Should Sound Quality of Computer Audio be improved

Chadeffect, I do trust my ears; however, don't I need the
ability to listen to it first? Will I ever be able to
truly listen for myself to a 24/196 Download compared to
a Remaster utilizing DXD (Disk, Downsampled, or not)? This will not happen in a Universe of "Soon all New Music will only be available as Downloads". I lose the ability to listen, compare, and judge the sound quality myself in a
proposed single Format Download Universe. I lose the ability to listen, or sample with my own ears. With the
lack of my ability to listen and judge for myself (In this
proposed Universe), who determines for me what level of
sound quality I am allowed to listen to. High Res.
Computer Audio Downloads become the new glass ceiling in
Sound Quality. In a Single Format Download World, how
would you even be allowed to discover anything else that
might possibly sound better? I want to be able to listen
for myself, not have my sound quality dictated to me
through limited 24/192 Downloading ceiling. Even the Music
Selection in 24/192 Downloading is another glass ceiling.
You limit your options for better sounding Formats in
limiting (or eliminating) other Formats. Only way to break
this glass ceiling is to concider that there might be
something out there that might still sound better than even
High Res. Downloads. Listen, and judge for yourself. Don't
allow someone else to dictate to you that "24/192 High Res.
Downloads is as good as it gets" through "Soon all New Music will only be available as Downloads". You certainly
wouldn't limit yourself to only one Format in "Soon all
New Music will only be available on Cassette". Would you
exclude yourself from all other Formats that came after the Cassette? Would you sandbag their possible development? If this had been done, even for the sake of
Manufacturers Profit (No competing Formats), the Manufacturers would certainly be shooting themselves in
their profitable foot! That is why I say Single Format is
horrible for Consumer, Manufacturer, and the Audio Market.
It becomes an irreversable LOSE, LOSE, LOSE situation.
There won't be any second chances! The Consumer loses his
authority, and his ability to compare quality in a single
Format Monopoly. You don't get it back afterwards, therefore don't paint yourself into that corner to begin with. You need the ability to listen first to be able to
judge "Music First" in comparing Formats. Only then can you determine if Recording Process/ Format was helpful, or
a hinderance. "Listen First" before "Music First" if you
want to do a fair comparison based on Sound Quality.
Otherwise, what exactly ARE you doing besides burning
money? Having a deaf man judge sound quality for you?

PO,

There are download sites that allow you to hear before you buy, including iTunes itself. (not sure about the res though).

Can you watch a film and decide if you would rather buy the blue ray or DVD version first? No.

These points are mute. Again I find myself repeating what I said before regarding formats and competition. The file is the format.

So it will be down to the recording studio/record company/producers/artists to decide on the level of quality of the file.

It is they who will find the funds to use facilities that can record fully in a new "format" like DXD or whether they prefer to stay working with 24/192 etc.

It is not down to you! Can I decide if I'd like the latest porn film to be in real 3d? No I cannot. Can I decide if the next Star Wars movie is released in Omnimax or Imax? No I cannot. Does it matter? Probably not.

Do you see my point? The only competition is in the pro market now. As consumers you can play any format you wish. Your computer can, with the correct software, decode any of them.

I wouldn't be so concerned. Nothing stands still. The studio guys are dying to play with the next toy especially if it's better. It would seem DXD is the finest recording medium yet. But PCM at high samples rates isn't to be sniffed at either! What is best is as consumers we are not stuck with cassette, minidisk, vinyl, CDs etc. Those half way formats are now defunct and unnessassary should you choose. I'll just have the master thanks and play it any where.

In my opinion - a little bit of know-how and setup is involved but this is as good as digital audio gets:

take any recent, decently-powered desktop PC with quiet, cool-running chassis fans.

Install Windows 7. Install EAC Exact Audio Copy, use that to rip CDs to FLAC files with a log proving 100% bit-match to the digital on the CD. Install Foobar2000 or any other audio-player front end which supports WASAPI for bit-perfect audio playback. Ensure all sound effects, EQ, replaygain, etc is disabled. Set volume in player to 0dB.

