CD players = dead?

I don’t think CD players are dead, but they are on life support😎 Well, that was strong. Let's say in a long term care facility. I ripped my total collection and added Tidal. I now see both at once with Roon. This is the future and this we all know. Great cd players still sound great, but less and less time and money will be spent on innovation and development of CD players. With this will come a slow end....I don’t see this happening fast, next few years, but it will happen slowly over the next 10-15 years.

Vinyl is big with millennials right now, but this is just a fad and deemed to be the cool thing to do. Nothing to do with a desire for better sound quality. It will pass. All serious digital innovation is not going towards CD players. New models may come out as some high end companies seek to milk a product category in the decline stage of its life cycle. 

You rip your collection so it sounds better and is much easier to find and play! Your ripped collection plus streams are both managed through Roon/Tidal for the best sound quality and user interface possible.  You have liner notes, lyrics, reviews, album art, photos, play lists, similar artists, artists influenced by the artist you love, tons of new music and artists you were never aware of and now love, and on and on. This whole experience is very tangible and quite frankly makes handing those flimsy cd jackets, once you finally find the one you want, so very boring and crude. Absolutely no comparison in experience of our hobby from the perspective of this computer challenged, yet now enlightened aphile.  

@kalali
Great question. I find with some older artists like my favorite, Van Morrison, that my ripped collection is deeper than Tidal. This will vary by artist as you know. Right now I spend about 60% of my time listening to Tidal streams vs. my ripped collection. This does vary however. 

Roon shows my ripped and Tidal CDs by artist on one screen. I have duplicate copies of many CDs .... my rips and Tidal streams.

I found that Tidal has changed the way I listen to music. I used to listen to the same rotation of CDs for many years with few new additions. Now I am listening to new artists all the time! I am listening to so much more new music and loving the experience! Eric Bibb is one example of an artist I now listen to regularly that I was not aware of before Tidal. Great blues artist. Many, many others. I search out new stuff every week and it is so easy and convenient. All for $19 month. Yes, I love Tidal.

Your welcome! 

I listen to whole albums when I want when streaming? Just as easy to skip forward on a CD player. Just as easy. Remote and one press of a button. ? 

I don't think sound quality is the issue anymore. I ripped all my cd's and they sound the same, perhaps a tad better than a CD player due to reduced jitter. Perhaps a tad, but pretty much the same. However Tidal when used with Roon is special. Sounds every bit as good with MQA material sounding even better than CDs.  I have done the comparisons vs  PS Audio Perfectwave Memory player which is an outstanding transport. The Memory player bested my previous $5000 CEC transport. 

I suppose it it all depends on the system and total synergy, but experience proved to me that my set-up - Music Vault Ultra II from Sound Science with Tidal and Roon is the ticket! Many front end combos out there that will no doubt yield differing results. 

I see Used PS Audio units selling for $1000 now. Not cheap,, but perhaps more affordable?