Embracing things to come?

I have been thinking about the cost of music and also the way the software is delivered.

The following technologies are out there now,

Vinyl

CD

DVD (all forms of)

SACD

MP3

HDD

and probably some others like Blue Ray, mini disc etc...

I have steadfastly clung to vinyl perhaps through my fondness for the actual software as well as sound quality I find easier to live with than many CD players. This means I am able to go for a new media in a year or so to acquire titles that are unavailable or expensive on vinyl or offer similar quality which I'm sure is available from digital done right. I have no desire to start a CD vs. vinyl debate as in my view both are pretty dead as delivery media for the future.
So in my mind a question is how will the music companies deliver product to me in the future, will they continue to invest in improved technologies like SACD/DVD offering higher quality and mulitchannel sound or will the web offer a viable alternative for delivery of genuine high fidelity sound?

I fear that increasingly music companies and independent artists and labels will see online music as a lower overhead than an actual "holdable" product and push us to music on hard server which no doubt will be at lower quality (much as DAB has turned out, choice over quality). This will mean the only high fidelity music media will be the limited crapola available from whatever reissues come out on the eventual DVD/SACD winner and most stuff will be streamed, itunes style.

I'm thinking of sticking with vinyl (again) till the dust settles but has anyone got any thoughts on this?


What are the record companies going to foist on us?

 

I'll answer your question with another question:

Bearing-in-mind what the man-in-the-street uses to replay his music (car stereo, midi hifi, portable hifi) would he be able to tell the difference between MP3 (at a reasonable bit rate) and CD?

Dare I suggest the answer to that question is “no†and even if he could hear a slight difference, the added convenience of being able to store many albums/tracks on just one silver disc would easily outweigh any reduction in sound quality.

Where am I going with this? Well, it's easy for us (as enthusiasts) to forget that we are a tiny and insignificant minority as far as the record companies (and the mainstream 'hifi' companies?) are concerned. They want to sell lots of stuff as cheaply as possible and that's why I reckon MP3 (or similar) will be the future for the average punter.

So, I can see the record companies concentrating on distributing their wares electronically (far cheaper of course) e.g. the user pays a small amount to download a track, some tracks or a whole album in MP3 format. That is then burnt onto a CD which can then be used wherever – in the car, in the home etc. I would imagine they will also step up the battle to stop people downloading for free and, once they've made cheap, official downloads widely available, people will no longer be able to argue that they only download without paying because “CD's in the shops are so expensiveâ€Â!

So, MP3 for the masses. The brand is already there what with the massive success of iPod etc. Many if not most DVD players will play MP3, midi hifi systems I understand are becoming MP3 compliant too and we're now starting to see a number of car hifi units offering this.

Would you be happy with MP3 in the car? I think I would if it means I can stick one disc in and enjoy several albums without having to change it. This line of thought is what the man in the street would apply to his home music reproduction too.

If you think about it from the hifi companies/equipment perspective then MP3 comes out well again. The companies want to sell more gear of course – the punter might well be willing to buy a new midi hifi system if it will allow him to play MP3's with the flexibility and added convenience that brings – plus of course it allows him to get hold of new music cheaply and easily.

This moves me nicely onto SACD/DVD-A – I've recently got into this myself but I'm an enthusiast. The man-in-the-street has already got surround sound (and with pictures too) in the form of DVD-V – he can already buy music DVD's and play them through his all-in-one home cinema system. Why on earth would he buy a load of new gear in order to get better quality audio (when he's happy with the audio already) but to lose the video? Answer: he won't – DVD-A/SACD means nothing to the average punter and, for this reason, it will remain a specialist medium just as vinyl will.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject and I was typing it out as I was thinking about it so apologies if it's a bit muddled.

Matt.

 

I fear your right Matt. I think Hi fidelity sound for the home is on it's way out unless it's multichannel or the guaranteed sellers that will inevitably be re-released on SACD DVDA.

Bah. I'm surprised this discussion hasn't gained more views as I think all the hardware chat is moot in light of the way music software seems to be heading....

 

Afternoon All

Joolsburger said:

I agree in that there are changes inevitably coming in the way music is distributed, which in turn will alter the equipment we enthusiasts use in the home quite markedly IMHO.

