Probably this will be one of those "don't dare to ask because I will just look stupid" questions, but I have decided I don't care so here goes. Why does a Hi-Res track download cost more than a red book download? 

Is there anything that justifies this price difference? Or is it pure capitalism, the willingness of consumers to pay it? Is it people trying to convince me that there is a difference, but most of these people simply want to take your money. Or is it because more time and effort is involved in producing the higher definition files, or are vendors charging more simply because files are bigger and more storage space is needed? 

It could be my ears, but what’s the point of having HD capable hardware if I can’t be confident in the media/software. I listened to some albums encoded at 24bit/44.1kHz and asked myself, are those additional 8 bits really worth the extra cash?

I get it with vinyl, MFSL (for example) the use of heavier vinyl and better equipment all round in the production of limited editions, but I am struggling to see how this applies in the digital world. 

In my experience good sound starts in the studio and has less to do with bit rate and depth. I’ve been disappointed in listening to some Hi-Res files not worth the extra cash, felt like purchasing a Louis Vuitton handbag off the web only to find it’s fake. We are really in need of a simple social website that rates Hi-Res recordings from different retailers. We  need a Yelp for music downloads!

The enjoyment of listening to good sound is actually getting cheaper, with better, less expensive technology appearing virtually every day. The amazing DAC designs and playback that we now have are giving us the great pleasure to explore and enjoy digital files the kind of analog-like sound we only dreamed of years ago. The problem was never with the 16/44.1 standard, the problem was that equipment was never available at the consumer level for most audiophiles to experience all that Red Book CD had to offer in anything approaching full resolution. I’ve listened to some ripped red book files yesterday on my Moment, reproduced with the kind of liquidity and three-dimensionality I'd previously have thought only to be possible with a vinyl record as the source.

I give up in buying Hi-Res.

There....I asked and feel better already. Please go easy on me with your "duh..." responses.