The Future Of HiFi

Chris,

I suspect there are two types of readers of this column: those who feel some degree of fear at the loss of physical control of their collection, something that defines who they are in terms of what they chose to own, and those who feel some degree of freedom at the loss of physical control of their collection, something that restrains them from their passion in an ever less attached life style. Perhaps there are those of us who feel both at the same time...

This is a great time for audio...the future has never been more exciting!

Best,

John

Spot on John, some of both for me.

I try to buy lossless downloads when I can to save physical space, but there are still certain artists and albums that I "need" as part of my physical collection.

Regarding AirPlay streaming, Chris, I am able to stream my iTunes Match cloud library directly to an Apple TV connected to my main system via optical digital. In this case I can use my iPhone as a remote without the data being routed through the phone. Of course, iTunes Match is limited to lossy streaming for now.

Any teasers on when we will get WiMP in the US?

surprised at the short shrift given Bluesound- it does basically everything you've outlined, includes WiMP, Qobuz, HiRes Audio, Spotify connect, and soon HDTracks. it's also capable of 24/192 sound (unlike Sonos).

and i realize it's EOL, but the Squeezebox ecosystem can also accomplish most of this, particularly with it's strong 3rd party plugin support. as i write, i'm listening to Qobuz streamed losslessly to my Transporter, controlled from an iPad.

10 years into it's life, the Transporter is still the coolest, most extensible, digital media interface on the market, and it sounds wonderful.

Was Pandora mentioned? That's the future of audio IMO.... just think what it will be like if/ when Pandora and all these streaming services can stream hirez where appropriate to say a 24/192 Dac, and automatically pick up and stream the same playlist etcetc to a low res interface like an iPhone. So you just pick up where you left off... Even let's say they did all this at the same time to give you multidevice, multi room: simultaneously ... No need then for Sonos or Bluesound even... The user would just do it all within the Pandora app....

If you haven't tried the higher Rez paid for version of Pandora, you are missing out something truly special. This has been the no 1 life changing music thing that's happened for me the last couple years ...

I don't know that streaming will take over for all of us.

• Many connections are now having data caps applied, which is problematic if all your media is streamed.
  
• My internet connection goes out at least once a month, so I'd be without any music (or video) if I relied on streaming services.
  
• I don't necessarily want a single company keeping track of everything I listen to or watch.
  
• Quality has to improve first. I'd need lossless 16/44 before I even considered paying for one of these services.
  
• One of the biggest issues is that licensing deals are always changing, so access to content can be removed at any time.
  

I think you are very optimistic if you think that there are going to be streaming services for high res audio.

I don't know that the labels would be happy with it (if not high res, then what can they sell you?) and bandwidth starts to become a problem.

I don't know that there's much of a market for it either. Most people seem happy with the 160k MP3 or whatever it is that Spotify stream for free.

Another thing - sometimes I'm in a location where I simply don't get data access on my phone, or at least not enough to stream high quality music. When I travel, data can become prohibitively expensive.

If you're only subscribed to a streaming service, you don't have a library of portable music.

Oh, and if you live outside the States, good luck!

And FYI, you can play to AirPlay devices directly from a Mac or from a PC running Airfoil, controlled by an iOS device rather than playing from one.

I use JRemote (as a control device) to send audio from my JRiver library to AirPlay devices all the time.

The Airfoil Remote app lets me dynamically link/unlink AirPlay devices (all perfectly in sync) and independently control volume for each.

Guests are also able to play to these devices from their phones, but 90% of the time it ends up being easier to simply hook up a 3.5mm cable instead.

What we can do and what we want to do are sometimes different. I am not a fan of subscriptions of any kind. If music is going the way of cable TV with ever increasing charges and ever increasing useless content, count me out.

I still like collecting too. What about showing off your music collection?

I am not disagreeing with your summary. I think it is correct. But, I'll probably be a hold out for the Past or Present models.

Hi Skeptic - Thanks for raising a quite a few points. Let me address them as best I can.

I don't know that streaming will take over for all of us.

 

• Many connections are now having data caps applied, which is problematic if all your media is streamed.