When I got my first 'serious' HiFi, there were no computer or AV systems vying for ones disposable income, and as a student/starting in work, the two most desirable 'must haves' in those days were a car or motorbike, and a high quality HiFi.

Most of ones friends were seriously interested in good gear, particularly if one was involved in the 'arty' set, and into music as well.

But now, the pace of life has quickened immensly, and spare time is at a premium for all. The ability to put aside an evening to relax with and into some good music at home via the HiFi is becomming more and more a rarity. Particularly with classical music, it's quite hard to 'switch off' from the rigours of the day, and the other things crowding ones mind with pressing matters to deal with, and just get absorbed into the music, say a large symphony.

On the other hand, the 90 minute 'fix' of escapeism via a movie in the home, is a good antidote to the stresses of modern life, as well as providing that mental/emotional 'escape' to somewhere else that immersion in the story-telling of the film achieves, but much more simply, quickly and directly than the quiet meditation over music reproduction, assuming one has the time and frame of mind to be able to relax into it.

I much prefer music to film, but more and more I find it is the AV medium that I turn to for entertainment in the home, basically for reasons of time, and the simple way it gets you involved and the escapist 'hit'.

The other thing I've found is that whilst going for a 'high-end' AV solution is going to cost even more than 2 channel, unlike 2 channel, one can seemingly achieve very acceptable results for quite a modest outlay with respect to the overall involvment factor - for music one just seems to be more critical overall, and therefore needs to spend more on the kit, especially if you're a listener of many years experience and exposure to good gear.

I have no doubt the current and growing trend towards integrated AV & HiFi, HD based online delivery systems, and possibly lossy compression codecs with it, will worry specialist companies like Naim for eg, and I'm sure they will be investigating these options as an ongoing business strategy.

For us, the end user, there will always be specialist manufacturers catering for those who want that last 'edge' of performance and either have the funds, or are prepared to pay them to get it. However, equipment such as the Naim 2 channel system I own may well be a very different product in not too many years to come.

If mainstream music does go multi-channel, then I would expect to see an amalgamation of HT and HiFi as we know it, with 2 channel music all but disappearing.

I don't necessarily see portable compressed formats 'taking' over, as they are parallel but different markets catering for a different need.

However, whether the medium by which the music is delivered continues to be on a disc is harder to predict. Online purchasing/downloading of music may well be the way forward on a business cost basis, and I should imagine that again companies like Naim will be there to get the best performance out of the medium.

Personally HD based delivery wouldn't worry me, PROVIDED the quality of results was at least equal to or better than what we have now. Certainly current compression technologys can't provide that, but that may change in the future.

The only certain thing that I can see, is that the future outlook is changing quickly and unpredictably, and that within short order, the 2 channel system as we know it, and the gear that drives it will to all intents and purposes become obsolete. In time, my existing equipment will reach the end of it's useful working life, and one will then simply embrace whatever the dominate technology is, and at the best quality level one can afford.

Until then, my Naim 2 channel system gives me access to a level of enjoyment re recorded music in the home that stands alongside anything else on offer in the market place, and for that, and for being able to own it, I am grateful.

As a footnote, I have just returned from a bit of Window shopping, and picked up the latest Sony catalogue - lo and behold, here in OZ they no longer offer a 2 channel stereo amplifier for sale.

A sign of the times it would appear.

Then again, not so many years ago, if one had thought that Naim would bring out an AV processor, and now a DVD player, with rumours of a sub and other AV equipment to follow, one would have laughed. Not any more.

I just hope the quality of the recordings doesn't go the way of the lowest common denominator re lossy compression systems.

Time I guess will tell

Cheers

John..

 

What I find really funny.... (nb Im not taking the piss here)...

Is that the average Jo will go and buy his 4th copy of ''Bridge over troubled water'' and perhaps ''sgt peppers'' on his 4th format!

tape
vinyl
cd
flashy mp3 thingy

!!


Perhaps new formats are best kept for the young who have yet to build a music collection on any format, and can change at the drop of a hat?

Having said that, if I ever got another portable music player..... again Ive had 3...

radio..
walkman..
discman...

I'd get an Ipod because a) they look nice and b) compiling massive jukeboxes of different music and downloads might be a giggle. (doubt I'll ever bother though)

Chris