When is digital going to get the soul of music?

It's there now - IF you use the right A/D and DAC systems.

Nearly ALL professional recording set-ups are digital today, so even if you think you are listening to an all analog chain - it some point before you bought it, your record was digitally mastered.

The best digital systems run at 24-bit / 96 kHz and, if the bitstream is reconstructed using apodizing (time-domain-optimized) filters, it is completely transparent to my ears.

ummmm, never.

It is available now. Jitter is the enemy of digital. Current high-end DACs and format converts now measure jitter in femtoseconds rather than picoseconds.

The problem we all face in a few years is that high-quality formats are disappearing. In a decade we all will look back at the good old days when high quality red books CDs were available.

I agree, CDs are already loosing importance, as many tracks are available as downloads only via Apples pants iTunes Store. I say pants, as anyone who knows good sound will NOT like paying top dollar for substandard mp3 compressed audio.

Apple has got too big, and are forcing everyone down this file format to suit their servers and iPhone/iPad requirements, How sick is that? How has it got so off the rails that music lovers have to accept a big quality step backwards??

Notice how Apple forced Adobe Flash out as it used up too much of there battery power on the iPod! Notice how they are now selling laptops with smaller HDs to force users down the cloud route.

I only wish Amazon or other 44.1 or even better resolution music will become available as downloads.

I think the answer is soon. It will be with a Lenco, a quality amplifier of the cartridge, and recorded at double DSD. I will probably hear it this year.