The Music Experience - Thoughts on Tidal, Spotify and our own relationship with music

Why did Apple destroy the iTunes interface by removing Cover Flow? What makes Spotify successful? Why did Beyoncé's husband bought TIDAL? Why did record stores closed? Why did some folks decide they had enough and went back to vinyl? Will High-Resolution Audio (HRA) make a difference?

As you may have noticed, the ephemeral and ill-defined concept of "resolution" has been on my mind of late. Many consumers and yes, even some audio professionals, conflate bit depth with resolution. In a broad sense, this is understandable but it's sample rate that overshadows word length.

The marketing breakthrough for a new technology is not just about successfully launching another disruptive product. In audio, or any other industry, innovation needs to be supported with clear go-to-market strategies. Sometimes unexpected engineering issues don't work in tandem with the marketing plan after the big product reveal - but really bad is to lose the momentum after all the awards and positive press.

The evidence about how important the Apple Watch is comes from many other recent announcements, including some made at the MWC 2015 in Barcelona. Security, IoT interoperability, wearables, computer vision, communications infrastructure, and ultra-low power connectivity were some of the trends at MWC 2015. It's not by chance that, all those things are effectively combined on the Apple Watch and Apple's current roadmap.

From the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim, CA, we have this unique opportunity to better understand the many sides of the complex audio equation. What did we learn?

As the owner of a standard yellow PonoPlayer, I was catching up on comments over at PonoMusic, and one in particular caught my attention, a note from Allen Farmelo at Farmelo Recording linking to a Tape Op blog entry. Farmelo’s dispatch, The Problem With A-B'ing And Why Neil Young Is Right About Sound Quality, makes several valid points, one of which is that A–B tests are not necessarily that meaningful…

From mobile audio to wireless speakers and headphones, from immersive experiences to high resolution audio, there’s never been so much excitement for new technologies and integration. Crowdfunding platforms are helping promote new concepts that companies would normally never consider promoting for themselves (for multiple reasons).

During the 137th International Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in Los Angeles, CA, a session on the Broadcast & Streaming Media Track discussed “Loudness for Streaming and Radio.” Thomas Lund (TC Electronic), an expert and longtime promoter of the loudness standards currently implemented in TV broadcast, chaired the session, which included an interesting angle from Bob Orban (Orban) and Frank Foti (Telos/Omnia).

In November 2013, audioXpress received a facelift. We expanded the content, added several new columns and feature articles, increased our focus on audio research and development (R&D), product design, professional audio equipment, and acoustic science while maintaining our roots in DIY audio and audio electronics.

Why is it so easy to find an audio enthusiast claiming that his new headphones, DAC, preamplifier, or pair of speakers “completely changed his perception of the music” and “made it possible to hear things in a totally new way,” and yet so many consumers cannot actually hear the difference when listening to high-resolution audio?