CD's

[RoA]

Having sold perhaps a couple of thousand of CD's off many, many years ago after discovering streaming I now feel I (perhaps) want to start getting some hard copies of music again. I recently acquired an Audiolab transport and have to say, I am surprised at the quality of well recorded CD's, mostly Jazz and their low prices. I will only buy music I treasure and a collection will never extend to walls full of CD's again. Could I possible also start to get back into vinyl again? I still have a small collection of favourite LP's. Who knows.

 

[DCarmi]

I've never fully got into streaming, despite having an account for many years. I tend to only use it when out and about and for music discovery, both of which it does very well. However, I find streaming something of a sterile experience and prefer physical media.

I'm not buying a great deal of new vinyl but I already have a decent collection. Mostly I am buying CDs and you can often pick these up fairly cheaply and the second hand market is fairly extensive and cheap.

 

[Revolutions]

You never know what you’re missing until you try it.

 

[twinkletoes]

As mentioned, you really forget how great the old silver discs can sound.

And if you’re a collector, streaming doesn’t always have the original recordings. It’s often replaced by a remaster of sorts.

Streaming has its place, though. It’s allowed me to find and discover new music, and it’s made it easier to make more thoughtful purchases of the music I really want.

And today, there are even productions that are only available to stream.

Oof vinyl thats a dirty word around here for some, enjoy your hifi how you like and don't let market trends tell you whats best.

The biggest boon for me is physical formats, they cant be taken away or edited think Star Wars for example in the AV space.

 

[abacus]

Best to get a NAS or as most routers have a USB port that supports DLNA, a large HDD, then rip all the CDs to FLAC files using software that ensures a bit perfect copy, (Easy to do on a computer) and a transport or player becomes an unrequired cost.
The performance of the FLAC files will be determined by the DAC in your equipment.
You can then put the CDs in the loft with some Gel packs so that they do not take up room in the house.

Bill

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

and a transport or player becomes an unrequired cost.

That's assuming someone never wants to buy any new CDs.

 

[Al ears]

Best to get a NAS or as most routers have a USB port that supports DLNA, a large HDD, then rip all the CDs to FLAC files using software that ensures a bit perfect copy, (Easy to do on a computer) and a transport or player becomes an unrequired cost.
The performance of the FLAC files will be determined by the DAC in your equipment.
You can then put the CDs in the loft with some Gel packs so that they do not take up room in the house.

Bill

I think you're missing the whole point of slotting a silver disc into a player and pressing play.....

 

[RoA]

Have to say this Transport with an outside DAC sounds bloody marvelous on well recorded discs.

 

[abacus]

That's assuming someone never wants to buy any new CDs.

When you buy a new CD just rip it to FLAC and your done.

Bill

 

[plastic penguin]

I would like to sample streaming, even thought seriously about buying a Leema Quasar. But our Internet is so hit and miss. Even if I was to head towards streaming, I would never sacrifice my CD or vinyl collection. It all has a place in music playback.

 

[Steve983]

CD's remain king with me and increasingly FLAC downloads too. I buy vinyl occasionally but not too often these days.

 

[good_enough]

Personally speaking CD, vinyl and even cassette replay equipment allows me to pick up music here and there in charity shops, on FB, ebay and the like and play any of it. Not convinced new recordings on vinyl hold any advantages sonically over new recordings on CD. But there's plenty of rewarding old stuff out there, and during the period when they were getting the hang of mastering, the LPs are superior. But I'd suggest that unless you are a rummager or a collector, vinyl is an expensive diversion. Being a 'rummager or a collector' is the in-real-life version of discovering stuff on streaming I suppose.

To avoid having a wall full of CDs by the way just google 'CD storage sleeves' or similar and cut down on space compared to those plastic cases by a factor of (at least) five. Thus wrapped, mine live in neat ranks in drawers. The ones to get are rectangular and have enough space for the whole sleeve. Doesn't help with box sets or the cardboard case types though!

