A Never-ending Journey for Perfection |
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November 1, 2005
By Austin Brentley
austin.brentley@techinician-programs.com
Technician Programs Columnist
When phonographs first came out, the world marveled at the clarity and quality of the sound. It was only after subsequent leaps in advanced sound technology that listeners began to hear the hisses and clicks commonly associated with old records. Repeatedly, we feel that we have reached the pinnacle of technological excellence, only to discover how wrong we were when the next advance comes out. What is in store for us in regard to digital sound technology?
The Future of Digital Sound Technology
Although many believe that current audio technology is so advanced that it can't get any better (after all, how do you improve 1's and 0's), almost any sound technician that you talk with will tell you that our current technology is still in infant form. So the question is, how can we improve digital sound technology?
For starters, we can improve the bit rate at which music is recorded and played. Our current binary setup creates seemingly flawless sound, but if we can pack more 1's and 0's into smaller spaces, this will vastly improve what we erroneously assume to be perfection. As any sound technician can tell you, transferring a CD to MP3 format results in a substantial loss of sound quality due to compression. The technician's goal is to find a way to transfer or capture the sound in a lossless fashion. Already, fairly advanced leaps have been made [see: www.lossless-audio.com/], and there are more to come.
When to Buy
You might be asking yourself, if more advanced sound technology is on the way, when is a good time to buy? In a word, now is the best time to buy. Sound technicians are working furiously to improve audio entertainment. Progress has been so extraordinary that the stereo units of today are virtually obsolete once they leave the factory. Thus, there is no way to stay ahead of the trend. You should buy now.
About the Author
A freelance writer and researcher, Austin Brentley is an English teacher currently living and working in Yamaguchi, Japan. His previous experience includes working for a lobbying firm in his native Washington, DC and working for various record and television studios in New York. Austin holds a B.A. in history.
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