CNN article about Hi Fidelity taking back seat

Some people simply don't care to hear the difference between an iPod and a hi-end system. Sound quality of reproduced music means very little to majority.

In my opinion, it also has to do with the choice of music. Most of today's pop and rock music sounds better on the iPod than on the hi-end system.

Convenience takes precedence(quote from the above mentioned artice)

I honestly can't really tell the difference between CD, tape and digital," he said. "I'd even accept a lower quality as long as it's digital and portable.

Does it really surprise you?
It doesn't surprise me at all.

All the more reason to stay involved , expose your children and friends to great stereo as well as make it your business to stay enthusiastic. I for one will not roll over and play dead. High end audio is an art form and is a passion worth fighting for. I hope we all will assume an active role. It is an important responsibility we all have a vested interest in . Help this fragile hobby thrive any way you can .

As more and more people listen music at low bit-rate mp3, what is the incentive for music studio to make good sounding recordings? They can certainly get by with low quality and cheap equipment, and spend less time on mixing and mastering. At 128kbps, no one can tell the difference anyway. Blue-ray or DVD audio will make no difference. What do you get when poorly recorded music are put on high-res media? So hold on to your vinyl and CD now. Compare to what is coming, what we have today sounds mighty good.

At least they reported that some people notice the sound difference and that "high-end gear is like a Ferrari for sound, and run-of- the-mill stereo equipment is a Honda, an iPod is a moped."

I know they also reported that "128 is pretty darn good. A lot of Ph.D.s went in to making that 128 kbps work well and sound well".

All I can hope for is that Blue-Ray or a higher bit rate DVD Audio emerge as the next "perfect sound forever". It worked with the cd. People repurchased their entire LP collection for cd. Maybe the same will happen again, via the video format wars. I think if SACD vs. DVD-A had been resolved quickly we could have already been there. The record companies need to do something to bring back sales, so why not merge 'perfect sound' with a DVD player. One can only hope.

In the meantime, I'm sure a lot of used cds and cd players will continue to show up cheaply, just as LPs did in the 80's.