Should Sound Quality of Computer Audio be improved

Chadeffect- most of what you say is true; however, I have
been griping about lack of "Music Selection" in High Rez.
Downloads- prior to replacing any Audio Format. You have
been countering that CD Resolution Downloading is better
than CD, and that CD Ripping sounds better than CD. You
say that is improvement enough. I say the improvement is like the difference between CD and SACD, where did that get us with SACD? Minimum Music Selection with High Rez.
Downloads as well as SACD, where did that get us with SACD? Where is it supposed to get us with High Rez. Downloads? There is no plan here to get us to "Soon all
New Music will only be available as Music Downloads".
Are those Downloads supposed to be CD resolution, or High Rez.? What exactly are you planning on replacing other Audio Formats with, CD resolution downloads, or High Rez.
downloads? If it is going to be 99% CD resolution, some might think that all of the extra effort (Software,
Configuration, MetaData, Wasapi, Kernel Streaming...etc)
might not be worth replacing some Audio Formats. Some might
think that 99% High Rez. is a Bridge a few light years too far to bet the Farm (Other Audio Formats) on. Reasonable
people can reason differently. That is the reason that I
do not believe that "Soon all New Music will only be available as Music Downloads' is written in concrete. It
sounds like the unsinkable Titanic, or the unsinkable
Battleship. These are either Myths, or the best layed plans
of Mice and Men failing badly. If you think that this is
"Good S__t", you haven't seen nothin' yet! This is just
too thin to take to the Bank, more or less replace all
other Audio Formats with. Keep working on it!

Pettyofficer,
I think you need to assume that downloads will be at least the same as CD res. (if not MP3). If the vendor offers higher res for download then it will say the option 192/24 etc.

Where I live the high st music & film stores are gone due to the market moving to download etc. no myth. Gone. The record labels have already done the deals with iTunes & various online libraries. The conduit for marketing & online availability is done. Go look. It's all there. Anything you want.

Forget the hassle you are having with your pc for a moment. Meta data, ASIO etc forgotten. mac have that sorted, & Microsoft is not that far behind, but the apps to drive online libraries do it all.

Your argument is mute. iPods/iPads/smartphone/Bd & DvD players all are compatible these days. Choose bandwidth & press play or stream or download & enjoy.

" Where I live the high st music & film stores are gone due
to the market moving to download etc, no myth. ", same here
Chadeffect. Why then does everyone keep saying that no-one
is threatening my free use of CD? Why does everyone keep
demanding "PROOF" of this? Why do you guy's keep arguing
conflicting aspects of the same arguement? In any regard,
my arguement is "NOT" mute. This is a Monopoly that you are
describing. Monopolies do not supply high quality at low cost- that means high quality like High Rez. Downloads. They may be available temporarily as a hook to get more interested. They will quickly disappear due to the same
market that you describe. Manufacturer's will quickly
realize that most of market is purchasing CD Rez. Computer
Audio, not High Rez. Profits will dictate the market, High
Rez. just doesn't have the profit margin. Now that we have
put all of our eggs in one basket ( By allowing market to
eliminate all other competing Audio Formats ), this will be
the final blow to High Rez. anything. Proof of this- SACD,
DVD Audio! Where did they go? This is the market risk to
any consumer of Audio products. It is the risk that any
consumer faces dealing with a Monopoly on Audio Formats.
We end up being like fish out of water. Better yet, we end up being fish in a barrel for Manufacturer's to take pop
shots at. I am not anti-Capitalist. Fact is I am pro Capitalist by being anti-Monopoly. Monopolies only hurt
Markets- that includes the Audio Market! Monopolies
themselves are anti-Capitalist since there is no competition- so where is the competition here in this Audio Market?

Pettyofficer,
No! The high res download is different to the SACD &DVDA problems. As I explained, you do not need Specialist/elitest/expensive equipment to play high res files. That is why SACD suffered.

The beauty now is everything can play these files. Also high res does not need any extra process to make it. The master usually is high res. so if anything, it's more work to dither down to CD quality or lower.

There is no risk, as whatever kit you buy will play all the above, and if not, the file could easily be converted to what you need.

You will always get CDs as a physical disk. There are so many already manufactured. You will just order them from storage places like amazon's warehouses. But just remember the polution they cause...

Is it a monopoly that Ford don't make a model T anymore? What replaced it was way better so the T became history. A mark to show how far we have come. Can't you see that?

No getting you, Chadeffect. How is the requirement of
getting a DAC that can decode: 16/44.1, 24/88, 24/96, 24/176, 24/192, and any additional Sampling Rates to be
inserted inbetween these- not elitist? You are going to need a Specialist/ Elitist/ Expensive DAC every Month for
each additional Sampling Rate. A New DAC every Month,
sounds expensive to me! Ditto for USB to Digital
Converter, or USB Input for DAC.
Poor example of model T, since only Ford made model
T car. Ford is hardly the only car Manufacturer today-
where is the potential for Monopoly? Monopolies are
created by minimizing the purchasing choices that
Consumers have. Eliminating all other Audio Formats for
the sake of one, Computer Audio, certainly minimizes
Consumer Purchasing Choices. This gives the Manufacturers
more power to enforce an anti-Capitalist Monopoly, and
leaves the Consumer weaker to defend against a Monopoly
take over of a Capitalist Audio Market. We are going to
be the Computer Audio Manufacturer's "B_TCH" for a good
long time. Hardly in a position to demand higher quality
(High Rez. Downloads) with more Music Selection. You take
what they give you in a Monopoly, or you don't get the
"Son of a B_TCH". That means whatever has the most profit
margin that benefits the Manufacturer only! Your conciderations of High Rez. become irrelevant compared to
profit. You don't have the alternate purchasing choice as
leverage, you gave that away in the form of alternate Audio
Formats. You do yourself no favors, nor anyone else. Can't
you see that?