I think that Minidisk was the first data-compressed audio format to come into general use- so you could see it as the beginning of the end for the concern with ultimate fidelity.
It is odd that when studios can record at 24bit, 96kHz sampling rate, which is four times better than CD quality, the finished product is played on an iPod or worse still, a mobile phone, and some people are happy with the sound!
Cheers
Dave