We've lived with CDs since the mid-80s. The sound has been just fine for the huge majority of us. Arguably, the vinyl predecessor had some sonic advantages such as a smoother sound, but much of the difference can be blamed on the new clearer medium showing up poor audio engineering. Also, the audio convertors in early CD players could sound harsh. Even the cheapest modern players sound far smoother than the first.

Since 2000, things have got better and worse. Both surround and stereo sound is now available on DVD-type disks with a higher 'sampling rate' than CDs. This makes for a clearer sound, but needs a special player. There are two competing formats: DVD-Audio and SACD. Sales are minimal, hindered by confusion and the competition of these incompatible formats, although there are players which can accomodate both.

At the other quality extreme, mp3 files sound much muddier than CDs but are acceptable and have proliferated because they are a tenth of the file size and it's easy to swap and acquire them. In the late 90s, the AAC, or m4a format appeared, which is about the same size as mp3 but with noticeably higher sound quality. Around here, we recommend that you buy music on CD, since it is now cheaper (even including shipping) than buying the equivalent download.

After living with mp3s for a while, CD sound can really blow you away: more powerful bass, much crisper definition, better presence. If you're obsessive, you could look for the newest disks in the new formats, but around here, we are content with the sound from our CDs.

When downloading files from us, please take the m4a option. Most players will cope with it. If you have trouble, go to Apple and download a QuickTime player for your Windows or Macintosh computer. For site-specific details of how to enjoy and process our music, go to our playback enabling page. For more details on audio file formats go to our other explanatory page.

If you are confused about how all this lot works, you might check out our help section. It's written for regular people. It starts with the little basic things and ends up where you need to be when you become a certified cybernaut.

The Big Help Desk
in suggested reading order (links are provided between pages)
all photos by Jonnie Miles

Other useful pages:
How to play music
Music playback options at the Stereo Society
Audio quality
Mono compatibility
MP3 Software Player Review (2001)
Surround Sound: An Introduction

Home Albums Artists Contact Downloads Help Links New Shopping Words

We encourage shopping:
Why our universal CD price is so low
What you get in packaging
Why CDs sound better
Why you get almost instant satisfaction: wait just three days for REAL quality
We give away HUGE chunks of music so you can REALLY check it out

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