On 6 Mar 2004 17:45:54 GMT, "Bob Haberkost"
wrote:

Yes, I'm a "golden-eared *******", as I can still hear the difference
between vinyl and CD recordings. For the same reasons, I won't use an iPod
or similar MP3 device because I can't stand the fidelity loss (and needless
to say, that means that downloading music is not an option...free or
otherwise, it's not worth the price)...but seeing as you've said you have a
Sirius receiver yourself, where would you put IBOC (AM and FM versions) with
the Sirius streams? In any event, I suspect that I'd be similarly
underwhelmed with either IBOC service (I'm just barely satisfied with the
Canadian DRB solution, although in fairness, it does sound better than the
associated analog services, at least).

I can hear the difference between CDs and vinyl. In a perfect world
I'd chose vinyl. However, the surface noice and scratches drive me
nuts. Maybe it's because I spent time depopping music tapes for
syndication and It brings back nightmares.

The IBOC I've heard annoys me. I can listen for a short time, then
have to turn it off. It's fatiguing. MP3. Forget it. If I listen to it
it's usually with headsets and I hear artifacts that take the pleasure
out of the music for me, even at high sample rates.

I have both Sirius and XM. I agree that the quality depends on the
streams. Classical and Jazz seem to be the highest quality. For analog
I listen to WFCR, Amherst, MA. It's NPR, Classical and Jazz. Very
lightly processed.

My preference is CD, then Satellite, Analog FM when done right, good
analog AM, MP3 (high rates), FM IBOC and AM IBOC. In fairness, IBOC is
still a work in progress and may sound acceptable a few years from
now. Then there's the interference issue that might wipe out
broadcasting entirely.

We're not spending much time caring about quality. Digital audio
systems should have improved things. It makes broadcasting easier but
with the compression used in almost all systems to save disk space we
won't be hearing improvements that will satisfy audiophiles. When it's
well recorded DVD-Audio pleases me the most.

Rich