Engineering humor. Did you hear the one about the software programmer who died mysteriously in the shower? The only clue was a shampoo bottle that read: shampoo, rinse, repeat.
Sorry, I know that's pretty bad, but fellow nerds will laugh.
Ten years ago I didn't even know what an endless loop was. High-end audio equipment design has always been about hardware design, now it's about programming.
Years ago when we wanted to add a push button control on a front panel, we used a simple circuit I understood - now we use a microprocessor that leaves me clueless.
Even died-in-the-wool tube and turntable manufacturers are using microprocessors for displays, controls and motor speed adjustment. They are everywhere in the high-end.
The shift from purely hardware to software/hardware happened pretty quickly and its pace is accelerating.
The good news is we're doing things today that were simply impossible a decade ago.
I can only imagine what another decade of progress will bring to the high-end community.
I for one would be thrilled to have an image sensor turntable. One high-rez snapshot and every nuance embossed into the vinyl would be captured, quantized and ready for me to play on my PWD. Now that would be awesome.
Let your imagination soar.
