I'm inclined to agree with that.... I also have spent far more on music than on equipment - which seems only reasonable.
I also have a quite serious question to ask you........
Let's just assume, for the same of this question, that we agree that a properly compressed lossy file
CAN sound audibly identical to the original.....
Would you be willing to trust that the quality of a
specific lossy file that you
purchase lives up to that standard?
(Just because a lossy file
CAN be audibly indistinguishable provides no assurance that every one will be of that quality level.)
If so, are there specific vendors who you would trust in that respect?
Here's the reason that I ask......
If I purchase a CD, and then RIP it, I can confirm that it is perfect and unaltered - using any ripping program that has AccurateRIP.
Then, of course, I can convert it into a lossless or a lossy copy with about the same amount of effort (very little).
And, if I do that, I will of course use a compression program that I have extensively tested and trust to do a proper job.
However, if I do that, then I have already had to purchase, and find storage space for, the lossless file or physical CD.
So, in that case, using a lossy format only really benefits me if I need a copy for some portable device with limited storage space.
Alternately, in some cases, I can purchase a copy that is already in a lossy format, like AAC or MP3.
And, if I go that route, I will indeed use less storage space, and also avoid having to convert it.
However, if I do that, I have no way to confirm that the specific lossy file I've purchased is indistinguishable from the original.
I can confirm that a "CD quality download" is identical to the CD using AccurateRIP or some such service...
However, since the equivalence of a lossy file is "perceptual", there is no equivalent option for lossy files...
(I must either trust whoever I bought it from to have done a perfect job.... or go back to square one and buy a lossless copy to compare it to.)
It sure seems like....
Along with any doubts I may have about the technology involved....
We are also being asked to rely even more on the particular vendor we purchase from....
(Which I also find somewhat problematic.)
Well, Oppo's R&D team asked me to evaluate the PM-1s and gave them to me, so winning the lottery isn't totally out of the realm of possibility. I totally understand not wanting to drop a grand on headphones. I don't really use cans enough to justify that much money myself. But if you have money to spend, the one place where more cash actually results in improved sound is transducers. I've spent much more on my speakers than the rest of my system. But even that is dwarfed by the money I've invested in music. Music is the best place of all to spend your money. Music is the number 2 focus of my life, so it's worth it.