If you are feeling especially careful, set the Foobar2000 -> preferences -> advanced -> playback -> full file buffering up to (Kb) value to a number greater than the size of any of your audio files. This will ensure that playback is entirely from RAM and if something happens during playback that makes excessive use of your HDD, it will have no impact audible or measurable, on the playback of your music.

Play these 100% bit-perfect FLAC tracks via WASAPI (rather than directsound).

Use USB or toslink or spdif digital to get the signal from your PC to the DAC of your choice, and it's good old analog from there.

This is absolute perfect source, true *exactly* to whatever arrangement of 1s and 0s were on the CD you ripped from. and I don't believe you can improve from this until the day comes that recording/mastering studios start putting out higher than 192KHz, 24-bit audio and we need better computer hardware to process it and output it unmolested to a DAC.

Chadeffect- "It is not down to you! Can I decide if I'd
like the latest Porn Film to be in real 3D? No, I cannot.
Can I decide if the latest Star Wars movie is released in
Omnimax, or Imax? No, I cannot. Does it matter? probably
not".
Alright, lets go with that. Based on this- who decides
"It is the Music that matters"? You would leave it to
Recording Studio/ Record Company/ Producers/ and Artists, to the exclusion of the Consumer himself. One little
problem: as a Consumer you are in competition with atleast
the Record Company/ Producers over Sound Quality. It is the
nature of any Market (Especially the Audio Market) that
the Consumer must struggle, and fight with the Manufacturer
over Quality. I.E.- "Let the buyer beware"! Are you in
business (As a Consumer) for yourself to get as much Sound
Quality Bang-for-the-Buck? I am! Are you instead in
business (As a Consumer) for the Manufacturer to benefit
from you getting less Bang-for-the Buck? Multiple Formats-
mutiple sources of High Sound Quality. Single Format- single source of High Sound Quality. Who benefits, who
loses, and who benefits at someone elses expense? I don't
know about you, but I am coming up short on multiple sources of High Sound Quality with a single Format solution. Does it matter? I am in business for myself as a
Consumer. My business is higher selection of higher Audio
Sound Quality. The more sources of this (Formats), the
more my business profits. Fewer sources, and someone else
profits off of my business. You fill in the blank of who
you believe that might be. We still have options unless you
decide to give those options up! When you give those options up, you don't get them back if you discover that
"Things don't work out as you planned". You giving up
options (Multiple Formats) also means that I have to give up these same options. There is no vacuum here in the Audio
Market. Everything we do directly affects someone else in
the Market. Does it matter? PROBABLY SO!!! Tell me how many
times you have already heard me say this? You offer nothing
to contradict this. Your arguement is simply one of
convenience for yourself. My arguement is one to benefit the Consumer in the Audio Market- of which I happen to be one of them. You can't say "It is the Music that matters",
and "Does it matter? Probably not" in the same breath. THAT
is HYPOCRACY 101! What Barometer do you use to measure Sound Quality with, the increased Profit Margin of the stock for your favorite Computer Audio Manufacturer? I guess those ears no longer serve any purpose, just donate
them to science. Just don't try to put that on the rest of
us. Your single Format solution, as a benefit to the
Consumer, just "DOES NOT COMPUTE"! Recheck your Math, or
do it through personal attacks on me. We need no stinking
Math, right?

If PO's argument is based on the general dummying down of America's mass market consumers, then I think he has a valid argument.

Luckily, that has been going on forever, and where there is enough market and interest (like hopefully in good sound) there is still quality to be found.

I neither expect that market to keep pace with the mass market nor for it to decrease in size itself moving forward. It will likely continue to grow in terms of revenue but become an increasingly small niche market.

It will be what it will be. Neither corporate conspiracy theories nor faith in open markets will change anything.