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Apple Continues Beefing Up Digital Audio Expertise by Hiring Dana Massie From Audience
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One can only wonder what Apple is up to by continuing to not only hire DSP people, but some of the cream of the crop. I continue to hope it will affect the pro market.
Well, that depends on who's doing the saying
It has been my experience, though, that the internet's many self-proclaimed audiophiles with "golden ears" judge all Beats products as rubbish, along with Bose and anything else that's mainstream. My comment was meant to be snarky towards that snobbish sentiment rather than a statement on the quality of the product.
Remembered but are you trying to make me feel old here?
I'm just not sure the intention here is to drive playback quality. Maybe it is but I have to beleive there is a long term game plan to get Siri to work far better with greater local processing.
Nice stuff if you can afford it. Also if you have hearing good enough to actually hear a difference. I have neither so you won't see a McIntosh in my house anytime soon.
The interesting thing here is that Apple has yet to offer really exceptional audio hardware. No amp/preamp or any other equipment to support its iTunes library. You would think that after clearing things up with McIntosh, Apple records and whomever else they would have moved into the production of a high end integrated amp at the very least.
I know the turnover rate is low with respect to audio equipment but the margins can be very high, especially if you target the high end. In this regards I always thought the approach of NAD fit with Apples ethos.
C'mon Tim what about HiRez music?
Apple have spent so much time and effort on top tier video, they have neglected the amazing developments in sound. DSD 64 and 128 has been around for some time, yet you can't play native DSD files on iTunes. And please let's not get started on FLAC and 192kHz 24 bit PCM
It's not hard Tim. Really its not!!
And while you are at it, what about a better DAC in your SOC for the iPhone, a better headphone amp as well as a some real data capacity for the iPhone for all those files or some simple way to add all this aftermarket through, say OTG USB ??
Anyway, back to my Astell & Kern AK240 (overly expensive audio player that Apple could do on it's ear for a fraction of the price !!)
C'mon Tim !!!
Apple have spent so much time and effort on top tier video, they have neglected the amazing developments in sound. DSD 64 and 128 has been around for some time, yet you can't play native DSD files on iTunes. And please let's not get started on FLAC and 192kHz 24 bit PCM
It's not hard Tim. Really its not!!
And while you are at it, what about a better DAC in your SOC for the iPhone, a better headphone amp as well as a some real data capacity for the iPhone for all those files or some simple way to add all this aftermarket through, say OTG USB ??
Anyway, back to my Astell & Kern AK240 (overly expensive audio player that Apple could do on it's ear for a fraction of the price !!)
C'mon Tim !!!
In my younger day I use to read just about all of the audiophile magazines I could find. Having a background in electronics it was always hard to balance the BS against what might be a technically valid accomplishment. After awhile, including time spent listening to different systems in various shops I came to the conclusion that much of the high end High Fidelity world is filled with BS artists, many of whom don't even grasp how what they are talking about.Well, that depends on who's doing the saying
It has been my experience, though, that the internet's many self-proclaimed audiophiles with "golden ears"
In the end real live music and what is heard on HiFi equipment is still worlds apart. Even that grossly expensive equipment is embarrassed by what a few good musicians can do in a room. In the end all HiFi equipment colors the sound and as such buying is more a question of getting what suits your tastes.
I can remember back a long time ago when Radio Shack, yes Radio Shack had an excellent CD player with a very good reputation in the audio world. The HiFi trades didn't seem to know how to handle the fact that lowly Radio Shack was actually producing a device delivering high quality results.
In any event I don't want to leave an impression that the high end market is all garbage, it isn't, some of the stuff is excellent no matter how you look at it. It is the marketing of the stuff that bothers me. You are certainly right that much of the market is about snobbish appeal than anything else.
Hopefully so does FUTURE headphones - Beats to new signal quality levels,
Stereo Speakers in iPhones:
(BB Z30/Passport, Motorola Droid Maxx, and a few others have this why not iPhone 5S/6/6+!??)
return of the Apple Speaker, the BoomBox?!
Look at it this way. Apple, the most cashed-up company on the planet, is running a "end-of-careeer" bonus program where these high-level DSP engineers are being paid to NOT work at a competitor.