On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:30:50 -0000, "Ian Iveson"
wrote:

At the time of its introduction into audio systems, the main
advantage of solid state was convenience, surely?

I didn't mention solid state because it didn't represent a change in
recorded medium - you could just change an amplifier without needing
to buy a whole new library.

Of course solid state had huge advantages over valves - no warm-up,
staggeringly better fidelity (once the first disastrous efforts were
abandoned), longer lifetime (I well remember trips to the radio shop
to test dodgy valves). Convenience came into it too, particularly for
portable applications - no more high and low tension batteries for the
radio.

Generally, changes have offered greater convenience or new
features, with acceptable quality. Fidelity improves when a
technology achieves commodity status, when all examples
become equally convenient or have the same features. Then
sound quality on the one hand, and price on the other,
become the key areas of competition.

Maybe.

Ian

Well, the changes I detailed were all fundamental, and all represented
a clear and audible progression in quality right up to the CD. For the
larger - less critical - part of the market, the decision appears to
have been made that CD is better than is required, and the preference
is coming down on the side of quantity and convenience in the form of
the MP3. But that part of the market that followed my first
progression up to CD as the early adopters is, I believe, largely
sticking with the CD and not downgrading to MP3.

There are definitely two (at least) entirely different markets at work
for music today.

d