I think we all understand that music companies and retailers are in business to make money. It is hard to say where this hi rez thing is headed. In some ways, the high prices and poor selection of music closely parallels the early days of CD. On the other hand, I think those attempting to create a market for this material, need to understand they can price themselves out of business. I recently bought a Sony HAPZ1, which I understand was released for the purpose of supporting Sony's Hi Rez download initiative. I am astonished at how good red book CDs, copied to my computer, then downloaded to the HAPZ1, where they are converted on the fly to DSD 2, can sound. I buy a fair number of discount CDs from Berkshire and used CDs from amazon. I am a dedicated music lover and audiophile, but we are talking 4-5 x the price for a DSD download. I will buy a few, just to see what sound quality can be expected, but as Stickman points out, there is not much to get excited about just yet.
Where is All the DSD?
Ever since last fall when Sony made the announcement that they would start releasing hi quality music files, DSD, I have been waiting with great anticipation to get those. Acoustic Sounds (and other online retailers) followed-up immediately with their own announcements that much more DSD content was on its way.... What happened? I check every several days hoping to fine loads of new DSD files available on AS and other stores; so far, I am not seeing them. Yes, there are a few decent DSD titles out there, but so far it has been a big let down. What went wrong?
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- 20 posts total
- 20 posts total