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Are Disc Players Dead?

How important is a disc player anymore? I think that stand alone DAC's have far eclipsed the stand alone disc player in importance over the last 3 years with the rise of server based music.

Only an SACD really needs a disc player anymore. In what instance can you get better sound from a disc player than when you download the music, CD or HiRez, then play it back through a new stand alone DAC with the latest technology?

I really only use my very humble disc player to watch movies that I own now. I download most movies to rent through AppleTV, and if I buy a CD (rare) I download it to the server, where it takes up residence in iTunes for playback in AIFF format.

So, disc players on their deathbed, as DAC move to the top of the digital mountain?

I say yes.
macdadtexas

Showing 12 responses by macdadtexas

macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
vinyl never died, disc......
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
8 tracks and cassettes are gone, I believe discs have more in common with those media than with vinyl, they are digital not analog, which is superior
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
What's Linn's top of the line disc machine called now?
I used to have a UniDisc, when Disc's were important
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Jafreeman, you need to explain that to me? How is that? It's the DAC in the disc player reading the 1's and 0's, so I call BS on that.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Rrog, you are way misinformed. Do an internet seach, vinly production has increased the last 5 years at an exponential pace.

Do a web search.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Dhl93449,

as many have already said on here, this is an easily solved potential problem.

1) back up hard drive

2) internet back up - done once to an internet based source, then every night it automatically updates any changes from your home based hard drive, to the web based storage. Solved.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Nglazer,

That's just dead wrong. All you need to do it download iTunes and use AIFF or Apple Loseless files though a good DAC (just buy an AppleTV for $99 to run it through your home stereo via Toslink). Done.

I doubt many people in this day and age, especiallly audiophiles are not familiar with iTunes for use with iPods or iPhones. That's all you need.

AppleTV (or the like), into a DAC. If you have a wireless network at home (don't even tell me 99.9% of those on here do not given the socio-economic makeup of people in this hobby) the AppleTV will easliy sign on to the network, find your open iTunes library, and play it like you are using your iPod. It's that easy.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Slipknot1, that was just a classic response, and oh so correct.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
I use a Drobo for a network drive. Just plugged into my router. It backs itself up, very cool, and I can hot swap any 2 of the 5 drives that fail without any loss of data.

It works!!
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Al, I lost a bunch of drives too, that's why I paid up for the Drobo after much research, and loss of some priceless digital video footage of our chidren (thank God we found the actual digital tapes), and of course then having to re-load hundreds and hundreds, probably thousands to be honest, of CD's.

Look into it. I have had drives fail in the Drobo, it just tells me it failed, I buy and replace that drive, no loss of info.

Very, Very cool.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Sorry Al, I that's such a small possiblity, I don't worry about that, not a realistic sceneario.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
4/5 is not a terrible overall rating. That was the original model, which I had, and it worked flawlessly.

I currently have the newer 5 bay NS (network only) model, and it's even better. Software has improved, and though I have yet to lose a drive, I've read nothing but stellar reviews on no data loss on those as well.

I used to have a RAID array, but it was a pain to maintain.
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