July 17, 2008

I found this survey on listening preferences at Stereophile magazine through a post a CNet's The Audiophiliac blog. Although I interpret the results differently, I found it interesting (I'm hardly an audiophile in recent years). In answering the question, "What is your primary digital front end?" the results were:

• CD player: 34%
• Hi-rez disc player: 11%
• iPod: 4%
• Music Server (computer-based): 36%
• Music Server (dedicated: Sooloos, Sonos, etc.): 10%
• Other: 3%

This doesn't mean all people are over CDs, just that they don't always listen to CDs. If you read through the comments (and you should, they offer a wide range of preferences) you'll see the CD or SACD is the basis for most listening. SACD got mixed comments. Some responders mentioned vinyl as their format of choice. Some mentioned higher quality downloads, though I saw only one reference to a store that caters to audiophiles (HDTracks).

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Posted by Glenn at 5:26 PM | |