 

[Cricketbat70]

Best to get a NAS or as most routers have a USB port that supports DLNA, a large HDD, then rip all the CDs to FLAC files using software that ensures a bit perfect copy, (Easy to do on a computer) and a transport or player becomes an unrequired cost.
The performance of the FLAC files will be determined by the DAC in your equipment.
You can then put the CDs in the loft with some Gel packs so that they do not take up room in the house.

Bill

That's what I've done although I still have a couple hundred to rip.

 

[Cricketbat70]

And if you’re a collector, streaming doesn’t always have the original recordings. It’s often replaced by a remaster of sorts.

Streaming has its place, though. It’s allowed me to find and discover new music, and it’s made it easier to make more thoughtful purchases of the music I really want.

With the likes of Spotify, you'll have a song in a playlist and a few months down the line an inferior remix replaces the song. It's happened to my son a few times. Most times he's been able to search for and find the original song again, occasionally the original song has just disappeared off Spotify.

Like you I have discovered new music with Spotify and then gone out and bought it on CD. I listen to Spotify mostly at night through my phone and earbuds, it helps me sleep. I can go to bed and lay awake for hours but put Spotify on and I'm asleep before the second song has finished. Usually get woken up by my earbuds asking me to put them on charge.

 

[DCarmi]

I listen to Spotify mostly at night through my phone and earbuds, it helps me sleep. I can go to bed and lay awake for hours but put Spotify on and I'm asleep before the second song has finished. Usually get woken up by my earbuds asking me to put them on charge.

I do the same but with audiobooks, since music doesn't have the same soporific affect on me. Usually I'm asleep in minutes. I did pick up a Taotronics receiver 7 years ago which had a 24 hour battery life. I use it every night and the battery still lasts me about 2 or 3 nights. It is not exactly audiophile but that really isn't the point.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

When you buy a new CD just rip it to FLAC and your done.

Bill

Ah, I see what you mean.

I'd never do it though. Sometimes I think 'Ooh - must listen to such and such'. But on others I end up scanning the CD spines and get reminded of things I haven't heard in ages. Without the discs being there, I fear there's a lot I'd probably not hear again - and would be the poorer for it.

 

[Cricketbat70]

soporific

The TV even better than Spotify and earbuds. The number of times Rachel has looked at me and said "enjoyed that program did you. You know the one you really wanted to watch" 😂

 

[JDL]

Having sold perhaps a couple of thousand of CD's off many, many years ago after discovering streaming I now feel I (perhaps) want to start getting some hard copies of music again. I recently acquired an Audiolab transport and have to say, I am surprised at the quality of well recorded CD's, mostly Jazz and their low prices. I will only buy music I treasure and a collection will never extend to walls full of CD's again. Could I possible also start to get back into vinyl again? I still have a small collection of favourite LP's. Who knows.

Yes, why not? If you've found that the sound quality of CDs is to your ears superior to streaming, then why not go back to buying some CDs of your choicest recordings? It certainly can't hurt.
Our internet's been down now since that storm we had recently and they're not telling us reliably when we'll have our broadband back.
The electricity was off for eight days and like I say, as for the internet, who knows.
I'm pretty glad that I've stuck to CDs, although I do realize that streaming doesn't have to rely on the internet, I just haven't managed to get my head around getting the equipment and know how to change my music collection into files stored on a computer and going through the process with EAC or something like that. I do feel that I ought to though.
Apologies if this reply is irrelevant or long winded.

 

[matthewpianist]

I've never turned away from CDs, and I still have a substantial collection now. Having said that, I have moved the less played ones into plastic sleeves with all the artwork to save space. My classical, jazz and folk collections remain fully intact in their original cases/boxes, and will remain so.

I stream a lot now, and I find Qobuz to sound as good as CD. I use it to try new pop/rock/folk albums of interest, and I have to enjoy a release more than once before I'll buy the CD, even if it's an artist I love.

