Hi All
Before you all hate me, I've titled this thread to provoke interest & hopefully a good discussion. :T
I'm sure many if you (like me) have been following this subject with some interest for the past while, and I was quite keen to see how it would all turn out. Part of me thought it was yet another cynical industry move to get us all to buy more stuff, but of course anything that promises better sound quality interests me.
Yesterday I picked up the April issue of HiFi Choice and read the CES show reports with some interest. Seems that the hi-res audio fraternity was very poorly represented, leading some (including Art Dudley) to speculate that the (I.M.O non-starting) hi res "phenomena" was for all intents and purposes; no more.
I own a miserable "collection" of Hi Res material, which amounts to 1 HDCD disc (The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips) and I once heard an SACD version of the Miles Davis classic "Kind of Blue". I must admit, I did wonder what all the fuss was about, I suppose it might've (only just) sounded a bit better than good old 16 bit, but the difference certainly wasn't jaw dropping. Maybe the equipment I heard them on (including my own system ) wasn't good enough to fully realise the potential benefit, or maybe there wasn't that much of a benefit to begin with?
I've since sold my HDCD equipped player and bought one that doesn't support any of the HI Res formats. I guess at the end of the day, it's dollars that count and if Joe Public (yes the same guy who's just DOWNGRADED from CD to MP3) doesn't want it, no-one's gonna have it!
Long live King 16 bit! Until we all have to "rent" music from download sites. Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water.... :twisted:
Before you all hate me, I've titled this thread to provoke interest & hopefully a good discussion. :T
I'm sure many if you (like me) have been following this subject with some interest for the past while, and I was quite keen to see how it would all turn out. Part of me thought it was yet another cynical industry move to get us all to buy more stuff, but of course anything that promises better sound quality interests me.
Yesterday I picked up the April issue of HiFi Choice and read the CES show reports with some interest. Seems that the hi-res audio fraternity was very poorly represented, leading some (including Art Dudley) to speculate that the (I.M.O non-starting) hi res "phenomena" was for all intents and purposes; no more.
I own a miserable "collection" of Hi Res material, which amounts to 1 HDCD disc (The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips) and I once heard an SACD version of the Miles Davis classic "Kind of Blue". I must admit, I did wonder what all the fuss was about, I suppose it might've (only just) sounded a bit better than good old 16 bit, but the difference certainly wasn't jaw dropping. Maybe the equipment I heard them on (including my own system ) wasn't good enough to fully realise the potential benefit, or maybe there wasn't that much of a benefit to begin with?
I've since sold my HDCD equipped player and bought one that doesn't support any of the HI Res formats. I guess at the end of the day, it's dollars that count and if Joe Public (yes the same guy who's just DOWNGRADED from CD to MP3) doesn't want it, no-one's gonna have it!
Long live King 16 bit! Until we all have to "rent" music from download sites. Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water.... :twisted:
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