Variable sound quality from MP3s burned to different media types?

PC · September 14th 06, 12:06 PM posted to uk.rec.audio.car

wrote:
I have a semi-decent setup in my car (amps, active crossovers etc). I
also have an MP3 HU.

For the past two months I have been listening to MP3s burned to cheap
52x CDRs, but have just made a switch to Imation 10x CDRWs instead to
save money in the long run.

The moment I made the switch, without looking for it or expecting it I
swear there is a noticeable difference in the sound quality - I think
it is now much better with the CDRWs, and this is a general comment for
all MP3s, not just one or two specific songs.

Both types of disc are burned using the same PC and the same DVD-RW
drive, and the source MP3 files are exactly the same. Data integrity on
both types of media are fine, in that I can copy the same file from
both discs to my PC and confirm they are identical in a byte-for-byte
comparison.

I haven't yet done a blind test, but I was wondering if this was
possible. Are my ears playing tricks on me, or can it actually sound
better? If so, can someone explain how this can happen when the file
exists in exactly the same state on both types of media and the data
integrity is sound (no pun intended)? How is it that it sounds any
different?

Highly unlikely to be anything to do with the discs if the byte-to-byte
copy is exactly the same. There could be slight differences in the
return you get from the holes 'burnt' in the CD, but that is a few
thousand times smaller than the difference between a 0 and a 1, and so
would be completely lost in the decoding.

PC