On Apr 7, 6:31 am, "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"MiNe 109" wrote in message
Here's Jon Iverson on the subject:
http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/607awsi/
Ahh, more of the same old, same old self-congratuation:
"Audiophiles Perfect What The Mass Market Selects"
Audiophiles had zero to do with real technical progress in this area.
They're still whining about the lack of audiophile-grade capacitors and the
fact that perceptual coding is endemic in the modern music industry.
Which iPods have the Wolfson converters?
"The equation looks like this: More downloads + iPods =
more music fans + more potential audiophiles.
That would be more music lovers.
Some of whom prefer better sounding programs. That's kinda
audiophile.
Still, rising water floats all boats.
More audiophiles eventually drive the market for
better-sounding, audiophile-grade downloads.
A nascent market if there ever was one.
We'll see how Linn makes out.
Thus, more downloads = audiophile downloads."
That's like saying that selling more CDs will lead to more LP sales.
It has led to high quality lps being a larger percentage of the lp
market segment.
He uses earbuds as an example of how consumers eventually
seek higher quality in new market categories.
All of the best products mentioned in that paragraph - Shure, Etymotic, and
Ultimate Ears started out as professional tools. The fact that someone has
the churtzpah to try to sell $900 IEMs is about customer hysteria, not
technological improvement or better sound quality.
Consumers turn to pro stuff in search of better quality playback. How
is that "hysteria"? Doesn't pro stuff actually sound as good or
better?
Stephen