Are we placing too much emphasis on acquiring equipment than will play back 24-bit/176kHz? As best as I can tell, Reference Recordings has released only nine albums at that resolution, at $45 a pop, and nothing else is available. Some, but certainly not most, of the independent labels have issued music at 24-bit/88.2kHz and 24-bit/96kHz through HD Tracks. But admit it, how many of us actually like the music offered there. There isn't one chance in a gazillion that any major label will make available digital audio files at anything beyond 16-bit/44.1Khz in our lifetime, if ever. For goodness sake, they are almost having a stroke about releasing 128kpbs lossy non-DRM files through iTunes. Clearly 24/96 is all the resolution that is required to play back all but a handful of recordings. Let's not turn up our nose at it.
