Have they come up with a codec to compress SACD or DVD-A into an MP3 type format? This would eliminate the problem completely. At least for me. I really like having everything at a click of a button.

Then I need a DVD player for video only.

Since the heart of DVD-A and SACD is their higher resolution, funnelling either format through a lossy compression algorithm will be a hard sell. The idea of an MP3 equivalent for multi-channel audio is interesting (sort of a hybrid of MP3 and DD 5.1), but I don't know how likely it is to ever appear.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

PCs just sound worse. There is way to much going in a PC for it to have audiophile sound. An MP3 sounds loads better being copied onto a disc and played back off a good DVD player.

Somebody need new computer stuff?

But serisously, if you want DVD-Audio and SACD quality then I wouldn't mess with computers until the technology has been out for awhile. Infantile stuff will be buggy and expensive. If you want massive storage of songs that are of decent quality then a computer can do good at that.

i totally agree with that. i have a new computer (via upgrades lately), and playing an mp3 from the hard drive compared to playing it in my dvd player (in the computer) is night and day. of course once they are on disk they are not in mp3 format (cda), and i think the less work that the computer has to do on the fly equals better sound quality.

playing dvd discs back from your computer is very expensive to get quality as good as inexpensive dvd players...

i use an xpc networked to my main computer for media playback through my system. it is nice and small.

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This post has been brought to you by curegeorg, thanks for reading.

For those saying that PC audio sounds bad, what kind of interface are you using between your computer and your audio system? Is it an analog connection or a digital connection? Just wondering...

Once I get my system set up I will let you know if an MP3 at a high bit rate(192Kbps and up) really doesn't sound as good as a CD. I can't tell a difference on the system I have now which is basically a computer w/ Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers.

I've heard it told both ways and don't have the sound system to really bring out the differences. And if you burn an MP3 to disc aren't you going to hear the supposed loss of quality since the MP3 will have already lost some of the original quality? Once it is lost you can not get it back. No?

Seems the wave of the future is mass storage vs having to change discs all the time. Sound and Vision just had a huge report on media servers and didn't mention anything about--if you do this then your music won't sound as good.

Plus all the problems that sites like Napster that charge per download will have. If the music is inferior they are ultimately doomed to failure(Eventhough a lot of people don't really give a crap).. Either way if I can tell a difference then I will be changing my set up. So time will tell.

Don't forget that the computer components make a big difference as well. I could tell a big difference with mine when I upgraded.

I have the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 setup. For me, mp3's are close enough to CDs that I just don't care. My focus is on websurfing, playing games, or whatever. The music is a nice bonus. I don't know how to quantify how much the speakers might be limiting things though. They're very good for computer speakers, but pale in comparison my HT.

Once you go down in quality you can't get it back. Butning the mp3 to CD format is really just converting it over to the .wav format. The original .wav file will be better than this new .wav file despite the size. Actually, it'd be interesting to see how the two of them compare in size now.

it is easier for your computer to play back the cda file than the mp3, because it requires less processing to play back the cda. that is why i was saying it sounded better from the disc and that is the only reason why...

once it goes to mp3, it will be whatever quality it was ripped in and no better forever... lots of times now a days you can find higher resolution mp3 files though...

i will say that hearing a song recorded by a studio onto a cd is better than hearing a downloaded mp3 burned onto a cd. even with high bitrates mp3s lose a little of the low and high end and compress all the data in between.

the main reason for playing mp3s directly from the computer.... convenience. the little bit of diminshed sound quality is more than made up for by being able to play thousands of files in any way you want to.

you guys should try myhtpc, i know a lot of people who like it.

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This post has been brought to you by curegeorg, thanks for reading.

A computer today will have plenty of free cpu cyles to decode whatever audio format you run through it. One of my pc's has a digital out and I have that routed through to my stereo and I am happy with the sound.
If you are using iTunes then in a few weeks you will be able to buy the Apple Airport that will let you wirelessly send your audio wherever you want and still send that digitally into your receiver.