Is it unwise to buy a state of the art CD player at this time?

[bonzo75]

Isn't the main goal enjoying listening to music in whatever format one chooses?

And as an aside and with all due respect to all, I personally find the "tone" of some of the comments (from those that support ripping, streaming, computer audio, etc.) to be dismissive, judgmental, and inappropriate.

Carry on gentlemen.

Not humorous, moderator?

 

[Al M.]

And as an aside and with all due respect to all, I personally find the "tone" of some of the comments (from those that support ripping, streaming, computer audio, etc.) to be dismissive, judgmental, and inappropriate.

Carry on gentlemen.

Indeed. If anything, this thread has turned me off computer audio even more than before. If the goal of the streaming proselytizers was to make converts here -- you've done a bang-up job, I can tellya. Congratulations. Thumbs up.

 

[analog brother]

I guess we disagree. I live in the present. I tried to read ebooks and the last time I was at an audio store they gave me a glass tablet to select music. I could not stand either experience. I don't like putting frozen food in the microwave either. Convenient, yes, they all are. More enjoyable, perhaps for some, but not for me. I would own a wooden sailboat with lots of varnished teak if I could afford the maintenance. Trees can be replanted.

One of the best spaces I have ever been in was an opera singer's record room. It was small. All four walls were racks upon racks of LPs. The only break was the door we used to enter the room. In the center was a round table with a small light. We had wine and dinner at that table, surrounded by thousands of LPs. We searched the shelves, flooded with memories, and selected the next record to play on his 1970s stereo system. Priceless.

As far as the OP's question goes, if he has a large collection of CDs, and he likes the palpable nature of holding and collecting objects, then I think he should buy this player if he likes the sound and if he can afford it. You can then call both me, and him, Luddites.

couldn't agree more.
that is the type of lifestyle i love. time is valuable, it should be wasted in pure indulgence.
i don't want to be on the expressway to dystopian digitalisation.

 

[amirm]

Indeed. If anything, this thread has turned me off computer audio even more than before. If the goal of the streaming proselytizers was to make converts here -- you've done a bang-up job, I can tellya. Congratulations. Thumbs up.

The message of the future is not always to our liking. Russ asked us to do that. Look into the future and see if it is unwise to buy a high-end and expensive CD player now. The answer is that it is definitely unwise. Look at how many high-end companies bring out new high-end CD players now. They get paid to foretell the future and that answer is clear as day. The time for that format has come and gone. That answer is the answer. Liking it or not liking it won't change the future.

Fortunately this transformation will be slow. So no need to dread the change right now. And certainly no reason to get unhappy at our fellow audiophiles.

 

[amirm]

I guess we disagree. I live in the present.

We all live in the present Peter. As I just explained, we were asked not to look at present but the future. And your question did the same with respect to books. For decades my job was to predict the future and govern development of technology in that direction. Back in the DOS days, I got a copy of Windows 1.0. Everything about it was awful except one thing: my wife who was used to a Mac could navigate Windows but would not touch DOS. I saw that and was convinced that we would all migrate to that kind of universe. Sure, I would miss being able to type fast and do things in DOS and not have to constantly reach for the mouse. But the future is the future. We better adopt it and not keep giving contrarian views based on personal preference right here, right now.

I am about to go to CEDIA in a couple of hours. Last night wanted some reading material. Hopped on Amazon and found the book I wanted but it was nearly $150 (engineering book). The e-book version was 30% cheaper and I could have it right then. So that is what I did. I thought about your comment before I bought it. I will think about it when I read it on the plane this afternoon.

You can then call both me, and him, Luddites.

I didn't call you that. But anyone who tells someone else to buy an expensive CD-player now, shoulders a big responsibility. I hope you are up to that when you dish out that advice.

 

[853guy]

The message of the future is not always to our liking. Russ asked us to do that. Look into the future and see if it is unwise to buy a high-end and expensive CD player now. The answer is that it is definitely unwise. Look at how many high-end companies bring out new high-end CD players now. They get paid to foretell the future and that answer is clear as day. The time for that format has come and gone. That answer is the answer. Liking it or not liking it won't change the future.