Data caps can be an issue. In the future deals will be made by content providers and ISPs to work around these caps. The caps in place now may be there as an incentive for companies like Netflix to pay Comcast for its data to not be counted toward the caps. Netflix has already paid Comcast for more bandwidth for its customers.

 

• My internet connection goes out at least once a month, so I'd be without any music (or video) if I relied on streaming services.

Very good point. I would like to see data for more users than just you (no offense please) to see if this is typical and if the times it goes out are times when listening must take place. I tend to minimize this issue as we are not talking about a life support system going out, rather music playback. Television has been this way since the beginning.

• I don't necessarily want a single company keeping track of everything I listen to or watch.

Most people seem OK with allowing their ISPs to know everything they do online, their cable or satellite providers to know everything they watch, and some may not even know they are receiving targeted advertisements through digital cable now. It will be interesting when people start to talk on the phone or via text when watching the same program and see different commercials even though they live in the same neighborhood. On the music side, Sonos knows everything its customers listen to and keeps a gigantic database of all this activity. Sonos is a data driven company.

• Quality has to improve first. I'd need lossless 16/44 before I even considered paying for one of these services.

16/44 lossless is available in some European countries and will be here in the US this fall. I agree, lossless is absolutely critical to adoption when supplementing one's physical library.

• One of the biggest issues is that licensing deals are always changing, so access to content can be removed at any time.

Very true.

I think you are very optimistic if you think that there are going to be streaming services for high res audio.

I know of two services who have tested high resolution streaming, 24/192 and DSD, without any issues. If people are willing to pay for it, the companies will sell it.

I don't know that the labels would be happy with it (if not high res, then what can they sell you?) and bandwidth starts to become a problem.

Labels are selling it to you via subscription. The subscriptions to lossless services are double the cost of lossy subscriptions. Thus, in the typical 70/30 split where rights holders receive 70% of the money, rights holders receive twice as much as the lossy services. (70% of 30$ per month is better than 70% of $10 per month). Artists are catching on to this and appear to show more interest.

I don't know that there's much of a market for it either. Most people seem happy with the 160k MP3 or whatever it is that Spotify stream for free.

Whether there's a market or not it's coming. The services offer standard 320k MP3 and HiFi lossless. Customers can select whatever they want to pay for.

Another thing - sometimes I'm in a location where I simply don't get data access on my phone, or at least not enough to stream high quality music. When I travel, data can become prohibitively expensive.

If you're only subscribed to a streaming service, you don't have a library of portable music.

This is a common misunderstanding with the streaming services. The traditional way, people would synchronize music to their phones so they had it on location or in the airplane. With streaming services you can do the same thing. WiMP allows customers to download music to the phone for offline access. I have 25GB of WiMP lossless music on my phone right now. Plus, when I'm in an airport and I see a new release I want I can download it via the airport WiFi before taking off. This isn't possible with the traditional way.

Oh, and if you live outside the States, good luck!

Outside the US is actually much better on many levels. A handful of European countries already have this lossless service. Plus, Internet speeds outside the US are fantastic in many countries. I was in South Korea last year and even the mobile speeds are better than most of my friend's home internet connections. Sure, there will be issues in some places but it's only a matter of time before kinks are worked out.

Thanks again for raising the issues. You raise great points and questions.

What we can do and what we want to do are sometimes different. I am not a fan of subscriptions of any kind. If music is going the way of cable TV with ever increasing charges and ever increasing useless content, count me out.

 

I still like collecting too. What about showing off your music collection?

 

I am not disagreeing with your summary. I think it is correct. But, I'll probably be a hold out for the Past or Present models.

Hi bottlerocket - I think you are in a group with a large percentage of people. There's obviously nothing wrong with either way of obtaining our favorite music.

In terms of collecting, I too like to collect. Inadvertently I've started to collect other items now that I don't purchase many physical discs. I've started collecting rare concert posters for Pear Jam and other really neat items. Maybe people will shift to collecting other items like me or maybe not. No right or wrong way :~)

P.S. We should also look at this streaming stuff as a supplement to our existing music habbits rather than a replacement, at least for the time being :~)

Well written and well thought out.

I would suggest that the technology is not quite up to the task yet, given we are just now really beginning to understand Big Data and all the implications thereof. It is possible there will be several technology advances before things all come together.

