Do you equate price with quality in audio equipment?
Audio equipment prices range from dirt cheap to off-the-chart. How does price affect your perception of products?
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Do you consider yourself an audio subjectivist or objectivist?
The battle rages on in the audio shops, the pages of <I>Stereophile</I>, and in the online news groups: Subjectivist (relies on direct experience to judge audio quality) versus Objectivist (relies on experimental evidence to judge differences and quality). What are your tendencies?
Setting aside sampling and bit rates for the moment, what type of channel configuration would you like to see on DVD-Audio and/or SACD discs?
With multichannel DVD-Audio and SACD discs close to reality, record companies can encode their discs in a variety of multichannel formats (see recent <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?849">Chesky interview</A>). Any preferences?
How would you slow down the pirating of recordings?
The results from last week's Vote! indicate a clear distaste for watermarking as a means of preventing the pirating of recordings. But what do you suggest be done in its place?
What audio product has turned out to be worth far more than its price, giving you the biggest bang for the buck (or quid, or yen, etc.)?
In general, it's still true that you get what you pay for. But sometimes you don't . . . you get more. What audio product has surprised you with its return on investment?
How much would you be willing to pay for a high-quality digital-audio-on-demand service?
Assume that digital audio streaming will reach or exceed CD quality, and that you'll be able to hear anything you want to hear, any time of day or night. What would such a service be worth to you?
How good will downloadable audio have to become before you're interested in buying it?
So far, the audio quality of downloadable music has been almost as good as AM radio. How far does it have to go before you'll want to pay for a download?
What process do you use to compare components?
You've decided to add a new piece of equipment to your system. Now begins the process of figuring out which make and model you want. How do you test products to make sure you get the right stuff?
Should Stereophile charge for online access to all of its magazine content? Why or why not? How would you handle supporting a more complete website?
Reader "Bob" says that he'd be very happy to pay for access to a complete Web-based version of <I>Stereophile</I>, and suspects other readers would too. Do you agree that this is a good idea?
What audio ads have been especially effective or memorable for you?
One of the most enduring advertisments for an audio product is Maxell's image of the seated listener with his hair blowing back in the wind created by the tape's alleged sound quality. Have any other marketing campaigns stuck with you?