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This article is from the MPEG FAQ, by Frank Gadegast phade@cs.tu-berlin.de with numerous contributions by others.

45 Is there really no alternative to listening tests? (MPEG Audio Layer-3 Applications)

No, there is not. With perceptual codecs, all traditional "quality"
parameters (like SNR, THD+N, bandwidth) are rather useless, as any
codec may introduce noise and distortions as long as it does not affect the
perceived sound quality. So, listening tests are necessary, and, if carefully
prepared and performed, lead to rather reliable results.
Nevertheless, Fraunhofer-IIS works on objective sound quality assessment
tools, too. There is already a first product available, the NMR meter, a
real-time DSP-based measurement tool that nicely supports the analysis of
perceptual audio codecs. If you need more informations about the Noise-to-
Mask-Ratio (NMR) technology, feel free to contact nmr@iis.fhg.de.

 

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