For example - Lossless compression at 1000:1 or better would really enable hi-res content to be skittered about over the web. It's coming. A 90min highdef video delivered to local buffer storage in only a second or two would make an incredible difference.

Then politics and economics gets into the picture too. The fight between 20th century Cable Companies as ISPs and what consumers today really want. I think your idea that data caps are being used a blundgeons to extract danegeld from companies like NetFlix and Apple is spot on and exactly so. Google, or more likely some amalgation of companies like Google, Apple, NetFlix, and so on could decide to eliminate the cable companies. That would be an interesting war to watch.

-Paul

While I can't say none of what the article suggests will not happen....I think most of it will....I can say I don't think its my preference.

While I do enjoy high quality playback and convenience, I cherish my physical collection much more. With the constant releases from audiophile labels like Mobile Fidelity, Audio Fidelity and Analogue Productions which all seem to be getting more and more product out there, I have never lacked for quality physical product. In fact I have never even purchased an audio download from any of the services or stores mentioned.

I was always an album person instead of a radio person. These monthly subscription services are more like radio to me. And while I can appreciate it appeals to the masses, it doesn't necessarily appeal to all audiophiles...most of whom cherish their physical collection as much as I do.

I am 37 and enjoy buying vinyl and cds more than ever. I am guessing there will be a market for me for the rest of my life, if only through used markets and after market companies manufacturing physical product for the folks like me that would rather spend my money that way than subscription services or access to streaming.

A complete disconnect from physical media and my primary means of acquiring and listening to music will never happen and I am not even considered an old timer...

This is the first Computer Audiophile article I have read that I did not enjoy reading....mostly because it was like reading an obituary for physical product. Something I consider sad/bad news.

Realizing this is edge case thinking, a near term or potentially long term condition might be the unfortunate "up to... quality" problem. It's in the best interest for an ISP to under promise and dynamically adjust bandwidth to accommodate local traffic spikes. If we eventually move to complete cloud streams, I would hate for a 24/96 identified stream be downgraded to 16/44 or even 320k.

While I can't say none of what the article suggests will not happen....I think most of it will....I can say I don't think its my preference.

While I do enjoy high quality playback and convenience, I cherish my physical collection much more. With the constant releases from audiophile labels like Mobile Fidelity, Audio Fidelity and Analogue Productions which all seem to be getting more and more product out there, I have never lacked for quality physical product. In fact I have never even purchased an audio download from any of the services or stores mentioned.

 

I was always an album person instead of a radio person. These monthly subscription services are more like radio to me. And while I can appreciate it appeals to the masses, it doesn't necessarily appeal to all audiophiles...most of whom cherish their physical collection as much as I do.

 

I am 37 and enjoy buying vinyl and cds more than ever. I am guessing there will be a market for me for the rest of my life, if only through used markets and after market companies manufacturing physical product for the folks like me that would rather spend my money that way than subscription services or access to streaming.

 

A complete disconnect from physical media and my primary means of acquiring and listening to music will never happen and I am not even considered an old timer...

 

 

This is the first Computer Audiophile article I have read that I did not enjoy reading....mostly because it was like reading an obituary for physical product. Something I consider sad/bad news.

Thanks for the insightful comments. Interesting to read you and I are about the same age.

Interesting article Chris. I would tend to agree that things are moving in that direction. I won't be moving with them. I do have a subscription, to the Music Matters Jazz Blue Note series on vinyl. Count me firmly in the ownership camp. I have no desire whatsoever to have access to music solely as long as my subscription is current. There is no way I will be storing my music in the cloud, and I'm not ok with my ISP knowing everything I do online, never mind anyone else. I realize I may be in the minority, and that minority may be growing smaller every day, but I *like* my physical LP's and CD's. I much prefer reading a physical book to an electronic facsimile. I have bought downloads, and have many that sound fantastic. For me though, even when it does sound good, there is something missing. I just don't find it as satisfying to have my music as a file stored away either on a local hard drive or in the cloud. Music, for me, is more than just the actual music. It's the music, it is the artwork and liner notes that go with it. It's the LP that has been around for 40 years or more, with someone's name written on the back of the album cover that still somehow manages to sound fantastic. There is a history to a physical object that is part of it for me. I also really value buying used music, whether CD or vinyl, and also being able to sell those albums which I no longer value enough to keep. I'll be damned if I'm going to allow Amazon, music publishers, or whomever to decide what I can do with my music. I fully recognize this goes hand in hand with the ownership model, and not the subscription model.

