Ode to the cassette...
It leads me to think the downloadable music revolution has caused us to step backwards in time. I for one, could never get myself to pay for compressed music. I want to hear the real thing -- I still buy CD's and records. Uncompressed or lossless compressed music without DRM nusiances, I would consider buying.
Over the summer, my roommate had an iPod which I connected to the stereo. I played the same song, on tape deck, and then on the iPod. The cassette creamed the iPod. I am not surprised at all -- it's hard to stick good op-amps and a high end DAC into an iPod. It would simply be too expensive.
I don't understand how today's kids seem to have not heard better than the fidelity of say, an iPod or say, their computer speakers. I know people like small things, but there is some major joy in hearing a true hi-fi system made up of components. You could assemble a better sounding system off of components on ebay for less money than the bose sound dock costs.
Consumers have been demanding high end video via HD video and DVD -- when is the demand for high quality audio that needs to go with that going to happen? If kids grow up not knowing that there is more fidelity available, then I fear the world will no longer have as high quality music as the past, and music is one of life's greatest joys -- so that will be a shame in my book.
The iPod is a portable device, meant for convenience. It is not the epitome of high quality audio. It is the epitome of high convenience. If they ever make a 100GB "Gold" iPod with 24 bit Burr-Brown DAC's, and a digital output, I'll start to change my mind... till then I am sticking to my tapes and cds and records for my good stuff!