Why Purchase A CD Player or Transport ?

Another +vote for CD/SACD players sounding Damn good. Mine do.

Happy Listening!

i got a $20 CD player and a host of hand-me-down DVD players. i run em thru a bad ass tube dac. sounds good. sometimes, for funzies, i run em thru a reverse RIAA into a tube phono. they sounds damn good that way too. bu straight into my preamp is a lil harsh. punchy as hell but harsh. 

My streaming usually sounds better than CDs, or the same if in the same resolution. But Qobuz has half a million high resolution albums. I would take the money you were going to invest in a CD player and upgrade your streamer… or DAC… or preamp. Whatever your weakest link is. I am giving away all my CDs.

With a good streamer and DAC streaming can match or exceed the quality of vinyl.

Also. Once streaming is at a real audiophile level, and with millions of albums at your disposal… at least for me, the focus changed from laser focus on the very best recordings of a very few artists to a vastly expanding array of recordings and genera of music… something not sounding good… move on. There are thousands of incredibly well recorded, high resolution albums available. I also found all sorts of albums I did not know about from artists I love… no extra charge.

The more thoughtfully applied funds dedicated to as few components in your system the better it will sound… the more captivating, musical and rewarding. I recommend concentrate on the essential components. CDs are simply computer files on a optical disk… as opposed to located on a disk drive, server, or streamed. Don’t waste money on a optical disk reader and DAC in a box.

No but I am buying compact discs on Amazon for $4.00

have a awesome transport and DAC and still enjoy my LP collection.

The important thing is the music.I listen to Classical exclusively and I can actually find a CD on my shelves in most instances than I can find it from a commercial streaming service or even after I've ripped it to a HD.  Streaming from Qobuz can also sound quite good but I give nod to my CDs, ripped to a HD or direct replay.  And I have a ton of SACDs and Blu Rays and am able to extract the DSD layer from the former with my Oppo/Bryston DAC combination. 

@sbank That’s an excellent idea that I will definitely pursue at some point. 

@soix have you considered ripping those to a hard drive or NAS that you can locally stream? I find this better sounding than most transports. Just use a laptop and drive, good software like XLD rip them once and then play those CDs via network using your streaming software...

I have 1000s of soundboard concert recordings that aren't on the streaming services, so this is an important part of my streaming setup and many here do similar for various reasons. Cheers,

Spencer

Just curious if you’re using the upgraded iFi power supply for the Zen?

I added the iFi iPower Elite. This was a major improvement. Next I added a Shunyata system power conditioner and this improved all aspects of my system. When the Holo DAC arrives I’ll isolate the Zen Stream ethernet input by using two media converters and fiber optic cable. I will then decide if I want the AirLens.

I just ordered an external cd/dvd drive and will rip my CDs to my NUC server.  Contributor's remarks above made the move to a transport less of a priority for me.

One thing overlooked is all the time, money, blood, sweat and tears it can take to assemble a fine streaming set up. Mastering that, how could anyone say it's not as good as playing a CD?

All I did was add the iFi Zen Stream (with upgraded power supply), linked it to my WiFi and that’s all it took.  As others said, it doesn’t need to be that hard at all. 

I might move to the AirLens from the iFi Zen Stream 

@vonhelmholtz Just curious if you’re using the upgraded iFi power supply for the Zen?

All the time doing research and trying different devices is extremely interesting to me, complexity is fun, I understand this may not be for everyone. And as Cleeds mentioned it doesn't have to be difficult, very nice setup can be assembled via tried and trued methods involving minimal complexity.

I'm a huge advocate for streaming, can't put into words how much my listening experience has improved since streaming. Not just sound quality, but also the ability to choose with just a few presses of buttons music to fit your particular mood at that particular moment! My listening session ebb and flow, stream of consciousness takes over.

I'm already setup for vinyl and streaming..but I might move to the AirLens from the iFi Zen Stream when out and Esoteric E-02 Balanced phono preamplifier from the Sutherland 20/20 LPS once available later in the year.  No real obstacles to building either formats, except the financial hurdle.

I'd never go back to cd's, and I have well over 2.5K of them. I've found streaming superior to cd's, and this in earlier days of streaming to which I've since made further upgrades. Last two transports I used were Mark Levinson #37 and modded PS Audio Perfectwave memory. Add the nearly limitless availability of music via streaming, slam dunk for streaming IMO. With $4k you're well on your way to very nice streaming setup.

Are there a substantial number of well recorded performances recorded on CD which can’t be found via streaming services, or where the streaming version is sonically inferior to the CD?

No, but the ones that I have — probably around 20 CDs or so — are quite special and I need to have a way to play them. 

Are there a substantial number of well recorded performances recorded on CD which can’t be found via streaming services, or where the streaming version is sonically inferior to the CD?

Unless you have a large number of rare CDs the answer to this is probably no, but there will be albums that you won’t find on your streaming service.

Technology continues to improve rapidly in both the CD and streaming formats. Which one will eventually sound best is hard to know. Streaming has the advantage of hi-res formats (96/24, 192/24 at present). CD is always going to be 44.1/16.

The great advantage of streaming is that you have access to millions of albums. I love being able to find great music I’ve never heard of. Most of the apps you use to control your streamer suggest new artists based on what you’ve already listened to. I use roon (subscription required) for this and I love it.

Streaming is the future. It already provides about 85% of revenues to the music labels. CD could make a comeback but there’s no guarantee of that.

I can't say one way or the other as I don't stream but there are plenty of reviewers out there who've expressed a preference for CDs over streaming. One reviewer finally found one streamer that bested his CD and stored files but it cost north of $15K just to be incrementally better. I could live without that, quite easily.

One thing overlooked is all the time, money, blood, sweat and tears it can take to assemble a fine streaming set up. Mastering that, how could anyone say it's not as good as playing a CD?

It's like some backyard garage mechanic who can keep his car in proper working order thinking he's a master mechanic. You always see their cars ending up on jack stands in their driveways.

All the best,
Nonoise

Weird question. Why would any "subset" sound better through a CD player ?

Perhaps that was poorly worded.

Are there a substantial number of well recorded performances recorded on CD which can’t be found via streaming services, or where the streaming version is sonically inferior to the CD?

I'm considering the purchase of the PS Audio SACD I2s transport which is on sale for $3999.00.  I'm thinking that I can rip my CDs, never listen to my SACD and save the $3999.00 + $1k I2s cable and additional Timber Nation Tiger Maple shelving/stand.  That said, saving has not been part of the equation where the saved money negatively impacts the listening experience.

My streaming now sounds better than playing CDs.  The only reason I keep my transport around is to play stuff that isn’t available to stream. 

Why purchase a CD/SACD player? Because it can sound so damn good.

All the best,
Nonoise

Some people prefer physical formats. If you have a good sized collection of CDs and SACDs that you will play occasionally, it might be worth your time and money to upgrade your SACD player.

If you’re really100% committed to vinyl, you should put your money there.

Weird question. Why would any "subset" sound better through a CD player ?