Bubo
Super Member
Philosophical Question: What is Modern Day Hi-fi??
I am curious to see what others think.
Perhaps the best way to proceed is to define what it is, and what it is not. At the highest level, I believe it is a question of technology, engineering and perhaps materials. Approximately one hundred years ago there was nothing available in electronic sound.
What do you think Modern Day Hi-Fi is or is not......?
Update
From the responses, I can see that I should have been more focused.
My goal in this thread isn't to redefine what is or is not posted in Modern Day, it is intended to foster a discussion on technology and were it is going pertaining to our Hobby.
For example in AV we have 4K coming down the road, will it have audio implications? Will soundtracks move beyond 24x96 or for that matter move to 24x96 for a lot of the movies. Does anyone have their hands on a 4k player, any differences in audio, or picture for that matter, still HDMI or are they moving to something different aka USB2---USB3....
Any better data compression algorithms in the works, is Flac on the way out.....Whats the best PC based software for media playback.....
Conversely, discussing who and when the best MOSFET or EL34 Amps were built will probably be fruitless and of little interest.
Although I have plenty of Vintage gear, I also have plenty of what I consider Modern Day gear.
Does anyone have any leading edge audio tech they are free to talk about?
What comes after Tubes and Transistors?
My list:
What it is not:
Tube amplification with existing tube technologies, perhaps there is a new kind of tube tech.
Amplification using transistors, this has been around for at least 60 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplifier
Records and turn tables
Dynamic speaker designs: with the exceptions of Transparent ionic conduction speakers 2013 and Thermoacoustic speakers 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudspeaker
Headphones of all kinds
Tape based music cassettes and reel to reel
Radio Am and FM
What is new tech audio:
Class T amplification, specialized Class D using new fabrication processes and technologies?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_T_amplifier
Laser or Optical Turn tables
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_turntable
Post CD Optical Disks aka DVD and BluRay. BluRay DTS Maser Audio with perhaps the highest quality reproduction of sine waves with a noise floor approaching zero if properly mastered. Scroll down to the tables, audio...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc
Internet based music servers and radio stations. Sound quality varies, huge selection.
Voice & Data-audio Compression
Before there was compressed music, there was a need to compress voice on the telephone networks to save copper, so I've linked two articles. PCM and ADPCM are not new technologies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_coding
Data aka music compression lossless and lossy. Mpeg and FLAC come to mind as new compression tech....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression#Audio
MultiChannel Audio aka surround sound 5.1 or greater
Dacs and Codecs, even though these technologies have been around for a very long time in Telcos and military applications, it was not until the last 20 years that it was affordable for home audio.
Portable MP3 music players
Wireless connection of components such as Bluetooth or wireless Ethernet Wifi
Layer 3 Wired connection of components at more than level one like RCA or coax, USB comes to mind as a full featured 3 layer protocol with CRC-ARQ
High Quality Streamed compressed data and video played over a computer or internet enabled BluRay player may be the Pinnacle of Modern-Day...Leave it to the Japanese.........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGFro1AIoHQ
I am curious to see what others think.
Perhaps the best way to proceed is to define what it is, and what it is not. At the highest level, I believe it is a question of technology, engineering and perhaps materials. Approximately one hundred years ago there was nothing available in electronic sound.
What do you think Modern Day Hi-Fi is or is not......?
Update
From the responses, I can see that I should have been more focused.
My goal in this thread isn't to redefine what is or is not posted in Modern Day, it is intended to foster a discussion on technology and were it is going pertaining to our Hobby.
For example in AV we have 4K coming down the road, will it have audio implications? Will soundtracks move beyond 24x96 or for that matter move to 24x96 for a lot of the movies. Does anyone have their hands on a 4k player, any differences in audio, or picture for that matter, still HDMI or are they moving to something different aka USB2---USB3....
Any better data compression algorithms in the works, is Flac on the way out.....Whats the best PC based software for media playback.....
Conversely, discussing who and when the best MOSFET or EL34 Amps were built will probably be fruitless and of little interest.
Although I have plenty of Vintage gear, I also have plenty of what I consider Modern Day gear.
Does anyone have any leading edge audio tech they are free to talk about?
What comes after Tubes and Transistors?
My list:
What it is not:
Tube amplification with existing tube technologies, perhaps there is a new kind of tube tech.
Amplification using transistors, this has been around for at least 60 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplifier
Records and turn tables
Dynamic speaker designs: with the exceptions of Transparent ionic conduction speakers 2013 and Thermoacoustic speakers 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudspeaker
Headphones of all kinds
Tape based music cassettes and reel to reel
Radio Am and FM
What is new tech audio:
Class T amplification, specialized Class D using new fabrication processes and technologies?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_T_amplifier
Laser or Optical Turn tables
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_turntable
Post CD Optical Disks aka DVD and BluRay. BluRay DTS Maser Audio with perhaps the highest quality reproduction of sine waves with a noise floor approaching zero if properly mastered. Scroll down to the tables, audio...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc
Internet based music servers and radio stations. Sound quality varies, huge selection.
Voice & Data-audio Compression
Before there was compressed music, there was a need to compress voice on the telephone networks to save copper, so I've linked two articles. PCM and ADPCM are not new technologies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_coding
Data aka music compression lossless and lossy. Mpeg and FLAC come to mind as new compression tech....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression#Audio
MultiChannel Audio aka surround sound 5.1 or greater
Dacs and Codecs, even though these technologies have been around for a very long time in Telcos and military applications, it was not until the last 20 years that it was affordable for home audio.
Portable MP3 music players
Wireless connection of components such as Bluetooth or wireless Ethernet Wifi
Layer 3 Wired connection of components at more than level one like RCA or coax, USB comes to mind as a full featured 3 layer protocol with CRC-ARQ
High Quality Streamed compressed data and video played over a computer or internet enabled BluRay player may be the Pinnacle of Modern-Day...Leave it to the Japanese.........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGFro1AIoHQ
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