What is interesting to me, is that I initially got into computer audio as I got sick and tired of racks of CD's being in my living room and wanted at least to move them somewhere else while still being able to listen to them conveniently. Over time, I've come around full circle (or mostly I suppose) on this idea. I'm not complaining though. I have no doubt there will be no shortage of LP's and CD's, both used and new for me to buy and more music available than I will listen to in my lifetime. Who knows, it's certainly possible I'll come full circle again and someday get rid of all my physical music and jump on the streaming bandwagon. Time will tell I suppose.

. . .

I would suggest that the technology is not quite up to the task yet, given we are just now really beginning to understand Big Data and all the implications thereof.

It is possible there will be several technology advances before things all come together.

. . .

Technology is fine.

Just move to a tech hub in the US and you can have it as well.

I am on a 4G router, and I just tested my bandwidth:

28024 kbit/s down

12733 kbit/s up

Ping 27 ms

That means that I can stream:

25 / 192 in 5.1 surround without breaking a sweat.

My iPhone will easily stream 24/192 as it clocked 18/10 right here in my living room.

I do propose wired service for streaming ;-)

Interesting article Chris. I would tend to agree that things are moving in that direction. I won't be moving with them. I do have a subscription, to the Music Matters Jazz Blue Note series on vinyl. Count me firmly in the ownership camp. I have no desire whatsoever to have access to music solely as long as my subscription is current. There is no way I will be storing my music in the cloud, and I'm not ok with my ISP knowing everything I do online, never mind anyone else. I realize I may be in the minority, and that minority may be growing smaller every day, but I *like* my physical LP's and CD's. I much prefer reading a physical book to an electronic facsimile. I have bought downloads, and have many that sound fantastic. For me though, even when it does sound good, there is something missing. I just don't find it as satisfying to have my music as a file stored away either on a local hard drive or in the cloud. Music, for me, is more than just the actual music. It's the music, it is the artwork and liner notes that go with it. It's the LP that has been around for 40 years or more, with someone's name written on the back of the album cover that still somehow manages to sound fantastic. There is a history to a physical object that is part of it for me. I also really value buying used music, whether CD or vinyl, and also being able to sell those albums which I no longer value enough to keep. I'll be damned if I'm going to allow Amazon, music publishers, or whomever to decide what I can do with my music. I fully recognize this goes hand in hand with the ownership model, and not the subscription model.

 

What is interesting to me, is that I initially got into computer audio as I got sick and tired of racks of CD's being in my living room and wanted at least to move them somewhere else while still being able to listen to them conveniently. Over time, I've come around full circle (or mostly I suppose) on this idea. I'm not complaining though. I have no doubt there will be no shortage of LP's and CD's, both used and new for me to buy and more music available than I will listen to in my lifetime. Who knows, it's certainly possible I'll come full circle again and someday get rid of all my physical music and jump on the streaming bandwagon. Time will tell I suppose.

Couldn'ta said it better!

Streaming is a no-go for me. I am still dealing with crummy satellite internet, having no access to cable, dsl, fiber, or 4G at my house, which is not out in the boonies, only 2 miles from "civilization" at I-90, 3 miles from the largest branch campus of Penn State. The internet utility companies are spending near nothing for internet infrastructure, only milking their current customers for more revenue. Also, I would really have to think hard about another monthly bill, fee, subscription, call it what you want, it seems like many things on the internet (and frankly many things in life these days) are something to be monetized with a monthly fee, it's like being pecked to death by sparrows!

Hi Chris,

Great article and informative as always ... CA is my "go to" source for anything audio related.

I love what digital has done to increase my listening pleasure but a long way to go before we get lossless streaming in Australia where we have traditionally paid a lot more for CDs as the record companies (and car manufactures) continue to protect their patch and take advantage of our distance from the rest of the Western world.

