Bono, Steve Jobs, etc.

[Carvill, John]

<< So of the 'more people' using portable audio devices, what percentage  
of them are experiencing a decline in audio quality from what they  
were listening to previously? >>

Could you give me some idea of what sort of answer would satisfy you?

How can this sort of question possibly be answered?

Q. what percentage  
of them are experiencing a decline in audio quality from what they  
were listening to previously?

A. Seven.

That do?

What I said was that the advent of iPods (and other MP3 players) has led to an increase in the number of people listening to portable audio, and that a lot of those files are MP3. I did not say anything about someone (or some 'people') who was previously happily enjoying portable audio and is not enjoying it so much now. Where did that come from? I was talking about an increase in the number of portable audio users, and the fact that the increase has been largely composed of MP3 users.

What I was getting at was: the huge numbers of (not very high quality) MP3 audio being listened to, as a result of the iPod etc., means the average quality of the audio being listened to, planet-wide, has surely declined.

If you trace a line from, say, the 1970s, when vinyl was dominant, with cassette a close second, through the introduction of CDs in the 80s, and the Walkman (cassette again), through to today's MP3s, then you are looking at a decline in the quality of the average Joe's  habitual listening. Factor in the rise of the iPod, and concomitant surge in MP3 usage, then that means an even more significant decline.

Rather than ask for further 'clarification', why not state *your* case?

I am not trying to set myself up as an MP3-hater. I have thousands of MP3 files, a couple of iPods, etc.