So I was back in New York this week for a mastering session.  My mix engineer told me about this round table discussion that was held on Saturday afternoon, so I decided to check it out.  I didn't realize until I got back to Austin that it was videotaped for podcast:

http://philoctetes.org/Calendar/Deep_Listening_Why_Audio_Quality_Matters/

Basically, they gathered together some big-name record producers, engineers, and writers, and they had these guys discuss the topic of audio quality, ipods, vinyl, the digital age of music, etc.  They also invited each to play CD's or records to illustrate their points about the quality of recorded music (good or bad). 

It's fairly long (over 2 hours), and it takes a few minutes to get going, but they cover a lot of ground and touch on a lot of interesting points. 

That said, everyone who is into this topic (including me) should maybe be worried a little bit about their mental health.  The makeup of the audience confirmed to me that there's a lot of really weird dudes among those who identify themselves as 'audiophiles.'  So if you find the whole topic to be boring-- that may be a good sign for you.

paul