cd demise?

My CD player was sold months ago, it just sat there unused once I'd a streaming setup. Still buy music on CD with the occasional FLAC download.

Yep.

'troll

sold my cd player last year - streaming ever since. still buy used cd's from Amazon and ebay, but the demise of the format is inevitable.

I buy on CD, rip, then archive. My playback is all via a streamer, but I like to have the physical media as an ultimate backup if everything else fails.

quote:

Originally posted by simcat:
Does anyone share the Linn belief that cd is effectively a dead end now and if so will you be selling up your cd players to embrace the distributed audio route?

No and No.

out of interest what streamer do you use and do you notice any drop in quality as compared to playing a cd via cd player?

I'm 100% sure my current CD-player is my last one. I got me a SB3 (with better PSU) early 2008, and it's been my most used digital source since. (on top of a CD5i)

Nowadays, many CD-stores in my area hardly sell/stock CD's anymore. (it's mainly DVD's, games, gadgets, and a small collection of mainly Top-40 crap music)

I order most CD's online now. New purchases are often played on the CD-player the first time and then I rip it.
(in FLAC using EAC)

regards,
Alco

quote:

Originally posted by simcat:
Does anyone share the Linn belief that cd is effectively a dead end now and if so will you be selling up your cd players to embrace the distributed audio route?

I say this after just purchasing a CDX2 - a few weeks prior to its modifications

CDs aren't dead, they just smell funny.

Well the CDP might be dead, but not the medium itself. Since Linn doesn't sell CDs, they might believe they are.

Since you cannot easily buy CD quality files online, the CD itself will be needed for the near future. although I imagine many people, myself included, will buy them then rip them for more convenient playback.

If you own a $5000 CDP though I am going to guess you would rather listen to it that way.

Until the distribution method evolves beyond iTunes 256 kbps shit downloads, CDs will be necessary to get the music into our hands.

I fear that it wont happen until mainstream outlets such as iTunes offer full bit rate WAV files (or at least FLAC or ALAC) for purchase which doesn't appear to be anywhere on the horizon. Until then most will simply rip their discs and store them on a shelf.

-p

quote:

Originally posted by simcat:
out of interest what streamer do you use and do you notice any drop in quality as compared to playing a cd via cd player?

I assume this was addressed to me?

I use a Slim Devices Transporter - now owned by Logitech. I've not owned a CD player for a year, and I've never regretted it. I am considering the new Naim DAC though

I sold my CD-player, soon after I bought an HDX, but I don't consider CDs a dead-end - yet.
I still buy CDs and will continue to do so for quite a while yet, simply because it is a physical medium, and therefore automatically backs up my investment (and gives me something to read while listening).
Also, the availability of uncompressed downloads to cover my exsiting collection is very very limited.
But when the CD does become 'obsolete', I will continue to buy them second-hand, as I would hope the price will drop further.
Rumours of its death are greatly exaggerated
Cheers
John

quote:

Since Linn doesn't sell CDs, they might believe they are.

Linn sell CD's (and Vinyl)

quote:

Does anyone share the Linn belief that cd is effectively a dead end now and if so will you be selling up your cd players to embrace the distributed audio route?

The other thing to remember is that the distributed audio route can easily better a CD player.

James

I don't see the demise of the CD as a physical medium until downloads are generally available at CD standard of quality or higher, though I woould think that the CD player is not long for this world as a generally widespread product. It will gradually retreat to the high end niche like the LP has. I suspect that the evarage CDS3, or CD555 CD player owner is much worried about the expense of replacing the inevitable worn out transport in time with the one apoproved and very expensive and rather old fashioned version of the Philips transport that fits, when for those with a computer a replacement IDE type drive for a computer can be had for a fraction of the cost. It is not even as if the computer drive is a bigger waste than a worn out Philips CD transport, which are generally unserviceable at the end - though not quite always. {I see this as being a problem also with the HDX, where spares must necessarily be tied into what Naim specify, and this will be very expensive to service compared to similar servicing jobs on a computer, I would have thought].

It is certainly not more trouble to load a CD onto a server than put it into a CD player, and as the results of not doing error correction on the fly with a server seems to mean that even quite modest arrangements get very pleasing result and VGVFM compared to CD players.

But the physical CD remains a last safety net in the case of server failure.

I have to half TB drives in RAID [if one SATA drive fails then the other is most unlikely to fail at precisely the same time], and this is then doubly backed up with an external [USB] half TB hard drive subservient to the Raid drives, which is a bit belt and braces I suppose, but having the original Ccompact Discs is still reasuring even then ... Belt and two sets of braces perhaps!

A good sound card can be very fine for D/A conversion without the palava of connecting a DAC to the computer as well. This can save a lot of heart ache with thrashing through the aerious possible permutations with Coax, versus optical, versus firewire [etc], and such considerationas ASIO drivers and so on. All result in additional cost and complexity which I am finding is supperfluous.

