What is wise; a new cd player or streamer?

[obiwan kenobi]

I have a Denon pma 1520 AE amp and can buy a new dcd 1520AE cd player for 800,-- Euro. I think it is a nice combination. But friends of mine are already streaming and said i'am a fool if i buy a cd player. It's all streaming now. And the good Pioneer N50A isn't expensive. What do you mean?

 

[macdiddy]

you don't say how big you cd collection is, I have a fairly large collection myself (and still growing every month). I personally have no interest in any of the streaming services but if you are then you can always connect your computer to your denon amp.

*music2*

 

[matthewpiano]

It isn't 'all streaming now' for everybody. The answer lies in your own preferences. If you already have a substantial CD collection and plan to continue buying CDs and SACDs, then the DCD1520ae is a perfectly good buy. I used to have a DCD1500ae with PMA1500ae and it was a great combination. Wish I'd kept it.

On the other hand, if you only have a few CDs and plan to buy downloads or stream in future, the CD player would be a waste of money.

It doesn't matter one bit what everyone else is doing. It's all about what you want.

 

[Al ears]

I have a Denon pma 1520 AE amp and can buy a new dcd 1520AE cd player for 800,-- Euro. I think it is a nice combination. But friends of mine are already streaming and said i'am a fool if i buy a cd player. It's all streaming now. And the good Pioneer N50A isn't expensive. What do you mean?

It's going to depend on whatever you decide your music format is going to be. If you've already got a whole stack of CD's and don't want to actually rip them all then you need a CDP.

The wise option is to find a cheaper CDP and get both.

Or you could just buy an Oppo.

 

[MeanandGreen]

It's up to you.

If you have a lot of CD's which you don't have ripped to a computer or NAS drive and you don't intend to start using payed streaming services then go for a CD Player.

If you want to rip your CD's, or if you already have a digital music library ripped from your CD's and you'd like to stream those files instead of playing the discs then a streamer is a good option.

If you've a small collection of discs, then perhaps a subscribed streaming service would be good for you and again a streamer would be a good idea.

The choice is yours and it's not about what everyone else is doing, it's what suits you best.

 

[obiwan kenobi]

I have more than 600 cd's. I find it relaxed to put a cd in the player and then go listen. I 'am not sure with streaming. I read that some people are nervous and are constantly zap to another number. Also before a cd or number has ended already zap to another.

 

[MeanandGreen]

It seems to me that your gut is telling you to buy a CD Player, but your friends are putting doubt in your mind. I get the impression you don't particularly relish the prospect of getting the streamer up and running an you haven't ripped your discs to anything?

600 is a lot of CD's, you obviously enjoy playing them so go with your gut. There is nothing stopping you adding a streamer further down the line. This is the beauty of separates, you can build it up with the sources you need over time.

 

[James7]

It seems from what you are saying that a CD player is going to suit you better for now, but a CD player with a USB input woyld enable you to connect up your PC, while there are a handful of crossover products from Arcam and Onyko and others out there that offer CD playback and streaming too. A number of universal players that also spin DVDs and blu-ray discs offer this too of course.

Personally,, and in the end this can only be a personal decision, I continue to enjoy buying and playing CDs and SACDs and while I do rip new purchases to my hard drive and often play back rips via the USB input of my SACD/CD player, I spend more time listening to discs. In contrast, there are plenty out there, who have long since happily jettisoned their disc spinner in favour of streamers and good for them I say.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Cdplayer.....

Streamers are going nowhere.

Cdplayers sound better too...... Oh and don't by cheap.

 

[abacus]

Get yourself the Pioneer N50 or the slightly more expensive Cambridge Audio CXN, then get an entry level CD player with a digital output and plug this in to the digital input of the streamer, that way you have the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[splasher]

Most of the population who stream music do so from an online streaming service such as Spotify. The convenience is massive but the quality lower than CD.

the alternative is to rip your CDs to lossless quality (FLAC for example) and store them on your home network. You can then play your CDs in the same way but you select them from a menu rather than a shelf. I do this with my CDs because this way I can play them in any room without having to carry them around the house as well as playing them in the car and on my portable device on the train in full lossless quality.

i think the jumping from track to track is a function of the person not the equipment and if you don't skip tracks on CD I don't see why you would with a streamer.

the biggest downside of streaming FLACs is having to rip them all in the first place but I found it made me listen to albums I wouldn't have picked up from the shelf otherwise.

 

[peterpiper]

the pioneer N50A has a very capable sabre dac, has a host of options including spotify connect ,internet radio, music server input, usb devices etc etc, and can be used as a standalone usb dac to a pc , and a decent one at that, maybe you could get a cambrige audio transport only player, which get a five star review, and use the pioneer as a dac, as i am sure the pioneer as an optical and coaxial digital input for you to do this, you will also have all the other faclities at you hands , just make sure this will be right option for you ,

 

[keeper of the quays]

Cd player...i stream? Listen to you tube via my iPod touch through my hifi...use a mini jack to two rca into pre amp..hd music sounds good..then I used optical cable from tv to dac to pre amp..sounded even better! But well recorded cd still wins..and a good cd player is important..i think my iPod has a Wolfson dac..for what it is it's brilliant! My windows phone sounds bad from you tube..my kindle fire hd is a better than windows phone...but iPod wins..tried newer apple air..good..cirrus dac..not as good as iPod I touch 4..but cd better! In my opinion....

 

[drummerman]

Cd player and a chromecast Audio

 

[obiwan kenobi]

It is streamer with NAS server again sacd player. I have no sacd's, but always found that cd's sound better on a sacd player than on a (cheaper) cd player. If streamer i will rip my cd's in the best Flaq quality on the NAS server. I don't use Spotify. But then what is better; sacd player or streamer?

 

[Al ears]

Don't waste your money on a SACD player if you don't own any discs unless you're looking at an Oppo.

 

[splasher]

Another thing I like about streaming FLACs is the ability to play "all songs" on random so you hear tracks you might never have picked off the shelf.

 

[Slowcoach]

When my Roksan Kandy cdp started to pack up I had planned to see how I could manage without a cdp, or alternatively just get a really cheap one as a back up, by instead streaming ripped CDs via Jriver to my Pioneer N50. The streaming option is fine if you can rely on a 100% effective rip. Modern PCs don't always even have a disc drive. I missed the 'physicality' and convenience of a cd in rather the same way as I miss vinyl.

I found it too much of a hassle and found the sound quality disappointing whether I was streaming over a network or directly to the Pioneer via USB. In the end I spent a lot of money on a Musical Fidelity M6scd (which partners my M6si amp).

I honestly did not expect one cdp to sound any different from another but was wrong. The sound is beautifully revealing and I have not listened to any streamed cd rips since.

That is my experience. For what its worth I would buy the best cdp you can afford . There is plenty of life in CDs yet and ,new or old, they can be picked up very cheaply.

 

[marweb]

I'm in the same boat as OP. I have somewhere between six and seven hundred CDs and no CDP. But, I have ripped my collection and obviously have to rip new CDs before enjoying them. I use Logitech Media Server aka Squeezebox Server and it's great for streaming. However, I realise that I miss browsing my collection and taking a disc, putting it in the player and just listening ... as I do with vinyl. But I'm struggling to find a suitable CDP. There seems to be little between £350 and £750. My sweet spot is around the £500 mark. Not sure what the OP is looking at but some suggestions would be great.