i guess it just depends what you want. An MP3 player is a lot easier to carry around than an SACD player, and probably cheaper too- if you're commuting all the time, I can understand why an MP3 player would be popular.
It's a bit like guitarists who buy a modeller over a valve amp that does one tone magnificently- if you need the versatility, and don't have the cash for something like an Engl SE (or equivalent), you really don't have all that much choice (especially if you don't get the opportunity to crank the thing often, or at all).
As you say, who are we to say they're wrong?
I don't like MP3 but I have an MP3 player as the wife broke the mini disc that to me sounds far better (even at lower bit rates), and indeed when travelling cattle class from London to Belfast even a small portable SACD player would be unwieldy (even if there where enough releases out there to justify it)
I have a blues Jr that gives me a decent clean and a decent bluesey tone (especially with single coils) thats fine for 70% of the time, for the rest it's a modeller. Though thanks to you guys I want the option of something harder hitting than the Blues Jr now.
Sometimes expedience wins out over quality, but almost everything I acquire in the ROIO world is download in a lossless format, as poor recording equipment etc don't need the cr@ppy quality boosted by intentionally lossy encoding.
What I meant was listen to the marshalls with your own ears before judging quality, as you are also having to tolerate what somebody else thinks is the best sound, for the average magazine readership as long as it's distorted and scooped its fine.
Ok it's probably awful (as it looks like an amp designed by the marketing dept) but give it a chance.
After all what happened to that fender amp from a few months ago that everybody wanted to try ? Did anybody actually try it.
Rob... (Jeez I talk too much)