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In Reply to: RE: 2015: The Year of Streaming - The death of physical media & downloads? posted by AbeCollins on January 28, 2015 at 18:12:42
We're been sacrificing quality for convenience and we'll continue to do so until we're perished.
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We're been sacrificing quality for convenience and we'll continue to do so until we're perished.
I don't look at it that way. We have a lot more choice today than we did even a few short years ago. For the audiophile niche we have more high quality download sites then ever before AND we have more high quality streaming services. All of this in just the past two or three years.
Before the CD quality streaming services came online there were only low bit-rate services and some were fine for background music or listening in the car. But now we have services that are streaming true CD quality which we didn't have just a short year or two ago.
The sky is not falling for audiophiles! However, the chart does show the general trend in the mass market.
Let's look back into the history.
We moved from tape reel to vinyl because it's easier to play and do maintenance works.
We moved from vinyl to CD because it's easier to play.
We moved from CD to file because it's easier to manage.
We moved from file to streaming because you can play anywhere on any devices now.
Now let's ask back to people using old stuff.
Do highend tape reel users find better audio quality in vinyl? No. Dynamic in tape reel is worth mentioning in every show it's demonstrated.
Do highend vinyl users find better audio quality in CD? No. CD is digital sound, vinyl is analog sound. They wouldn't say this if CD was that good.
Do highend CD users find better audio quality in file? No. I know a lot of people using highend Esoteric/dCS gears and none of them favor file over their highend CD transports.
Do highend file users find better audio quality in streaming? No. Some people argued that WAV is better format than FLAC in terms of audio quality. I don't think they'll like hearing it from streaming.
Now let's see how going above CD was like.
Moving to SACD, busted. Very niche market and failed to become mainstream.
Moving to DVD Audio, busted. HD DVD losing momentum to Bluray causing DVD-A in Esoteric P-03U becoming obsolete.
Moving to DSD2, busted. SACD market was sacked and effort to DSD was moved to elsewhere.
Moving to High Fidelity Pure Audio (BD-A), busted. They made some introduction in 2013 and haven't heard a word since.
Everyone loves choices. Everyone loves better things. Everyone loves easier things. But from past effort, better things died out and easier things earning the share.
Well, please don't be misunderstood that I'm against streaming trends. I too listen to streaming music and most of the time I enjoy good music too. But if we look into things objectively, they're all about being able to access easier, not about improving quality. As title of this topic suggested, I'm seeing more and more people going to pay for streaming services over physical media/downloads.
A
"Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'"
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