There was full program of seminars and workshops at RMAF, as well as my own
"Squeezing the Music Till the Bits Squeak," the session featuring
Harry Pearson, and Michael Fremer on "
Turntable Setup," I moderated a panel session, "How to Get the Most Out of Computer-Based Audio," on Saturday afternoon. The A-List panel—(from left to right) Gus Skinas (SACD Center), John Stronczer (Bel Canto Design), J. Gordon Rankin (Wavelength Audio), Charlie Hansen (Ayre Acoustics), record producer Joe Harley, and Chris Connaker (
www.computeraudiophile.com)—discussed the best way to use a computer as a legimate source component in a high-end audio system. All concerned felt this was the way forward for the high-end audio industry, particularly with the increasing availability of hi-rez downloads, and it was a shame that the session was limited to an hour.
One spippet shared by Gus Skinas, who is still strongly associated with the SACD medium, is that DSD recordings made on the increasingly common devices from Korg and other manufacturers can be burned on to DVD-R blanks to produce discs that play on a Sony PS3 (both generations) and Sony's new 5400 SACD player. These can't be called "SACDs" as they lack the physical watermark and the DRM restrictions that are required by the SACD license. But the DSD Disc, as it is called, is a legitimate hi-rez format.
