CD players - Are they a dieing breed?

[charles_mo]

I have been a happy user of my Cyrus CD 6 for a long time. But technology has change my listening habit. I AirPlay and stream much more although I am aware this is not to be compared to CD playing, which is much better. However I see myself buying from iTunes in future and less CDs.

My problem is that my CD player is now broken and I found myself not really missing it. I tend to drop the CD into my mac and it appears a few moments later on my Apple TV, iPad and iPhones.

However what should I do I am in need of some advice. Do I get my CD player repaired by Cyrus which is just over £200 or buy a new player like the Marantz CD6004 for about the same money, or completely go for a network player?

I would not upgrade my CD player because I cannot justify the cost for something I think I will not use that much. But the network player will mean I will not have a CD player when I want to listen purely to the music in the best possible light.

The other option is a universal players that I can replace my BluRay player. This will upgrade my BluRay to something better and will be okay CDs. This could be okay for me since I hardly use the CD player.

What I am noticing is that technology has driven me down the quality ladder. Before it was simple CD and Amp from Cyrus, and the rest AV is of moderate quality. But with my listening increasingly from iTunes material this has all change. I now don't know what to do regarding my CD player that is broken.

Charles

 

[Cypher]

Why not use your blurayplayer as a CD player ? If it has a digital output connect a good DAC.

 

[Dougal1331]

Ten years ago, the WHF? buyers' guide had pages and pages of CD players- every manufacturer had a half-dozen strong range to choose from.

DAC and transport quality has improved so much, that they are more reliable, last longer and upgrades bring less noticeable improvements, so the market has naturally contracted anyway.

The advent of non-physical music has helped this process along, no doubt. But there are many people out there with hordes of CDs who like and want to continue using them. Many people will upgrade with, say, a new DAC, perhaps using a multi-format transport (i.e BD or DVD player).

There will probably be dedicated CD players around for a good few years yet- but the choice will be ever more restricted.

 

[cheeseboy]

yes cd's are on the way out. For a lot of todays youth, they aren't even part of the culture - Owning things on a physical medium is foreign to them. It won't die completley, just like vinyl, but it's well past it's hayday and won't last much longer as a mainstream format.

 

[BigH]

I would sell your cd player and then upgrade the Blu-Ray. The advantage of blu-Ray is they (most) can play play SACDs as well.

 

[The_Lhc]

I would not upgrade my CD player because I cannot justify the cost for something I think I will not use that much. But the network player will mean I will not have a CD player when I want to listen purely to the music in the best possible light.

What network player is it? There's no good reason why you couldn't get the same level of quality as you get from the CD player. Of course you might need to spend some money to do it but presumably you spent some money on the CD player in the first place, so it's only fair if you want to make a proper comparison.

There's nothing inherently "worse" about streaming, compared to CD, if you do it right.

Just for the record, I've never owned a CD player (apart from the ones in my cars).

 

[Overdose]

I have been a happy user of my Cyrus CD 6 for a long time. But technology has change my listening habit. I AirPlay and stream much more although I am aware this is not to be compared to CD playing, which is much better. However I see myself buying from iTunes in future and less CDs.

Charles

As mentioned earlier by The LHC, streaming quality need not be any worse than CD playback, it can be the equal or even better depending on implementation. In your situation and with the equipment that you already own, I would consider a BluRay player that has optical input connectivity and simply connect the ATV via optical.

You can then stream wirelessly to your system in the comfort of your sofa whilst perusing your library on the iPad. The crucial thing is to make sure that your music files are accurately ripped and of suitable quality.

Edit: I would just add that CD players are a bit last century IMO and offer nothing over the suggestion above.

 

[Anonymous]

If you don't use it forget it, but I would still buy CD's rip them to lossless and if anything happens to HD or cloud servers (its going to happen!!)

You still have a hard copy to rip again. My two cents

 

[Overdose]

If you don't use it forget it, but I would still buy CD's rip them to lossless and if anything happens to HD or cloud servers (its going to happen!!)

You still have a hard copy to rip again. My two cents

Definitely. +1

 

[The_Lhc]

If you don't use it forget it, but I would still buy CD's rip them to lossless and if anything happens to HD or cloud servers (its going to happen!!)

You still have a hard copy to rip again. My two cents

Definitely. +1

Make it a full dime!

 

[woodster]

Title sp

 

[busb]

Yes, they are dying out. I check prices on iTunes then Amazon for CDs. When cheap enough, I buy them, rip at a minimum of 320k VBR then listen through one of the optical inputs of my DAC through iTunes.

I'm looking to replace my separate DVD/BR player & CDP with a combined unit such as the Marantz UD7007 later this year. The whole way we access both music & video is changing. The only discs being spun will end up being vinyl although the use of even cassettes in certains parts of the world will continue so both CDs & DVD/Bluray discs will be around for a while yet.

I'd expect more services like Spotify where we effectively rent rather than buy.

 

[chebby]

I get most of my BBC CDs from the BBC Shop.

I also download (256k) some BBC radio material from here...

http://www.audiogo.com/uk/browse-categories/bbc-radio

...if I can't get the CD version.

Music CDs (an occasional purchase) from HMV.

I had downloaded a few BBC bits and bobs via iTunes and Amazon downloads in the past, but both of them have absolutely no respect for radio drama and it's all done at the lowest bit rate possible (even as low as 16K !!! in Amazon's case) and sounds rubbish.

AudioGo - on the other hand - have impeccable sounding radio drama/comedyhistory downloads in 'full fat' 256K and they sound just about as good as my own 320K VBR AAC rips from BBC CDs.

Where a programme (or series) is available on CD, then I will generally buy it, But AudioGo downloads are an excellent alternative when CD versions are not made available, or have gone out of production.

