Arguments for or against dedicated vs combo CD/DVD

Combo makes sense to me. Less intitial cost. Less cabling costs. Less lost shelf space.

Tok2000, combo players actually save on parts because they don't have to duplicate the redundant parts that seperate players would use. There is also savings in packaging, marketing, transporting and inventory. Combo players reduce the cost of cabling and make cable routing easier. Combo players require less electrical outlets and reduce the cost electrical filtering. Combo players take up less shelf space and therefore allow for smaller (better) racks. The use of combo players also means that line stages, video monitors and remotes don't need as many parts. While I would like to see a uniform standard, combo players encourage a free market which empowers consumers. Format incompatabilty is in some part responsible for the delay in better digital formats coming to any real fruition. Ayre's decision is based on self serving marketing decisions. Should Ayre provide seperate componenets that provided for all formats, it would probably cost the consumer more money. Ayre's decision is in effect a decision to compromise Ayre's customer ability to decide for themselves. All in all combo players should provide the consumer with a better value.

Socrates, you are probably correct in your assesment of the current state of affairs. That assesment does not take into consideration the short period of time and the low number of "combi" players that are compared to much greater number of dedicated players and the greater amount of time in which the dedicated players have had the opportunity to develop. The potential is there for a competetive combi player. IMHO it behooves us to encourage manufacturers to develop these "combi" players. While I realize that this may negate some of my earlier arguments; with digital cross-overs, amplifiers and room correction on the horizon, perhaps what we really need is "combi" transports.

Tok2000, your point about having back up sources has some merit. How ever, I think the savings could be substantialy greater than your figures indicate and those figures don't account for the expense of all the extra cables, etc. If all those savings were not passed onto the customer perhaps some could be used to build a more robust machine. Lets face it, as far as break downs are concerned, you would be in the same boat should a integrated, pre or power amp or any other compnent in the chain break down. As for Mr. Hanson's remarks, well, I think his numbers are more than a bit arbitrary. I don't understand why he would have to double the price for each format considering the redundancy of parts and other inherent savings in business costs. In fact, his own comments seem to imply that marketing high priced players that can't do it all, are having a negative effect on business. With all due respect, I don't want a manufacturer deciding what software I can buy and can't buy.