & Phone = Great combination... lots of synergy
PDA & MP3 Player = Not so great. Sound quality is usually fairly weak, and PDAs don't generaly have the amount of storage to be worth my time as an MP3 player. I think if you were going this route you'd want to design it as a MP3 player first and PDA second.
MP3 Player & Phone = Kills the batteries way too fast. Talk time is king with cell phones and anything that eats into that majorly is bad.

Oh, and bluetooth is a bad choice for audio so it's best to stick with old fashioned set of headphones or earbuds.

PDA/Phone/MP3

[etherial.livejournal.com]

That's why Treos are great. The SD card expansion slot lets you load playlists.