CD and Network Streamers

Hi Martin?

There has been a lot of progress over the last ten to twenty years, quickly replaced by streaming. We have gone from CD players and Vinyl to streaming. I have been following and been disappointed by digital for decades… but then CD players (a transport, streamer, and DAC in the same box) started to mature and approach vinyl about fifteen years ago.

In the last ten years there has been a flash of playing high Rez files. But today streaming (Qobuz … or Tidal) can equal vinyl. In my system it does… yes full wide soundstage, imaging, tonal balance… etc. it is worth skipping intermediate technologies like CD players. You need a high end streamer (think Aurender) and a high end DAC. But for $12.99 per month you have access to nearly infinite music… at CD quality or better. Qobuz has over half a million high resolution albums on line. I have had many streamers to get my systems where they are.

Don’t waste your money on CD players. Work on putting together a streamer / DAC… it will future proof you and give you nearly infinite access to music.

@vonhelmholtz

I would think you intended to say, “hardly worth the time”. assuming you already had the CDs. I’m giving away my CDs.

Fortunately I had ripped mine over the last fifteen years… so I put them on my streamer… but I never play them. They sound exactly the same as the streamed version and often Qobuz has a higher resolution version available. I probably play a ripped CD once a year.