Is DSD download already an extinct format?

Charles1dad,I'm with you. We're the lucky ones.

The lucky one are those who have a foot in all camps.

CompAudio is the future, but its also nice to throw on a spinning disk every now and then. Properly set up CompAudio sounds better though and when done with full DSP like with Spatial computing, its game over.

I won't claim that Redbook is better, only that it can be "very, very" good.I don't know how many times the latest format has been declared "game over".Time will tell, if DSD is really superior then that's good news. Its just that promises and hype are so easy to do.I just want good music reproduction.The cost of the music(DSD files) has to be market sensible or it's doomed to be merely another niche audiophile product with zero mass market appeal/sucess.I can buy used CDs for 4-6 dollars(or less) and they sound quite pleasing in my system.Even many new CDs are very reasonably priced.I'll buy into DSD(eventually) if the companies do things right and demostrate some foresight.
Charles,

Charles1dad,

I agree that some recent CD recordings sound great and could live with their sound quality which is very satisfying (especially jazz records). Also true that newer formats like DSD are promising on paper but could also be somewhat disappointing. I recently purchased Santana's Abraxas in DSD, while it is the best sounding version of this album I have, it is still lacking the audio recording quality of more recent CD's (of the better recording quality variety). We have to remember that Abraxas was recorded in 1970 and it all comes back to the master recording quality.

My main point here is why would an artist agree to sign a record deal which presents a sub-par recording quality of his music? Also, music downloads represent the future model of music distribution. Why record companies cannot systematically provide Hi-Rez downloads for any new recording baffles me.

Neil Young has started a nice initiative with its Pono Music Player. I just hope that artists will embark in his project to provide quality recordings that music lovers want and at a price they want to pay.

Hi Dasign,
It could be that my viewpoint is influenced by the genre I listen to. As you noted jazz on CD is most often very well done and other formats aren't really much(if any) better. For those into Pop, Rock,Hip hop etc. the situation may be different.With jazz the sound engineers(with a few exceptions) seem to keep the tonality and overall sound quite natural.
Charles,