Twenty years ago were you saying the same things about vinyl rigs and reel-to-reel decks? Y'know, those formats whose time has "come and gone"?

If the future has taught us anything, surely it's that we are very poor predictors of what it will and won't do. Otherwise, everyone would have seen the subprime implosion of 2008, right?

Last word: Cassette.

 

[prerich]

The message of the future is not always to our liking. Russ asked us to do that. Look into the future and see if it is unwise to buy a high-end and expensive CD player now. The answer is that it is definitely unwise. Look at how many high-end companies bring out new high-end CD players now. They get paid to foretell the future and that answer is clear as day. The time for that format has come and gone. That answer is the answer. Liking it or not liking it won't change the future.

Fortunately this transformation will be slow. So no need to dread the change right now. And certainly no reason to get unhappy at our fellow audiophiles.

+1 excellent post Amirm!!!

 

[prerich]

Well I just saw Billy Joel live at Wembley last weekend and the whole stadium was an echo chamber. I wouldn't want to replicate that! Pretty dreadful, really.

Massive Attack live the weekend before in Bristol in an open air gig had incredible SQ for a live concert, on the other hand.

Gigs without amplification and PA speakers are a different story.

You just said a mouth full!!!! I was listening to Steve Cole, Alex Bugnon, and a bunch of other jazz musicians at an outdoor venue, and you know what....the sound mixer made the live drum set sound more like an 808 kit!!!!! I looked and said to myself this is not a rap concert...if it was Lecrae, I could see it, but drums need to sound like drums. At one point (during a sound tune up) he had it just right...and I was like "Good!!!" How long did that last....well when the set started, he jacked up the drums to 808 level again and turned the keys way down!!!!

Alex Bugnon stopped after the first song in his set and said "Are we hear to play music or what? Why am I hearing the game in my monitors?" (Alabama was playing USC and when you live in NWFlorida ...its like living in Bama country. Even our live performances have coloration to them, so I totally agree gigs without amplification and PA are a different story indeed!!!!

Back on subject...Yes I'm down with computer audio (I mainly rip my purchased CD's - I haven't gone into Tidal yet). My reason for liking computer audio is the ability to upgrade and experiment (DIY dacs, opamp swapping,etc), doing this with high end player include a high risk factor.....I'm a techie at heart so computer based audio suits me. However if you are not techie, computer based audio might not be for you. Nothing wrong with both of them co-existing.

 

[caliaripaolo]

The message of the future is not always to our liking. Russ asked us to do that. Look into the future and see if it is unwise to buy a high-end and expensive CD player now. The answer is that it is definitely unwise. Look at how many high-end companies bring out new high-end CD players now. They get paid to foretell the future and that answer is clear as day. The time for that format has come and gone. That answer is the answer. Liking it or not liking it won't change the future.

Fortunately this transformation will be slow. So no need to dread the change right now. And certainly no reason to get unhappy at our fellow audiophiles.

+1 and more.
Some of fellow audiophiles (like me) are "System oriented" for passion of technology and audiophile's gears, then looking for the technical perfection inherent on the music track, but it is indisputable that the CD's data is compressed in a poor format compared to high-definition formats.
Other audiophiles have idiosyncrasy to use PC's, but who try to compare same music track by playng the two formats, has no other choice that throw out the window the CD player.

 

[bonzo75]

Otherwise, everyone would have seen the subprime implosion of 2008, right?

So, maybe people advocating computer audio are the equivalent of Einhorn, John Paulson, etc?

 

[bonzo75]

+1 and more.

who try to compare same music track by playng the two formats, has no other choice that throw out the window the CD player.

Exactly...vinyl was different, it always sounded better than CD, but CD never did sound better than streaming, except in cases of certain CD players which are way more expensive than streamers. And CD technology is not improving, while streamer technology keeps improving rapidly. Stream. If you are going to get up to play something and be tactile and want SQ, go analog.

