TOP Format

1 DVD-A
2 CD - XRCD/HDCD only
3 SACD
4 Reel to Reel - 15ips
5 Vinyl
6 CD - redbook

In some cases CD ties with Vinyl depending on the quality of the mastering. In the case of a tie, the edge goes to CD because of the lack of surface noise.

Vinyl scores low on the list because of the importance...and rarity...of super clean vinyl to make the format sound its best, and because of the required high investment in equipment to achieve high quality playback.

I have no experience with Music Server or Satellite, but I have to believe they are both superior to MP3 as long as the formats are Lossless.

1) vinyl
2) cd
3) dvd-a - (albiet a cheaper model than cd)
4) cassette (Nakamichi)
5) mp3
6) 8 track
7) juke box single
8) victrola 78

noiseless vinyl 80% with a good rcm investment (Loricraft)

1. master tape (15 ips) under close to ideal conditions.
2. 45 rpm or DTD vinyl
3. other vinyl
4. other high quality analog tape
5. ideal FM radio live broadcasts under optimum conditions
6. SACD
7. hard drive PCM digital masters
8. DVD-A/redbook
9. uncompressed HD movie soundtracks
10. MP3--ipod nano
11. normal FM Stereo radio with perfect reception
12.XM Satelite radio

pretty much the less the original information is 'mucked with' the better the level of musical satisfaction. it's no accident the top is analog and the bottom is digital.

3 Satellite +/- external DA converter
4 CD / SACD

How can you possibly put a satellite source above CD/SACD? Correct me if wrong, but the source they are using is CD at best; the satellite receivers available are not going to match the transport of a good CDP; and last but certainly not least, satellite programming is compressed!

Interesting to me how some have DVD-A so low on their lists. No confrontation intended here...I just find it interesting. Tom has DVD-A below CD. Mike has it equal to CD. Fascinating. I find DVD-A so superior to CD in my system that it's not even close. However, when I was playing DVD-A, it was on an APL Denon 3910. Perhaps the quality of the player contributed to my opinion of the format.

I had forgotten about 45 rpm LPs. They do sound very, very good!