Is there a real market for premium priced high definition digital audio?

Some believe that there is a market for premium priced high definition digital audio. Those of us in our 30’s, 40’s and 50’s remember our parents playing vinyl records at home. This analog experience was warm and full. Music gurus or audiophiles say that while at home there is no better way to listen to music. This high definition music has a complete sound where you can fully hear all of the instruments, the artist’s voice, and the full recording. High definition digital audio creates a quality listening experience which regular MP3’s lack due to file compression. When songs are converted to MP3s to fit onto your iPod or to stream online, data is lost and songs lose sound quality. The convenience of these compressed files has led to music piracy being at an all-time high. The question you may ask yourself… why doesn’t everyone listen to High Definition music if the quality is better?

Although quality and the listening experience is better from high def audio, it turns out that portability and price has benefited the public better. High def music cannot be downloaded to iPods because the size is too large. It takes five times more space on hard drives than most current formats like MP3. Also, the price for the system and inconvenience of getting files onto and from your computer is a major hurdle compared to music devices currently available. If you want high def music you can’t associate it with convenience. Paul McGowan, CEO of PS Audio, explains High Def Audio and the conversion process in this video.

A look to the future: Recently, there has been some talk about the wider development of electronics and distribution channels for high def music. Check out this article; Apple presses pause on high-def music, says Neil Yong- CNN.com.

Is piracy the new radio?

The music we listen to everyday is usually from the popular portable music device, the iPod. Music is quickly and easily downloaded and transferred onto this device creating both convenience and piracy issues. Neil Young has made it his goal to rescue the art form he has been practicing for the past 50 years. He states in the previously mentioned article “I look at the internet as the new radio. I look at the radio as gone.” In today’s world everything is available at our fingertips due to the internet. Music is so accessible via internet that most people don’t listen to the radio anymore. Unfortunately most music is in the form of MP3s which is easy to download and download illegally. As internet speeds increase high def files will be more easily accessible. This would allow for better quality sound but it would also enable piracy even more.

Until the cost of hardware that can store high def files becomes less expensive and the internet connection speeds increase to be able to handle the bandwidth involved in high def files, the average music listener will probably not go out and spend thousands of dollars for high definition sound systems and music files. Neil Young states that downloading high def music might as well be an option since listeners are downloading their music for free anyways; that’s how music gets around and is discovered these days.

Is High Def Audio something you would spend your savings on? Does the quality outweigh the cost? Or are you satisfied with listening to compressed files?