I think half the problem is the process for producing recordings has made such ill very difficult to eradicate...... I think a lot of people in today's recording industry really have no clue that what they're doing is killing sound quality. There really needs to be alternative industry for producing CDs and digital recording. (CD-less digital doesn't seem to be the real solution. Mainly because I think done well, CD playback still cannot be matched by PC-based playback.)
"2. For those like myself who buy new vinyl releases, petition the record labels and pressing companies to improve the quality of their albums. I've purchased some in recent years where the right channel on the first 2 tracks on a side are noisy due to poor flow of the plastic in the forming/stamping process. Where is the quality control and inspection?"
This might also be a lost art...... I also think in today's world, too many people have become desensitized to recording quality. Many people today have not been exposed to superlative audio playback, and hence don't appreciate what going the extra mile for quality production might bring forth.
I personally think recordings will never be the same as long as products like Pro Tools and Antares Auto-Tune are utilized in the production. These are widely-accepted standards in the recording industry, but IMO a terminal cancer for those who long for the return of true high-performance audio playback.
I agree that if recordings remain a sonic compromise, cables in audio playback don't really gain much under such circumstance. But cables will be essential because great recordings *do* exist, and hence getting every ounce of performance possible is still relevant. Even if the recordings themselves that bring forth such performance happen to be dated.
