Big source improvement using CD player

I have found that it is not so much the medium as it is the particular mastering.  A lot of streaming sources do sound bad, but then, so do a lot of currently available CDs of the same music.  In many cases, older CDs sound WAY better then current reissues.  It comes down to how the digital mastering was done.  That is one of the reasons why certain CD reissues command exorbitant prices on Discogs, such as Japanese reissues.  

I think it is worthwhile having a CD player and buying used CDs; they can be quite economical to collect.  But, I don't think one loses any quality by ripping the CD to put on a streamer/server.  The sound quality of a server can be as good as that of a CD player and a server makes your collection much more accessible and convenient.  Also, streaming services can give you access to way more music than you can possible own, even though quality is sometimes not ideal.  

The Marantz CD players (especially the ones that play Blu-rays and DVDs) are not that expensive and have excellent sound.  

CDs sound better than streaming? Shh ... once the word gets out, the streamers won't be donating their CDs to the thrift stores anymore. 

Frank

Oppo 105D.

Puff, you have uncovered a great truth of digital audio: CD playback sounds better than streaming. I have found this to be the case in every scenario I’ve tried: in my main rig, my headphone rig, in my car, etc. 
Of course price and quality play a role. A $15 CD player probably won’t beat a $1,000 streamer. Given comparable budgets, CD players sound better.

It's no doubt that a cd player is better than spotify. Try Tidal or Quobuz and the story ends differently.

And no you don't need a USB dac into a computer. Get (at a minimum) a Bluesound Node 2i and computer be damned.

Oz

Spotify is not intended to have good sound quality...

Turn a 105 into a giant killer

It is common knowledge that the Oppo 105s Achilles Heel is the power supply (less recognized is the IEC and jumper for 120/220, as well). I found aftermarket PNP modules on Ebay as well as the EIC jumper. I bought an expensive EIC/jumper kit first, and was shocked at the sonic improvement. Once inside, I could see how easy it is to replace the OEM PS

For ~ $400 a 105 can be very competitive with many hi-end cd players/transports that plays most all current media
105s can be found used for ~$750, so...

hth

Spinning silver was the revelation.  But I do not want to be limited to 17-18 songs on a cd.  I was wondering if a dvd would sound just as good if copied with the same file sizes.  Reason being is that I refuse to change my cd every hour not to mention the predictability of the songs.  I'd like to throw 200 songs on a DVD without losing sound quality.  Is this possible? @oldhvymec what do you have?

So you want a good SACD, for spinning silver disk, right.
You have Spotify and the CD sounds better? Does it have to do both?
A CD I have a great little nugget, if that's what you want.

Regards

If you're into streaming, I would much recommend a USB DAC so you can either stream or playing from your PC.  For your budget, I would recommend the Ayre QB9 DSD used.

Try Tidal its better sound quality than Spotify.https://tidal.com/