Should Sound Quality of Computer Audio be improved


Unable to respond to, "Mach2Music and Amarra: Huge Disappointment"- Thread. Other Members take free pop-shots!
Apparently some have more Freedom Of Speech than others! I
don't know how many times I have said it, I want Computer
Audio to succeed! It will only succeed if Computers are designed from the ground up to reproduce Music (Same minimum standard applied for Equipment of ALL Audio Formats)! This is common sense Audio Engineering Design. Bandaid Modifications cannot be substituted for absence in design to produce Music! Design it right to EARN the right to become a New Audio Format- same as all other Audio Formats! No Freebee's, No Cutting Corners! Lack of design is what's causing such varied results in S.Q. between
listeners of Computer Audio. I see about 50% negative
responses here on these Threads. It will continue to happen unless you fix it! Blaming me won't help! I am an
Engineer, and I can read results! 50/50 success/ failure
rate- you have an inherit Engineering Design Flaw for the
reproduction of Music via Computers! Shock! Suprise- since
they were never designed for Music! So when is someone finally going to properly design the Equipment/Computer
(From the ground up) for Computer Audio? Do we continue
to treat any real criticism as "HERESY" in the lack of
design in Computer Audio for Music? You tell me what I am
allowed to talk about, and we will both know!
pettyofficer
06-28-13: Danoroo
"@ Noble100....you mentioned in an earlier post that you were looking for a DAC. I recently bought a new Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 on ebay for $315. It has 3 different types of digital inputs and sounds pretty good. It's not the last word in digital to analog conversion, but it isn't bad for the money."
Danoroo (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Danoroo,

After reading Pettyofficer's consistent reminders about the lack of downloadable music, I've decided to give up on this passing fad of computer audio and dacs. What good are all these old fashioned and ancient hardware devices going to be when there's never going to be much downloadable music software to use with them? I am so glad that Pettyofficer convinced me, and probably most others who have followed this thread for the past year, in the futility of buying into this new fangled computer audio balogne. I think I'm going to wait until music can be bought as large plastic cartridges that contains an album's worth of music stored on magnetic tape. I bet, with the current sophisticated level of technology and given a few major scientific breakthroughs, some genius could even invent a method that would switch tracks with the push of a button. I know I'm dreaming now, but could it be possible to have 8-tracks?

On the other hand, maybe this computer audio with downloadable music files really does have a bright future. I guess there are always dissenters and naysayers with the introduction of any new technology. Some people just don't adapt well to change. I'm sure we all remember from history classes how the other cavemen laughed at that egg-headed caveman, with the nerdy glasses, when he suggested replacing those square wheels with round ones.

Anyway, thanks Donoroo for the heads up on the Cambridge dac. I'll check it out if I can. I'm also looking at a few more expensive dacs: the Centrance models and the new Wadia dac (that had a good review in the latest Stereophile).

Pettyofficer,

To be fair, you have a good point about the viability of computer audio if the supply of music downloads is limited. Hopefully, this will be rectified in the near future. I would think that the supply of downloadable music titles would increase going forward due to economics. Creating a digital master, and distributing it on demand to customers via the internet, has to be more economical and profitable than replicating thousands or even millions of cds, storing them, distributing them in the much less economical and less profitable traditional method and then hoping their sales at least roughly match their production numbers.

Hope you don't give up on the future just yet,

Tim
If this thread goes into syndication, do we get royalties? If so, it'd be a nice supplement to my retirement.

All the best,
Nonoise
Nonoise,

Having recntly retired myself, I like your idea of syndication and royalties.

Unfortunately, I think we may need to be the ones paying readers to slog through this exceedingly long and redundant thread.

I'm going to switch my efforts to how to best connect my pc, with JRiver media center now added, via a usb dac to my preamp. It'd be nice if a wireless solution would give me the fidelity I strive for.

