Why Do ~You~ Still Play CDs?

Thanks again to everyone who has responded. So much goodness here! 

I'm old guy who grew up on CD, vinyl, cassette tape, 8 track and reel-to-reel.  When CD arrived, I found myself using my turn table less and less, so, eventually, I got rid of it (and everything else), and stuck with playing CD exclusively.  Why, because CD sounded so wonderful, and I no longer had to deal with the hassles of  owning a turn table.  When streaming music advanced to the point where it's sound quality rose to the level of CD quality and beyond, I found myself using my CD player less and less, so, eventually, I got rid of my CD player, for the same reasons that I gave up vinyl for CD.  And, I've never been happier!!!  Happy listening.       

To all the audiophiles who have for decades touted that the shortest signal path is the best so many times that it's become conventional wisdom, how do you reconcile that with a signal that can (theoretically) be transmitted halfway around the planet sounding as pure and to be as intact as one that travels, say, a foot and a half? Just asking.

All the best,
Nonoise

@nonoise audiophiles are not necessarily engineers so good luck with that science thing!! We just know….. what sounds good better than the average bear. That’s pretty much it.

“the shortest signal path is the best”
@nonoise 

Since you asked……

The “shortest signal path is best” principle originates from the analog era, where every additional connection or component introduced potential for signal degradation, noise, and distortion. This was especially true for fragile analog signals, where maintaining purity was paramount.

In the digital realm, however, the game changes. Digital signals are far more robust over distance because they are transmitted as data packets, which can be error-checked, corrected, and reclocked to ensure integrity. A digital signal traveling halfway around the planet via fiber optics or Ethernet can arrive virtually unaltered, assuming the network and equipment are high-quality. This is why streaming, when done right, can rival or surpass traditional physical media playback.

That said, the transition from digital to analog still matters. The quality of the DAC, power supplies, and even the local signal path in your playback chain remains critical. Audiophiles who value the shortest signal path may need to reconcile their beliefs with the fact that in the digital domain, distance and path length are less of a concern than implementation and system design.

Hope this helps!