We have recently just got Spotify and at 320kps it is acceptable IMO browsing and casual playback sbut still use HD Tracks (via proxy as can't get Aus subscription for reasons stated above) and ripping CDs for serious listening.

We also have very slow internet broadband speeds via ADSL of about 7 Mps (about 1/4 of US speeds when compared to digi pete's 28Mps above) although we do now have greatly improved mobile 4G which is more like 15Mps but only in the major cities. We are in the process of installing a national optical broadband service promising speeds in excess of 100Mps but it is being stalled by politics.

Keep up the great work!

Hi Chris,

 

Great article and informative as always ... CA is my "go to" source for anything audio related.

 

I love what digital has done to increase my listening pleasure but a long way to go before we get lossless streaming in Australia where we have traditionally paid a lot more for CDs as the record companies (and car manufactures) continue to protect their patch and take advantage of our distance from the rest of the Western world.

 

We have recently just got Spotify and at 320kps it is acceptable IMO browsing and casual playback sbut still use HD Tracks (via proxy as can't get Aus subscription for reasons stated above) and ripping CDs for serious listening.

 

We also have very slow internet broadband speeds via ADSL of about 7 Mps (about 1/4 of US speeds when compared to digi pete's 28Mps above) although we do now have greatly improved mobile 4G which is more like 15Mps but only in the major cities. We are in the process of installing a national optical broadband service promising speeds in excess of 100Mps but it is being stalled by politics.

 

Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the kind words.

I'm not convinced that greater data density is the panacea needed nor do I believe that consumers can afford the wide area network costs of streaming greater than 48k/24 bit. Audiophiles are too small a percentage of the market to affect mass market decisions. I do believe that we will see lower rez streaming services incorporate high rez download purchases and hopefully follow the Steam or Nook model where you can redownload content to recover your library.

Great article Chris. I would like to add that in my view, one of the things restraining the popularity and adoption of computer based audio is the complexity and high level of knowledge required to do it right. You in effect become a data center manager. Most people just are not willing or able to undertake computer audio as a hobby. The transition you describe is what must happen in order for digital music to move away from the optical disk.

There will always be those who wish to own and collect physical media but sales of physical media will rapidly fall off as the subscription model takes hold. Also, holding downloaded media is not really owning it. All one really owns is the right to listen to it during one's lifetime. It cannot be sold or even given away. Those clicks on the agreement prior to download set that in stone.

It is also quite clear that the studios do not really want to sell physical media as the primary vehicle any longer and see streaming and downloads as the way to regain control of redistribution. The Napster debacle set that in stone and now technology is making the transition doable.

Well thought out piece.

Thanks

Pretty good assessment of the state of the music distribution and playback industry today.

Not sure about the future though. Right now, today, it appears that "streaming" has caught on in a pretty big way. It will however be interesting to see how that progress's in the future. For artists to get paid, labels to make money, (basically the music industry to continue) and of course the actual streaming companies to make money, I will be curious to see what the monthly fee will end up being. How long before people look at the cost and what they have access to and decide they want a bit more control over content as in why pay for what they don't use. Say, like the cable tv companies today?

Also, cd sales have certainly slipped but to peg them as dead? Not quite.

Figures so far in 2014 show a very slim margin for digital downloads vs. CDs.

"The divide between the two configurations has grown closer in recent years. Last year, CDs represented 57.2% of the album market, while downloads were 40.6%. In 2012, CDs were 61.2% of the pie, while in 2011, they were 67.6%. So far in 2014, CDs are 48.3% of all album sales, as compared to its 50.3% share of the market at the same a year ago"

Hi Chris, Another thought. If you are working on new CAPS designs, there needs to be some that are optimized for streaming over local storage playback. Not sure what that would entail but it should be an interesting exercise. Thanks so much for all of your efforts on the CAPS designs in the past. They have set the standard for the hobby.

Hi Chris, Another thought. If you are working on new CAPS designs, there needs to be some that are optimized for streaming over local storage playback. Not sure what that would entail but it should be an interesting exercise. Thanks so much for all of your efforts on the CAPS designs in the past. They have set the standard for the hobby.

Thanks for the comments. CAPS is always in my mind and undergoing constant mental refinement. I won't disappoint when the next version is ready.