just streamed off youtube, i tried a DVD-A...just sounded like a crappier version of a mp3....
Well, if it sounded worse than mp3 my guess is you were most likely not hearing it on an actual dvd-a player. DVD-a is (was) a
lossless audio format, with no video, but magnitudes higher resolution than any cd. For comparison, a cd has magnitudes higher resolution than any mp3, a
lossy (compressed) format. Enjoying dvd-a in full resolution requires a format-specific player, which is likely the main reason they never took off. They were eventually replaced by blu-ray which can have similar audio resolution, but with the added benefit of high-definition video as well.
Also, keep in mind discreet surround is actual surround. Blu-ray, sacd, and dvd-a players all offer discreet surround, exactly as it was meant to sound, with discreet audio going to each speaker, be it 5.1 or 7.1, or whatever configuration the audio engineer intended. Some audio equipment makers offer faux-surround in which they use some algorithm on stereo recordings to mimic actual surround. They aren't very good at it compared to the real thing.
Sorry to get off on a tangent. Now I'm jonesing to setup my surround system again. When recorded with the right hands, and played back on a proper system, true surround audio can be mind blowing.