"Linn Abandon CD"

[Marco]

You can put your CD collection up for sale, but not your downloads.

Indeed. That's another very valid reason for having a 'physical' music collection: large ones are worth a considerable amount of money! 'Faceless' files on a hard-drive are worth bugger all

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

LOL!

You're right, Hamish, apart from one thing...

When you've got a CD transport which is so massively over-engineered in order to read information on discs with the highest accuracy possible, and in turn reduce error to infinitesimally low levels, undetectable by the human ear, thus achieving 99% of the level of accuracy of streaming the same data, the motivation to invest in a machine to do the latter is virtually non-existent - especially when the combination with its partnering DAC produces a sound which is as good as any streaming set-up I've heard so far

The reason why what you say about the "mechanical aspects" of CDPs adversely affecting performance is true (and it most definitely is true) is because 95% of CDPs made, to date since their inception, weren't sufficiently well-engineered in the first place to take full advantage of the format!

The reality is that there are probably no more than a dozen or so CDPs or standalone transports in the world that were genuinely designed to do the job properly, thus few people have heard what CD is really capable of...

Marco.

I was going to say more or less the same thing as Marco, when I read what Hamish wrote earlier.

However I think that there are a few more very good players and transports out there than what Marco suggests.

Any of the Micromega CDM1 mech player/transports or say the Data which uses a Pro2.

The Audiomeca Mephisto (original) then the later 1 and 2 (though getting the lazer mech is not easy should you have a problem)..these were designed by Piere Lurne a TT designer who hated digital, but made/designed some excellent cd players.

Accuphase CD players and transports ....early CDM1 are very good imho.

Pioneer stable platter players.

Marantz CD12,CD94 and probably the CD7.

Esoteric/Teac/Wadia using the top TEAC VRDS laser mechanism.

Early Wadia using CDM1

Sony DAS1 (CDM1 mech) and Sony Scd 1 and 777...amazing mechanism for SACD playback..with mods very good for CD too.

There are more but my mind is going blank at the moment.... Edit CEC excellent transports. Tube Technology Fusion series. Barclay (American company), 47 Labs, Denon made one totally loony CD player once amazing. Oracle CD transports and all in one players. Zanden, Reimyo.

Its about implementation and design of the mechanisms and how various companies used them....whether there was cost cutting or not. The good news is that companies like Audiocom can compensate for cost cutting as long as the mechanism is a good one. Mark can correct me if I am wrong in saying that.

Hamish you need to hear what a brilliant transport sounds like with your copper Dac.

Marco you got any in mind I haven't listed ?

Regards D S D L

[Marco]

Hi Neil,

You're right, I was probably a little conservative in my estimate, but it still represents a tiny fraction of the total amount of CDPs and standalone transports that were made

The fact is the massive over-engineering and use of the highest quality components available, particularly transport mechanisms, (employed in some of the designs above) costs serious money and is why it is completely prohibitive in all but the most expensive of CDPs made today, and even then sometimes it's not guaranteed!

I think we have to face up to the fact that the days of truly great (in any way affordable) CDPs are over, which is why if you've got one you need to treasure it for however long it will last.........

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Neil,

You're right, I was probably a little conservative in my estimate, but it still represents a tiny fraction of the total amount of CDPs and standalone transports that were made

The fact is the massive over-engineering and use of the highest quality components available (employed in some of the designs above) costs serious money and is why it is completely prohibitive in all but the most expensive of CDPs made today, and even then sometimes it's not guaranteed!

I think we have to face up to the fact that the days of truly great (in any way affordable) CDPs are over, which is why if you've got one you need to treasure it for however long it will last.........

Marco.

You are right there. That is why I have bought so many great CD players and transports over the years....and kept them. This ensures I have the ability to play my CDs for many years to come and to a very high standard.


Regards D S D L

[Audiocom AV]

nice to see you here mark, its been a while!
A...

Thanks Anthony

Have a nice Xmas

[Rare Bird]

It's easy.. stock pile your CD collection, FLAC em onto HDD, copy the HDD as back up & bobs yer uncle, no mechanical tripe from your CD player ever again, fast high quality access to your collection.Good thing about streaming files is there's no my dicks bigger than your dick as would be with CD players between people.A Basic streaming system if implimented correctly can sound superb regardless of cost.

Downloads arnt worth a hoot, if they even stood back for a moment & realised MP-3 were tripe that they offer & not to be taken seriously people would buy more that way, but as marco pointed out downloads arnt collections you can own & be proud of..

MP-3 are heavily used as a download media cost there easy & fast to use with portables & greedy people want to save more & more space on their HDD's..

CD are a tricky thing to get rid of as they are so vesritile ie: computors, burning etc etc..or they would have gone some time ago IMHO.

[Kris]

CD are a tricky thing to get rid of as they are so vesritile ie: computors, burning etc etc..or they would have gone some time ago IMHO.

Flash cards and USB sticks have taken over from CD/DVD as a portable data storage medium, and many modern TVs have a USB or flash card input.

The only thing that's keeping silver discs alive as a general consumer format, IMO, is the Christmas/Birthday market. You can't wrap up a download.

[Rare Bird]

Flash cards and USB sticks have taken over from CD/DVD as a portable data storage medium, and many modern TVs have a USB or flash card input.

Dunno Kris Most software comes in the form of a disc still..Cards & Sticks cost a lot more than a disc.Bootlegers of DVD/CD will require Discs to sell them on.You can burn your CD-r on the pooter, take it over to the CDP on the Hi-fi & just play, you cant take a stick or flash over.Discs are to too easy & cheap..

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Give it time, we sell 8gb cards in the shop for £25, it's was only 3 years ago you could barely buy a 512mb for that
it is purly down to an industry where CDs are still so much the norm.. At one point 3 1/2 inch floppys (the jokes been made marco) were the norm and what were they 1mb?
Times change, formats come and go, for me the trick is not to get too bogged down or sentimental about them - just use what gives the best sound for you

[Rare Bird]

Yes Hamish but you will never get em as cheap as recordable discs.Take a DVD for instance 4.7GB are they?..you can get mountains of albums in MP-3 format on one of those for less than 20p..Something will come along but i recon were stuck with Disc for a long time yet.I agree don't get attached, use what you like..I've always like mini disc as there convenient & take some hammer being in a case, sound like CD & can be recorded on both Analogue & digital through cheap portables..My Sony MZ-R900 MD machine is still awesome, all metal construction..