A wi-fi music device developed for audiophiles will offer better audio output than CD players, says its maker. Transporter is being billed as the world’s first network music player for lovers of pure sound.

The $1,999 (£1,079) player is aimed at people who encode music using so-called lossless formats, such as Flac or Wav.

And bam, the price is quite high taking it out of reach of the average music lover. Who is going to pay that much when the human ear can barely distinguish the difference between CD quality and MP3 quality now?

Many people who rip their CDs onto a computer use formats such as MP3, AAC or WMA - all of which compress the audio, losing quality in the process.

Digital music files stored on a computer can be streamed over a wi-fi network to Transporter, which plugs into an amplifier and speakers.

Patrick Cosson, from US manufacturer Slim Devices, said: “Audiophiles are investing a lot of money to rip their files at more than simple 128kbps MP3.”

Exactly, a lot of money and for what? So you can say this file runs at 240kps, most people can’t tell the difference.

He said many people did not realise what a compromise they were making when ripping CDs into formats such as MP3.

“People have not been trained. MP3s are stuff you listen to at the gym.

I have to say this person knows nothing about sales and marketing. You don’t tell people they are too stupid to tell the difference and expect them to embrace your new product!

“Audiophiles do not see digital music as throwaway music - which is what digital music has become to some people.”

More insults to the non audio geeks!

The strength of the Transporter lies in its digital to analogue converter (DAC), the chip which converts digital information into the analogue sound that emerges from an amplifier and speakers.

The important question should be can you tell the difference, is the sound so much better than say MP3 that it’s worth paying for? I think the answer will be no for the vast majority of music lovers.

Mr Cosson said Transporter was using a “miracle DAC” typically found in devices costing up to $10,000.

Slim Devices said Transporter’s DAC is of a higher quality than those used even in expensive CD players, resulting in better audio performance.

“We want people to take advantage of good file formats,” he said.

No, you want people to buy something they don’t really need. MP3 players are a step back from CD player quality, yet near enough everyone under the age of 20 owns a personal MP3 player rather than a CD player.

Flac and Wav are the favoured formats of many digital audiophiles because they retain all the information on a CD when converted or transferred into digital or non-physical form.

I love music technology and I’m sure this device will be snapped up by those looking for the very best quality sound (even if they can’t appreciate it). It’s not going to be the next big thing though.

There are also lossless version of WMA and iTunes also includes a lossless encoder for making perfect digital copies of the songs on CDs.

“The digital audio market is an evolutionary process. A good healthy chunk of our business is with audiophiles,” said Mr Cosson.

More like most is with audiophiles, can’t see the teeny boppers hanging on the street corners with a generic MP3 player buying one of these.

Slim Devices’ core product line is the Squeezebox, a $299 network wi-fi music player aimed at a developing mass market.

“We have had one product for all seasons. We needed to better match our customers’ needs.

“Wireless music is not quite mass market. It has not taken off yet but the audiophile market has.”

Slim Devices estimates that 20% of its near 50,000 customers are audiophiles.

I bet it’s more.

“Transporter sounds better than most CD players. This surpasses even the most exotic CD player,” he said.

Most? Shouldn’t it be all CD players at that price?

Ultimately, the quality of the sound the customer eventually hears will be determined by the amplifier and speakers being used.

Exactly, which is why the average music lover won’t be splashing out on a product like this.

Mr Cosson said: “Lessons we have learned with this product will trickle down to our mainstream products.

“We are an audio company. We are audio geeks.”

And audio geeks that don’t have a clue about marketing.

See full article at www.bbc.co.uk