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David Stewart says
>Harnoncourt, Bernstein, Karajan etc.  etc.  Digital sound quality seems to
>be reaching a zenith, (is there THAT much difference between 16 bit and 20
>bit? to most people's equipment? or 4D recordings?)

  Well, an inexpensive DVD player playing 96kHz/20 bit sounds better than
a very expensive CD player playing an ordinary disk. Believe me, the folks
at Sony/Phillips etc are *very* interested in squeezing more money out of
consumers who purchase music. The MiniDisc has proved to them that a more
convenient/less sonic format isn't worth it to people.  But a sonically
better format, one that can nearly reach true analog, will encourage people
to buy, whether they really notice the difference or not because of the
marketing.
  And you would be surprised. I've always stayed away from the audiophile
camp, but finally broke down and spent some time with a buddy who has a
$20,000+ system. I was shocked, tubes do sound better, LP's (in many ways)
sound better, capacitors/tubes/wires *do* make a difference. So I believe
that the market will be revitalized by a better format.

-Dan (who now, with a modest several thousand dollar investment, has a system
      that sounds sooo much better. I'm *completely* rediscovering my
      collection - they sound so different.)