Those who are worried if CD sounds better than streaming are OCDing about which sounds less worse as compared to vinyl. I can easily see why vinyl can be a choice at the cost of convenience. I cannot see why CD can be a choice at the cost of convenience, even assuming it sounds better

 

[asiufy]

Russ,

From what I understand, your hesitation comes mostly from the fact that you like Spectral, and own their other products, and to go with a stand-alone DAC would require you to investigate different brands and products, which can be time/money consuming.

So, my suggestion would be to keep the Spectral CD player, enjoy it, and add a second digital source, at a lower cost, just to see how you "feel" about the whole streaming/computer audio thing. There are all-in-one boxes out there that do a bang up job, specially as a second source, like the Linn boxes, the new Aurender A10 or the Auralic Altair. They all have a DAC and a streamer built-in, so all you need to do is hook them up to your pre. That way, you can get both worlds, and proceed to investigate a high-end alternative for your main digital source at a more leisurely pace.

We've found out that, even with folks with sizeable collections of CDs, they've been able to quickly move away from them, with the help of Tidal ($20/month service). In the end, they've only need to rip the CDs that are not available there.

I think this is the least disruptive, and most "fun" solution for you in the near term...


cheers,
alex

 

[thedudeabides]

Not humorous, moderator?

Not meant to be humorous, just honest.

Sorry you don't "get it".

 

[thedudeabides]

Indeed. If anything, this thread has turned me off computer audio even more than before. If the goal of the streaming proselytizers was to make converts here -- you've done a bang-up job, I can tellya. Congratulations. Thumbs up.

Agreed.

 

[thedudeabides]

I cannot see why CD can be a choice at the cost of convenience, even assuming it sounds better

I fail to understand why you cannot understand that we are all different, with varying individual needs and priorities.

Is that a difficult concept to comprehend?

PS: I am so tired of people telling me what is "best" for me or others.

 

[Al M.]

Agreed.

To be fair, some responses have been friendlier and more constructive than others.

 

[thedudeabides]

To be fair, some responses have been friendlier and more constructive than others.

Agreed. But I don't have much patience or understanding for folks who espouse an "absolutist" position and are critical of anothers personal choice. This holds true with all things in life, not just audio.

 

[sujay]

Exactly...vinyl was different, it always sounded better than CD, but CD never did sound better than streaming, except in cases of certain CD players which are way more expensive than streamers. And CD technology is not improving, while streamer technology keeps improving rapidly. Stream. If you are going to get up to play something and be tactile and want SQ, go analog.

Those who are worried if CD sounds better than streaming are OCDing about which sounds less worse as compared to vinyl. I can easily see why vinyl can be a choice at the cost of convenience. I cannot see why CD can be a choice at the cost of convenience, even assuming it sounds better

Absolutely agree. This is my view as well, which I expressed in this thread. But frankly, I don't get it.......why are people getting so worked up? If one wants to sink $50k or more on a CDP, just go ahead and do it! At least, one thing is clear, the CD transport technology is probably not going to change much. So one needn't wait for the next best thing. As I see it though, a completely needless investment given the quality of streaming these days...But of course, this is my opinion

Cheers

Sujay

 

[Al M.]

Agreed. But I don't have much patience or understanding for folks who espouse an "absolutist" position and are critical of anothers personal choice. This holds true with all things in life, not just audio.

PS: I am so tired of people telling me what is "best" for me or others.

Well said.

 

[witchdoctor]

Exactly...vinyl was different, it always sounded better than CD, but CD never did sound better than streaming, except in cases of certain CD players which are way more expensive than streamers. And CD technology is not improving, while streamer technology keeps improving rapidly. Stream. If you are going to get up to play something and be tactile and want SQ, go analog.

Those who are worried if CD sounds better than streaming are OCDing about which sounds less worse as compared to vinyl. I can easily see why vinyl can be a choice at the cost of convenience. I cannot see why CD can be a choice at the cost of convenience, even assuming it sounds better

Sometimes it is more convenient to keep ypur CD's than to rip them and start using a PC or a streamer