That is to say that the most basic of arrangements is so nice that though it could certanly be made nicer by spending more money, it does not need to be.

Really the way things are going Hifi is going to consist of high quality amplifiers and speakers fed by nicely appointed computers before long.

Ones that are built up exactly to suit the individual customer's needs as it is clear to me that even the most main-stream of solutions does not involve the definate compromises that once would have been the case.

This is splendid for many music lovers as they can save a lot of money on replay source components compoared to formerly on good and inexpensive computer solution from hard disk storaoge, intrnet radio, PC based DVD video, and so on, and get on with enjoying music [and film] that is wonderfully replayed for much less money than would once have been required to get to the standards possible.

I am!

ATB from George

Hopefully there will be loads of only played once CDs' for sale at a steal in the near future.

Just like when only played once vinyl was for sale at steal prices when CD supposedly put the final nail in vinyl and analogue tape was still around...

I must admit though that it is tempting to go the stream route as the music i like is much more ready available. Though the vinyl shops in London still kick ass.

CD is as dead as vinyl and rear wheel drive.

Yes, yes, CD is dead!!! You should immediately turn your CDs into cash at your nearest used CD/book store.

regards,

dave

off duty tomorrow and going shopping for used CDs

quote:

Originally posted by Naijeru:
CD is as dead as vinyl and rear wheel drive.

And isn't it strange how all the most rewarding cars to drive are rear wheel drive?

And how new vinyl is a premium product?

John
(Who has bought approx 1,800 albums on vinyl over the last 5 years, and who has owned only rear wheel drive cars over the last 13 years!)

I think it will live on as vinyl does now, years after its so-called death.
There are many cd users who won't want to get into computer/nas systems, but on the other hand, I don't see that many youngsters wanting to go out & buy a hard copy of an album in the same way that we did in the 60's/70's/80's/90's. The idea that you should go to a "record shop" (& how many of those are left now?) & spend £10 or so on a disc is ludicrous to lots of teenagers who download from social websites &/or mate's phones.
CD's offerred supposedly great sound, along with needing much less storage space & also the convenience of portability compared to vinyl. Along those lines, cd itself is now out-done by computer storage based systems & i-pods, etc.
I am seriously thinking of a mac/lavry type system & getting rid of my cdx2/xps2 to fund it. No decisions made yet though.
Matt.

quote:

I am seriously thinking of a mac/lavry type system & getting rid of my cdx2/xps2 to fund it. No decisions made yet though.
Matt.

Not a soft idea at all!

Try to get a dem and a feel for the quality.

It will be surprise ...

ATB from George

quote:

Does anyone share the Linn belief ...

I can't help but wonder what type of company names their flagship product after a romantic explosion?

quote:

Originally posted by DaveBk:
I buy on CD, rip, then archive. My playback is all via a streamer, but I like to have the physical media as an ultimate backup if everything else fails.

this is my situation too, for some reason I'm not 100% happy buying flac's etc...doesn't seem like a real asset!

Sonos to Supernait if you are curious, with no intention on changing.

Maybe cd will be around for a while but they will be ripped rather than played. I guess that in years to come people who have cd players will be relegated to the position that vinyl owners are in now - something of a niche or hobbyist activity?

Might be the case that Linn streamers become the "player" or front end and Naim supplies the amplification.

quote:

Originally posted by simcat:
Might be the case that Linn streamers become the "player" or front end and Naim supplies the amplification.

You might be right, at £800ish I hear the sneaky ds is pretty fab plugged in the right dac...

quote:

Originally posted by DaveBk:
I buy on CD, rip, then archive. My playback is all via a streamer, but I like to have the physical media as an ultimate backup if everything else fails.

Same here. The only reason I buy CD is much content is only available in that format. Also, it somehow makes me feel better to buy something physical.

I've actually bought more CDs since I purchased my HDX then before. Now I rip them and put them away to be there if I need the disc for some reason.

The issue is most music is not available on downloads and there is a limited amount of Hi-res available.

If companies stop releasing the actual CD and switch to a different distribution medium then that's a different story eg. music/data files on a small thumb drive or data card file.

Yup.... CDPs might start going to the wayside, but there are few, if any, better storage methods than the CD/DVD that are ubiquitous now.

Generally any "player" that accepts a thumb drive cannot play lossless. Not even close to everyone who enjoys music has a computer.

Many things will need to change before CDs and DVD/Bluray go away. It is kind of like why Americans dont just start using the metric system. It would require the entire tooling, manufacturing, and basic infrastructure of anything manufactured to be completely overhauled.

We will start downloading music and movies but generally these of of very poor quality. Who wants to download movies that or over 4GBs? Until then the silver discs are cheap, reliable and come with some very, very nice packaging at times (John Zorn and his Tzadik label).