Can even a Novice hear differences in Sound Qualit

-instead of complaining about something, do something. if it is beyond one's control, complaining won't change a thing-

Point well taken, unless one uses the excuse, 'if it is beyond one's control' as an excuse to do nothing, to not even try. How do you know it is beyond your own control, have you even tried it, has anyone? Of course not, because we are all too busy swallowing the apathy pills being pushed by our Recording Industry Drug Dealers! They butter their bread with your masochistic devaluing of your own self worth! Why do you want to continue feeding them, they are soon going to be done with your empty shell, and start looking for a new supply-us! Attitude is 90% of the equation in determining one's own Market Self Worth! The Recording Industry already has your 90% in their back pocket, and they didn't even have to lift a finger to get it! Why are you selling yourself so cheap, and claiming as an intellectual exercise that we should all do the same? Because misery loves company?
It is not beyond one's control, there are already cracks in the wall. Records are coming back in response to the miserable performance of the CD, just because the quality/price is not up to par, it is still a response. Even SACD/DVD-Audio, despite the Market attempt to rob everyone blind with the lack of Sound Quality in these New Formats, is still a response to the lack of existing Sound Quality. It is a good thing that the American Public saw through the sharade of SACD/DVD-Audio, demanding instead a real substantial improvement in Sound Quality! They are hungry for it, your Recording Industry Masters, Mrtennis, are starving them of it! Your Masters don't want a huge expense at having to produce it! You, Mrtennis, are their best ally. You stand in the way of the rest of us getting some decent Sound Quality for the money! I am just confused as to why you don't even want to take the chance of getting some of the same? Don't wait for the translation, Mrtennis, answer the question!

Persuading you, Mrtennis, IS doing something! Persuading others, IS NOT beyond one's control!

hi pettyofficer:

what are you trying to persuade me to do ?

i feel the heat, but see no light--just a lot of griping but no solutions. what do you suggest ?

while you are not part of the problem, you are not part of the solution. you sound like a bystander passing judgment on the actions of others.

i sincerely doubt what i do prevents you from purchasing quality recordings.

there are plenty of small labels doing a good job, such as opus 111, naive, glossa, accent and astree--mostly small ensemble performances.

Pettyofficer, in this particular forum, such rants without disclosing the specific components in one's system reveal very little. IME all the formats can be quite satisfying. As far as the record industry is concerned, in the current state of economic decline it's tempting to quote an old movie: "They shoot horses don't they?" If one is looking for a cause, I would lean toward health care reform.

Dgarretson, again you are focused on the Specific Components, the Garbage Out side of the equation. What about the Garbage In? Why don't we pay as much attention to the Garbage In as we do to Specific Components? Just because, "They shoot horses don't they" doesn't mean you have to eat their waste products, trying to convince me and everyone else that it can be quite satisfying! I suppose that it might be, if that is the only thing that you have ever had your entire life! I suppose that you can call me a liar, when I say that there are better tasting things in this World. Yeah, I know, how do I know if I have never tried it (nuts)!
You know, both issues have a common thread, what is in question isn't the price you are paying for either, but the level of Quality you will be receiving for that price. In both Recording Industry Formats and Gov't Funded Health Care, the Quality seems to be a blank slate. Convenient, for someone who wants to write anything that they damn well please in there. Why not just have Congressmen serve as greedy CEO's of Insurance Companies at the same time, it is the same damn thing! Someone with twice the Power to screw you out of your Health Care Benefit, no matter how much you pay! Trusting Congressmen over greedy Insurance CEO's, out of the frying pan, and into the fire!
You can start by changing your attitude, Mrtennis, and trust me, that is doing a whole Hell of alot! I think that, that is just about all you can handle right about now! For the rest of us, my suggestion is to pressure the Recording Industry into accepting the Standard proposed at the beginning of this thread, as the Standard for all recordings! Utilize the two extra Channels to put back the Harmonic content that is missing from all Digital Recordings. Provide for a 4 Channel, if the user wants it, provide for a 2 Channel Downmix to get the best out of Digital Recordings. Don't tell me it can't be done, It already has been done by an Overacheiving Recording Tech, with one particular Recording. I can listen to it as I am typing this! Part of the problem is that we have all been trained to try and listen to the Music signal as unaltered as possible. This presumes that the Signal is perfect to begin with, but once it has been digitized it is completely bleached of all of its Harmonic Content! The damage is too severe, listening to this signal in its purest form is bound give anyone splitting headaches. If Downmixing of a Surround Sound Version puts back the Harmonic Content in spades, how dare we alter the original signal! We dare because it is a step in the right direction, out of the Rabbit Hole, not further into it!
The first step, as I have said so many times before, is to change everyones attitude about Sound Quality. Any Plan, Mrtennis, of course is going to fall flat on its face if you can't persuade anyone to change their attitude! How can you hope to change anyones attitude if you can't even change your own! It seems to me that being apathetic, not caring, and being satisfied, is a plan that is working quite effectively! It is just working fine for your Recording Industry Masters and their bottom line, at your expense! It is working so well, one has to ask, just imagine what doing the opposite can do?