Are CD players dead

CD players are waning heavily in favor of computer audio. CDs themselves will still be around for quite a while until some new higher res music format eventually replaces it (when???).

It will be some time before all music is delivered electronically rather than in some physical format, hard to say when that will happen but eventually it will.

Meanwhile use of computers as the prime source for playing multiple music formats (including CDs ripped to various formats of increasing variable quality) will continue to grow gradually.

Petty,

Yay, you're back!

Get that music server working yet?

I can go to HDtracks and download albums today at higher res than CD if I chose.

What's the problem?

Do you expect some poor schmo in Kazakhstan (Borat say) to have to pay for higher quality recordings than he cares about?

I say let Borat have his lossy mp3s and cheap gear needed to play them. As long as I can have my Lamborghini, I am happy too.

I wonder with HD Tracks, how does a buyer know that these are truly mastered at the higher resolution that you are buying?

If they are jsut taking lower res masters and upsampling to higher res, then you may be actually worse off thatn before in that your sound is really no better but your data volumes and processing requirements have jumped considerably for considerable additional cost to you for little benefit.

Uncertainty about this is one reason I have yet to actually fork out any dollars for hi res files from HD Tracks.

"Are there two Mapmans? I thought you said, "I can go to
HDTracks and Download Albums today at higher res than CD
if I choose. What's the problem?"."

Yes, there is good mapman and evil mapman. You never know which will rear his ugly head! The essence of taijitu.

Nothings perfect there are problems and unknowns with all. I'm just pointing out one worth consideration in this case.

It doesn't matter what good or evil mapman thinks. Its inevitable that digital audio will continue to run its course whether I like it or not. I'm sure in 50 years, if we are all still around, there will still be something about it to fuss about, just like wondering today whether those NOS tubes from eons ago are really gold or just another man's garbage.

Agree with Devilboy.

Will something to replace CDs for this eventually? Probably. Not sure what it will be though and it could be awhile.

331/3 lps were around about 30 years before CDs did them in for the most part. CDs will probably be around somewhat longer, and whatever replaces that somewhat longer still, etc.

That's progress, FBOFW.

Look at it this way. 78 RPM records were generation 1 of mass recorded and marketed media. 331/3 lps generation 2.

CDs generation 3.

Most innovations start to get it mostly right usually about the third time around. CDs get it mostly right (except for the confounded packaging they come in which continues to mostly s---).

Downloading and computer audio is phase 4 which consists of mostly new ways of delivering and playing digital including introduction of higher res formats (hi res is still gen 1 so expect kinks for awhile as I alluded to earlier) and music servers.

A better vision for phase 5 is what I think we are all trying to imagine (except Pettyofficer who believes there is a conspiracy to prevent that).

"CDs are prematurely
disappearing rapidly! "

I think a lot of this is a result of teh music market being saturated more than anything specific to CDs other than they are the current format most impacted, especially by new major pieces of the pie like internet radio, and even used CDS that basically sound as good as new indefinitely and do not have to be replaced (unlike worn records). Plus all the other non audio entertainment available (all via digital mostly mind you) these days. How much time does anybody really have to watch and listen to all that stuff? I chose to mostly listen when I do have time. I am literally drowning in new music to listen to these days and it will surely take me years to just catch up if I never bought another new CD again, which I still do on occasion, but frankly most of my "new" music purchases are used CDs. I also download a pop/rock mp3 from amazon on occasion. I view that as the modern equivalent of buying a 45 rpm single back when I was a kid and starting my record collection. I've always liked having the option of buying singles and not albums when I like a particular track.

I suspect at some point we will see more downloadable content from amazon and others at CD Redbook resolution.

Practically though, the time involved to download even that much less high res album length content would not appeal to most. It will take some time to get to the point where bandwidth from homes to commercial sites is large enough to download those quantities of data quickly. So in teh meantime, CDs will continue to linger and serve a purpose, even if not necessarily thrive.

Again, bottom line is I think after 70 years or so of commercial recordings being available for sale, plus all the new emerging channels/sources of music, that the home audio/music market in most countries is essentially saturated and that growth from here forward will be slow in comparison to the past. But again, along with that, there is more music out there and available at all price points and quality levels than ever, so that is a good thing. We should really stop fretting and worrying about these things and just enjoy!!!! That is what I try to do.

"whoever thought that something would make us nostalgic for CDs"

Nothing will make me nostalgic for CDs.

They are what they areand are a fact of life. Part of what they are and have always been is lousy packaging that is nondescript, fragile, small, and hard to read. That's it for me.

Music servers and digital players will continue to evolve to include more and more direct or linked access to more content.

Over time, the amount of information at your fingertips about an album, artist, or song or anything else related will continue to grow and become more user friendly and oriented. That's a major step forward associated with teh technology beyond just sound quality. To me good sound quality plus the entire package is what matters. Most CD packages just plain still s--- even after all these years.

I want it all and I want it now!!!

if it were me, I would have kept the lp format for the packaging at least as an option for those who care and just stuck the CD in that instead of a record. Packaging and overall end user utility took a big hit with CDs. If they would have done this, I bet many who do not like digital would have been converts by now, for whatever that is worth to the music industry (probably not much in the big scheme of things unfortunately).