Why CD players will never be dead

When cd-quality music is widely available for affordable streaming from the Cloud, then the cd will likely be all but dead. Until then, I suspect the format will hold on longer than some expect. It's also worth considering that cd's can be purchased for 8 dollars while the digital download of the same material can be 50 percent more expensive. The end is certainly near for the shiny disc but reports of its demise may be a tad exaggerated.

Elizabeth,

IMHO, most server systems are still a bit wonky...sort of where home wifi was 5 years ago...a tad complex if one isn't computer savy. That is rapidly changing and I suspect most companies will have easy-to-install and reliable systems within 24 months. Anyone who says setting up state-of-the art computer audio is currently as easy as pressing play on a cd player is probably trying to sell something. One day it will be that easy, but not right now.

Grannyring,

What's the rush? Wait another year or two and you'll be able to get something easy-to-use and fantastic for your $1500. The pace of improvement is like lightning right now. A huge investment in computer audio right now will likely result in disappointment later. The reason you get so many conflicting opinions about what works is that people are just now figuring some of this out.. We're still in BETA (at least in terms of user- friendliness) when it comes to computer audio. Just my two cents.

Shakey,

Wayne at Bolder modded my linear PS and I am loving the result. He's got a Bybee mod that's supposed to be amazing. Too bad I'm over budget right now.

Hevac1 and Shakey,

You just made my day. I can't stop laughing.

Would someone care to weigh in on the PSAudio Perfect Wave memory player? It may not be better than computer audio files that never touched a disc, but I've found it to be equal to anything ripped from a disc and then fed to a DAC. Here's why: The PW player uploads the data from a disc into a buffer and then the data is transmitted bit perfect to the PW DAC via an I2S interface.

I wanna hear more about Moby's long lost son! Thanks, Onemug. lol.

I really can't understand why anyone cares whether Mr. Tennis prefers or doesn't prefer his cdp over computer audio. It's like reading about why he should like one single malt over another. Their his taste buds. It doesn't sound like he's trying to change anyone's opinion about what they should prefer, either.

Chadeffect,

I apologize for my imprecise wording...I meant I didn't understand why anyone would want to change someone else's firmly stated preference..as if against their will. You are merely sharing your experience which is, of course, completely understandable.

As to the topic, which is whether the compact disc is dead, I think it's safe to assume people will hold on to their dicks as long as it suits them, floppy or otherwise. Thanks again Hevac1! Autocorrect has it's blessings...the results are often hilarious.

For instance it keeps changing its to it's. Argh!

Some people enjoy playing with computers and computer programs. For those who don't and who have very high sound quality standards, computer audio is not quite ready for prime time. Let me explain.

When I'm at home, I listen to audio for fun. The best computer experience for me at home is something like my IPad and my Squeezebox Touch. I plug them in and they do everything I want them to perfectly. Pandora upsampled to 176.4 can be surprisingly satisfying. Controlled by my IPad, it's even *more* fun. This System took 20 minutes to set up and it always delivers. My IPad and Touch are like my toaster or my microwave....or my transport. THEY serve ME.

When I regularly read about the dizzying array of file conversion steps/programs/servers and trouble shooting necessary to keep a computer-based system operational and working at optimal performance standards, I shudder. It reminds me of a first-generation linksys wireless router I once owned that tortured me for several years.

One day an affordable plug 'n play "toaster" system or device will be available for those who want to experience the very best computer-based/digital audio can offer. Until then, I will let others do the heavy lifting (I really do appreciate your hard work). Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy cd playback through a DAC that provides me nearly as much joy as the best server-generated audio I've heard (and I've heard some of the best)