What is your favorite audio format?

[dvda-sacd]

Please, could you vote for your favorite format for music?

Thanks.

[dvda-sacd]

Spanish poll

Here you can see the result of a similar poll in a Spanish forum:

http://www.forodvd.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1134991435/0

[Burke Strickland]

What is your favorite audio format?

Your poll is missing the one I'd vote for: "live performance".

Burke

[aud19]

Your poll is missing the one I'd vote for: "live performance".

Burke

I agree :B

Regardless that depends on the criteria. For me for convenience it would be CD, a lot of other people would pick compressed files for that criteria. For over all quality I'd pick DVD-A/SACD (a draw and dependant on material available on the tthe formats)

[dvda-sacd]

I'd vote for: "live performance".

Me too.

[Audiophiliac]

Behind live performances, I vote for compressed formats, but I prefer FLAC.....a lossless compression which removes no information and decodes to a bit-for-bit copy of the original. It is convenient, sounds good, and has decent hardware support.

[Ovation]

My DVD-As sound marginally better than my SACDs (as a whole) but that could be because I have far more SACDs (so a greater potential for some misfires) and my DVD-As are almost all AIX (whose SQ is phenomenal) and Naxos (who aren't too shabby on the ones I have). Also, it is possible my universal player is better at DVD-A than SACD. However, the difference is marginal and if it were possible, I'd have voted for both DVD-A and SACD.

[Chris D]

I'm pretty much in the same boat--really like DVD-A and SACD both, but for some reason, SLIGHTLY prefer SACD.

[Bob]

Vinyl first, computer with USB DAC, second.

[comeup]

If done correctly.........DVD Audio

[Alloroc]

SACD for me, next Vinyl. CD is a close third.

[jim777]

Another SACD here, with CD close 2nd, and then PC with a quality DAC and flac or monkey lossless is 3rd.

Sorry I'm too young for vinyl, but at least I've heard some and I know how it sounds great when well set-up!

[JonMarsh]

This is a less frustrating poll than many, but I still have to "qualify" or explain my answers, I think.

My favorite audio format I've ever owned is two track 1/4" tape (one direction only) at 15 IPS, on an Otari mixdown deck. Did great two channel recording (live) and great dubs from demanding records with good vinyl gear (think Rabco tonearm with Dynavector or Denon moving coil cartridge in mid 70's).

The best sound I've ever owned below that, considering imaging a little more than dynamics and noise, is vinyl on a carefully setup system (Cardas/Avalon like room placement, something I was doing in the 70's when I had big enough digs). Believe me, for some things I have good aural memory, and I haven't been able to quite get the same level of layering and imaging from SACD (even on pop things like "Boston" as I could get from the best vinyl I had in the 70's). I've yet to wring out my Marantz in a good setup, or finish the latest dipole design, so that may change.

The best overall sound (considering dynamics, noise, timbral texture, cohesion, etc) that I have now is SACD, and it's very good at striking a balance between cost, maintenance, and complexity- I just can't deal with vinly anymore. There are a lot of excellent recordings available, even some of those remastered from pro PCM formats, in classical and jazz, and some interesesting classic rock. Wish there was a lot more, but I have hundreds of SACD's, so I can't complain, especially since Hybrid SACD's feed my next favorite and very fast growing preference:

Apple Lossless encoded CD's on iPod and Mac, with the latter running an optical digital out to a Benchmark DAC1. The convenience and ease of use of the iTunes/iPod/Front Row interface and accessibility on hard drive makes it SO much easier to listen to stuff in my music collection that I would rarely have the time to dig out. I have about 100GB archived on two Firewire drives, and about 50 GB on my iPod. Think 6-7 days of music without repetition in something the size of a pack of cigarettes, NOT compressed audio like MP3, either. An iPod with a good set of headphones (not "buds") is quite pleasant to listen to, and my experiments with digital output from PB Mac into Benchmark will lead me to acquire an iMac as a music sever as soon as I have the spare loot. Many of the encodings are hybrid layers from SACD, or XRCD.

[Taito]

CD for me, with my FLAC encoded music server a close second. I've been eyeing a Benchmark DAC1 for the server and that would probably push it into first, but no more toys until I graduate - I've been sorely lacking time to listen this year... only antoher 6 months!

[scottielee]

Xrcd!!!

[Chris D]

Jon, I put a question in the "best recorded CD sound" thread for you as well, about the Jazz album:

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=20697

[chinets]

DVD-A all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! Multi -Channel heaven!!!!!!!!!!!! SA-CD second ,but in Multi-Channel too!!!!!!!!!
DVD-A is just the most perfect sound I have ever experienced ,and so soothing!!!!!!!!
ARGENTINA CAMPEON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers

[dvda-sacd]

Vote for your favorite audio format

There has been a poor turnout.

You can also vote on this poll (you don't need to be a registered member):

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23293

:T Thanks!

[Russ L]

Wheres 8 Track? :W