Sound reproduction and playback

[pbrower2a]

(10-03-2022, 11:08 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-02-2022, 03:21 AM)nguyenivy Wrote: There were 2 competing optical formats around 1999 till the late 2000s that never really took off due to streaming and other issues: Super Audio CD from Sony and DVD-Audio from the DVD consortium (not to be confused with music DVDs which were just 'movie' DVDs with a concert or whatnot in lossy compressed audio). SA-CD had an advantage of its discs also being able to be manufactured to store standard CD content on them too. Both of these high res formats promised high resolution sound and multi-channel capability with no lossy compression needed to fit the content on a disc. My guess at why these formats failed was the experience of music already even as of 1999 becoming more of a portable/personal experience. There was no point in making multi-channel formats if people were listening in headphones on their way to work. Regarding the higher resolution, people can't hear past approx 20 KHz so a sample rate beyond the existing CD's 44.1 KHz made no sense. What's left? 24-bit dynamic range (CDs used only 16 bits). 24-bit stuck around into the current streaming era with some services offering it (Tidal).

Interest in quality audio is virtually nill.  The few who do love it can get streaming versions from a few services (Deezer has the most loss-less material, but they're French and may not match American tastes).  I doubt this will be a permanent thing, but a general lack of in-person acoustical concerts makes it hard to know what qualifies in any case.

Music has gone from being a cultural statement to mere entertainment. For some, recorded music is what one has on in a car while in a dull trip or part thereof (like US 61 between Dubuque and Davenport). Music on a car stereo is obviously compromised due to vehicle noise. 

I used a reader dedicated to You Tube for music to be played on my stereo. I'd guess that that is compromised music due to necessary compression and loss.