Have fun,
Tim
Hfisher3380- refer to my previous response. Do you see how I did that? I am not satisfied with the severe limited selection of Music Downloads to make it the ONLY Format left available- "Soon All New Music Will Only Be Available As Music Downloads". If it doesn't provide what I need, I go somewhere else. If enough people do the same then maybe there will be a response to actually INCREASE the Music Selection in Music Downloads. Increased Selection might actually be the very thing that puts Computer Audio over the top....oh, say "Blue-Ray Audio"? The LACK of Music Selection might very well do the opposite, and put Blue-Ray
Audio over the top. The best way to insure that this happens is to further continue setting the bar low for Music Download Music Selection. You are severely hurting Computer Audio's chances by handicapping it with a severely
limited selection in Downloading. It becomes painfully obvious when comparing other options to Music Downloads.
Oh, look there! My favorite Artists are available on Blue-Ray Audio. Damn shame about Music Downloads dragging their feet in selection, still can't find my favorite Artists. Remind me again how long Music Downloads have been available? How many years? Someone had better get motivated,
or end up being left in the dust. Do nothing, and seal Computer Audio Downloading's fate. You will be waiting a long...long...long...long...Evolutionary Long time for "Soon All New Music Will Only Be Available As Music Downloads". I am old already, I can't wait that long. Choose to be Computer Audio Downloading's B-I-_-_-H, and you can only drag it down with you. Of course I don't want to see it dragged down by your apathy, Microsoft's, or anyone else's. Maybe the only thing that Downloading Music Selection really needs to succeed is " Just A Little Push ".
You are only pulling like your life depended on it- NOT THE SAME THING! Remain stagnate, and the next stop can only be down. Problem is you end up dragging the rest of us down with you. You want to steer this thing, we would appreciate it if you wouldn't steer us into a ditch! Apathy never accomplished anything, more or less a successful Audio Format Turnover. You expect a 100% success by doing what?
What is your point in this ridiculous expectation?
Noble100- I don't think that you have read all of my Responses. If you had you would know that I haven't given up on Computer Audio Downloads. There really isn't a choice now on the Audio Market. The Format isn't the issue. If 10,000 Records were suddenly yanked off of the Market at the site of a hundred CDs ( At the beginning of CD ), this leaves a disparity of 9,900 Titles no longer available on the Market in either CD, or LP! I would be raising a big stink about my limited access to those 9,900 REGARDLESS of what Format they are in. If they aren't available in either,
THAT IS THE POINT! They used to be regardless of the Format.
Now it is 10,000 CDs suddenly yanked, Music Downloads in no way nearly replacing those 10,000, again a huge hunk of Musical Archive is no longer available on the Market in either Format. There will be another 10,000 gone soon, plus another 10,000 gone soon...etc. Music Download Selection increasing by a trickle, NOT by leaps and bounds of 10,000
to replace our Music. THAT IS THE PROBLEM! Replacing Audio Formats WITHOUT replacing our Music accomplishes what??? Type of Format ( CD/8-Track/Cassette/SACD/LP...etc. ) doesn't matter! The elimination of available Music Archive on the market is being used to HERD everyone towards Music
Downloads by cutting off options for selection in other Audio Formats. We are being manipulated by the old "Shell
Game" of trying find your favorite Music Artists under the shell of whatever Audio Format. It is rigged, the fix is in. This is hardly an honest attempt to replace one Audio Format with another. "Soon All New Music Will Only Be Available As Music Downloads"- by Rook or by Crook by holding your Wife ( And Access To Your Music ) HOSTAGE!
Yeah, I resent it! My Spider Sense is sending shock waves of Red Flags over this. Why such dishonesty from an Audio Format that is supposed to be beneficial??? All that you have to do to see the dishonesty is be able to add. I think people with Computers should be able to handle that- which leads me to believe that there is another ulterior motive
other than a simple mistake in math. Ostrich Math perhaps?
Ostrich Math does what for my access to Music Archive, besides make it disappear, no matter what the Format. The Ostrich promises that the difference will be made up in the future, an I am supposed to be gullible enough to believe it? How about a size 10 up the Ostrich's Butt so he will cough up some more of my missing Music whatever the Format.
I can't believe for a second that I am the only one in the Universe with a size 10! Give me my Music back IN ANY FORMAT so that I have the same access that I used to enjoy.
Not accepting any excuses. We have had Music Downloads available for how many years now- five or more? Someone is dragging their feet on purpose, and my access to Music suffers because of it. Yet, Music Listeners can't understand why???