Amazon and iTunes really ought to buck up their ideas on the quality of non music downloads. A well recorded drama with an all-star cast (for instance) sometimes demands higher standards than much music.

Also iTunes and Amazon charge ridiculous money for their derisory quality. Luckily i didn't invest in a lot of their downloads before finding AudioGo and have since deleted and replaced their pathetic offerings with far higher quality versions.

Even writing this makes me angry. How dare Amazon think 16K is ok - just because it's not music - and then have the cheek to charge as much (or even more) than the CD equivalent. Aaaarggh!!!

(Going for a little lie down.)

 

[respe]

the problem with either bying from I-tunes or renting from streamers is that the quality is in the main not there. The bulk of the offerings are lossy formats, and you finish up paying more for a poor download than a decent CD. I do use streaming, but still buy and rip CD's, or better yet buy vinyl. If you set up your server/streamer to use lossless files then it is every bit as good as CD from a listening view point. Personally I still prefer to own the media. I would get the CD player fixed though.

 

[tino]

I think that a good solution for your predicament might be to get a Yamaha CDN500 which is a combined CD player and network player and by all accounts is very good.

 

[eclecticmonkey]

Until we start to see commonplace HD audio downloads in the UK then I for one hope that CDs continue! I really don't understand why high quality audio isn't more readily available? I don't see the point in paying more than the cost of a cd for lower quality files!

 

[crusaderlord]

i have both a cd and streaming option. there is a lot of noise around now trying to say ditch the cd player and go streaming but i think its a little premature. my cd player i still like the action of inserting the cd and having a mechanism of sorts to deal with much like those with vinyl that like the action of putting on the record. what is not mentioned so much are the pitfalls of streaming and they are real - yes sometimes the streamer just wont stream (ip issues or software re-installs required for instance or maybe broadband goes down) then there is a risk of hard drive failure so back ups must be regular, and then if you download everything it doesnt feel like you own anything. an album or deluxe cd edition is so much nicer. so i think cd players will be around a long time, ok more limited choice maybe but many of the key names will still manufacture one. sure streaming is easy and convenient until it doesnt work then its nice to have your cd player. i would consider something that does both options myself at the moment especially as ridiculously cds a month or two after release are usually cheaper than a downloaded set of files (how come ???) so you will often buy the cd anyway so may as well have an option to play them.

 

[MajorFubar]

Until we start to see commonplace HD audio downloads in the UK then I for one hope that CDs continue! I really don't understand why high quality audio isn't more readily available? I don't see the point in paying more than the cost of a cd for lower quality files!

You're absolutely right of course, but most people don't give a monkeys about quality, it's all about the instant gratification of downloads, and picking and choosing what songs you want to buy without having to buy a complete album.

 

[daveh75]

Until we start to see commonplace HD audio downloads in the UK then I for one hope that CDs continue! I really don't understand why high quality audio isn't more readily available? I don't see the point in paying more than the cost of a cd for lower quality files!

You're absolutely right of course, but most people don't give a monkeys about quality, it's all about the instant gratification of downloads, and picking and choosing what songs you want to buy without having to buy a complete album.

That assumes that higher bit rates equate to higher quality. Which it doesn't

 

[Anonymous]

I have owned and enjoyed a Squeezebox Touch and an Onkyo TX-8050 for streaming my CDs ripped to FLAC and Itunes AAC files. I thought the Internet Radio stations were great too.

However I found that I was spending a lot of time worrying about tagging, server software settings and trying to get various remote apps to connect etc.

The SBT is fantastic for the money, I used it via its own DAC and through a Rega DAC and could'nt hear any difference, plays most formats up to 24/96 but being a product from a computer company it did'nt work all the time, it would take offence at some of my purchased Itunes files, lock up and use 25% of the CPU necessitating a reboot.

With the TX-8050 I was using JRiver MC 16, again both fabulous bits of kit but everytime there was an update on JRMC the TX-8050 would'nt work and it was back to the forums having run Shark software to take a snapshot of the network log.

Having got increasingly frustrated with all the links in the chain that connect my music files on the computer to my speakers I have gone back to a CD player.

Streaming is obviously the future but it needs to mature before I will return to it. At the moment it serves the computer enthusiast who also loves music rather than the person who simply loves music.

Does that make sense?

 

[woodster]

I use both options. I buy my cd's from all sorts of sources, rip them as alac and listen to them via sonos wherever I am in the house. I still like to sit down and listen to my cds via the audiolab for a special quiet listening time, when I can truly enjoy the splendour of my system.

 

[the record spot]

Good replacement amp in the A933 there Delrido. Nice choice. It got a great review a few years ago.

 

[Blackdawn]

The use of CDs and CD players is definitely decreasing especially with the younger generations who have grown up with MP3s. Personally, I still like to own my music in a physical format so the CD is still bettter and more useful for me. I think CD players will be around for a while yet and am happy spending my money on CD's until a better physical format appears.

 

[Anonymous]

Good replacement amp in the A933 there Delrido. Nice choice. It got a great review a few years ago.

Thank you Record, I bought it on the strength of that review in a rival mag............ Not the best way to improve a system but happily it has worked in this case!

To use a motorcycling anology. The TX-8050 is like the Suzuki Bandit 600, a parts bin special that is more than the sum of its parts and the A-933 is like the GSXR600, not an all rounder but more focused. It also has a great phonostage and it rocks the RS3's.

 

[Dalboy2]

Why don't you buy a Cocktail Audio X10 device so you get the best of both worlds. I got it and it's fanatasic for both playing CDs, ripping CDs to various lossless audio formats and you can also stream music over home network or DAB radio. Covers all the bases.