Thank You Streamers!!!

Joe, yes CD is  in its golden age regarding affordability and availability. I feed my streamer sometimes 15 CDs a month, many of which are secondhand and rip perfectly.

Its interesting the bigger and more diverse my CD collection gets, I appreciate more and more the cataloguing ability and CD transport connivence of a CD network player/streamer as opposed to a traditional CD spinner.

Simon

I'm still one, maybe in a growing minority, to get off my arse when a CD is done, and browse the shelf for what next suits my musical fancy.  My recent buys in s/h stores indicate that many CD buyers are simply ripping and reselling.  Often, I doubt the booklets were ever removed.  Indeed, a golden age for the likes of me!

Yes Joe. Lots of used CD's available at bargain prices. Mine get ripped and stored - just incase. They just take up space in the loft rather than the lounge 

I never thought I'd agree but I'm listening to much more on the HDX/nDac 555 than I did on CD.  The nserve interface on an iPod touch combined with great sonics is wholly addictive! Listening to The Stones 'Black and Blue' just now is an open window into the studio.  G

Cd prices have been falling steadily for the last seven or so years.

Not much to do with streamers, rather ever since pcs become bundled with cd burners.

Rejoice no matter which of the two sources you have chosen.

Ray

Hi Tog -

Will do...just as soon as lossless downloads cost less than used CD's, and are accompanied by PDF liner notes!

I wonder when this big whole in the middle will get plugged?   We can go to iTunes and buy cheap, compressed MP3's, one song at a time.   We have a growing number of places to buy very expensive, high resolution FLAC albums.   But where are the 16/44.1 downloads (with PDF's!) that are positioned as direct CD replacements?

So long as I can buy six or more used CD's in my local shops for less than the cost of a single high-resolution download, I'll just keep buying CD's.  Most I buy sound pretty damn good!   In addition, today's brand new $17.99 USD CD release is invariably for sale online, slightly used, at 1/3 the price within a month of the release date.

I think that the only folks who should be put off of accumulating CD's are those for whom storage could become an issue.   Otherwise, I see no more economical way to build a music collection.  Unless, of course, you are ready to chuck all media, and move 100% to compressed music on Spotify or Rhapsody.   I think it will get more interesting when and if those services ever do offer premium, uncompressed music to high internet-bandwidth homes.

Hook

Running your fingers along a line of cds, the gentle clicks as they tap against each other, the soft pop as you open one, the fusty aroma as you gently prise open an antiquarian book, the sensuous feel of an embossed leather spine.

Software, it is convenient, but it just doesn't cut the mustard with the senses for me. The future has to be both, surely.

Andy

+ 1

Of course, in the UK we have no 'reasonable use' defence, but if FACT did come knocking it is sensible to have the CDs in storage.

I'm the same though in my case they're going to a box in the cellar. 

+1

Hook

Here in Europe there is wondeful webshop for downloadable music.

It offers all albums in both mp3 320 kbps and 44.1/16 and sometimes in high res, meaning 24-bits and any frequency.

They have a gigantuous catalogue of all music styles from many, many of the big and small labels. They offer unlimited streaming in 44.1/16 at a very reasonable price.

They have only one downside at the moment and that is the service is limited to France and Wallonie in Belgium.

But IMO they have the winning formula of all albums in lossless for download or fro unlimited streaming. i hope they can make their service more widely available.

The shop is called qobuz.com you should have a browse, just to get the idea, but that is where the business should move to.

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Aleg

This is why I store my CD's in DJ cases rather than the jewel cases to save space.

Aleg does your source provide PDF of cover notes etc. so often I find supporting artwork and information an important part of the presentation, and compressed music aside is wholly lacking in iTunes for example.

Simon

Hi SImon

Many albums are provided with PDF liner notes (or 'livret numerique' as they are called in french).

Not all of them have them but at least many of the recent releases do, and it is the somewhat older releases that tend to have them less. So I guess it's a positive trend that they seem to add them to download.

Have a look at this page of a recent Harmonia Mundi release: http://www.qobuz.com/album/ale...t-op47/3149020212226

The album is provided with booklet and in three formats, High Res, CD quality and MP3.

The High Res releaes are as provided by the record company and not self-converted.

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aleg

I hadn't really considered the copyright law.  It's legal for me to buy used CDs and legal for others to sell them to s/h stores.  I get them from record shops and book stores in and around suburban Seattle (and pay my sales tax).  

I guess it results in a loss for the artist and record company versus me buying a new CD.  I didn't want to sound like I am supporting piracy.  I have no way of knowing whether the previous owner ripped; however, it does appear that many of the CDs I'm buying are pretty much in mint condition. 

Joerand

It's not illegal for you to buy sh.

It's illegal for the previous owner to sell them and retain a ripped copy.  But that doesn't reflect back on you. So buy and enjoy them.

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Aleg

I have recently bought a streamer [NDX]. I have bought more CD's in the last month than I have done in the last 10 years. 

Hi Joerand, yes there is nothing wrong with buying secondhand at all, I certainly do it a huge amount - and CDs work very well used due to thier relative robustness.  However there is an issue I believe for the seller  in selling a CD whilst retaining a copy of that CD and that is the bit that is questionable.

Aleg, thanks for the info, I'll take a look.

Simon

I've lost count regarding the number of CD's I've bought second hand since owning my HDX. However, I do not sell the CD after ripping it to the HDX. I consider the original CD as the "ultimate" back-up...

Regards,

Michel

I happen to be an acquaintance of a recording artist and see here how s/h buys can undermine their income, but I guess that is an unfortunate fate of living in the digital age.  Happily, I bought each of her releases on CD first hand!

I also regard mine as the "ultimate" back-up, especially as both my computers hard disk and my back-up disk went titsup within 48 hours of each other!