SACD to ALAC/iTunes???

[AlmaataKZ]

is this possible?
Can I rip either SACDs or DVDAs into a lossless format (e.g. ALAC) at high resolution (24/96) and play via iTunes + DAC? Can I rip at 24/192?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Nope. You have to go through analogue first.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Thanks. Limitation of reading drive, software (iTunes) or copy-protection system?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yup, all of those...

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Hmmm....

So how (and when) do we consumers get to download hi-res mainstream music? The record lables do not want the money? This sector does not seem to exist at the moment, apart from very small exceptions.

Why I can download a 128 or 256kbps, say, Bohemian Rhapsody track for 99p and I cannot download one in 16/44 or 24/96 for 1.50 or 2.00 (or whatever the market price could be)?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Because, as their attitude to SACD shows, they don't give a stuff about better sound quality if they can sell the stuff in ultra-compressed shonkorama to the masses.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

that is sad.
At the same time, an the other hand, a lot of if not all new hardware (Olive, Linn DS family, Naim new servers/streamers etc etc) all boast about playing 24/96 and higher. What are we supposed to play on those?

When Cd came it brought better quality (digital at good resolution) and conveniece (skip to next track button). And this last one I think was equally (if not more) improtant for its success (imagine compressed minidisc came first - it would have been the next big thing, not CD). Now the hi-res formats can bring again better qualilty but the convenience of memory storage and downloads has already been "consumed" by lower res formats and there is not enough additional conveniece factor to push high-res big time.

that is really sad.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well of course both The Naim Label and Linn Records have their own hi-rez downloads.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Sure, and a lot of those tracks are quite good. but this is still only hundreds/thousands of tracks and no mainstream, as opposed to tens of milions compressed available.

Medium quality at one price and high quality at another - I can understand. But lots of medium quality and almost none of high quality - does not look right to me. I hope this situaton is not an equilibrium and there is still some force moving things into the quality direction, even if slowly.