For classical and jazz music I use the Presto Music streaming service (I work there) to keep on top of new releases, and to try new recordings of interest out before I buy them on CD.

I don't think any one format has a sonic edge if the system is right, so I'm agnostic to that as long as I get to enjoy the music.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Having sold perhaps a couple of thousand of CD's off many, many years ago after discovering streaming I now feel I (perhaps) want to start getting some hard copies of music again. I recently acquired an Audiolab transport and have to say, I am surprised at the quality of well recorded CD's, mostly Jazz and their low prices. I will only buy music I treasure and a collection will never extend to walls full of CD's again. Could I possible also start to get back into vinyl again? I still have a small collection of favourite LP's. Who knows.

Regardless or the format I listen to them in, I find jazz records particularly from the 50s and 60s to be some of the best recorded records.

 

[Mark Dunlop]

I'm of an age where vinyl was what my parents had and CDs were the thing to aspire to having, and so I still buy CDs regularly. You can get them for buttons these days, which suits me fine - I remember when you could hardly give LPs away! I wouldn't be interested in streaming because a. I like the certainty of physical media and b. as a recorded musician I know exactly what a bum deal streaming services offer musicians financially. I've been getting into vinyl again over the last couple of years, but I tend to just buy cherished albums on vinyl that I already know I like and save the "experimenting on new artists" money for CDs.

 

[nopiano]

Regardless or the format I listen to them in, I find jazz records particularly from the 50s and 60s to be some of the best recorded records.

There was a directness from the era that seems elusive today, wasn’t there? Almost as though the mics were aimed better. I’m more interested in classical music, but the Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence series are both revered, and have been remastered for CD. Both used specific mic techniques that served the genre well.

 

[Al ears]

There was a directness from the era that seems elusive today, wasn’t there? Almost as though the mics were aimed better. I’m more interested in classical music, but the Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence series are both revered, and have been remastered for CD. Both used specific mic techniques that served the genre well.

Certainly there seemed to be more care made in micing and recording but you have to remember jazz was primarily a trio or quartet playing predominantly acoustic instruments and not like some of the rock bands we have today.
Certainly some recording studios paid a lot more attention to detail of recording and cutting of albums and the Mercury one you quote is just such a one.

 

[JDL]

There was a directness from the era that seems elusive today, wasn’t there? Almost as though the mics were aimed better. I’m more interested in classical music, but the Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence series are both revered, and have been remastered for CD. Both used specific mic techniques that served the genre well.

Yes I agree. I listen exclusively to classical music on CD. The best recordings I have on CD were recorded between around the early sixties, the famous Berlin Philharmonic Beethoven Nine Symphonies conducted by Herbert Von Karajan, produced in '63 I think being a good example, and beyond to the present. However my best recorded music does seem to date from the early sixties through to nineties.
I did read a very interesting letter written to a magazine, about the art of mastering recordings for LPs and how much of the technical knowledge and abilities of those who did it was lost by the time of the new millennium. I can't think that I've heard any classical music recordings from the present day that are better than some of the famous older recordings, but I have definitely heard ones that are absolutely worse.

Regardless or the format I listen to them in, I find jazz records particularly from the 50s and 60s to be some of the best recorded records.

 

[JDL]

I've never turned away from CDs, and I still have a substantial collection now. Having said that, I have moved the less played ones into plastic sleeves with all the artwork to save space. My classical, jazz and folk collections remain fully intact in their original cases/boxes, and will remain so.

I stream a lot now, and I find Qobuz to sound as good as CD. I use it to try new pop/rock/folk albums of interest, and I have to enjoy a release more than once before I'll buy the CD, even if it's an artist I love.

For classical and jazz music I use the Presto Music streaming service (I work there) to keep on top of new releases, and to try new recordings of interest out before I buy them on CD.

I don't think any one format has a sonic edge if the system is right, so I'm agnostic to that as long as I get to enjoy the music.

Mathew, Hi, I hope all's good with you.
What kind of CD player are you using now?