+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 9 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 87

Thread: CD Revival?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default CD Revival?

    I think I may be right in predicting that before too long, CD's will go through a similar revival in interest and 'fashionability' to that experienced by records some years ago, bringing them to their undeniable current popularity.

    Some manufacturers are introducing new high spec CD players and transports. Have they spotted a trend? I have a feeling there is the beginnings of one.

    CD's are very cheap at the moment. Is this the time to start stocking up?

    Fortunately, I have nearly all the CD's I'm likely to want and several decent players and DAC's, so I suppose I'm ahead of the game .

  2. #2
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Reading, UK

    Posts: 362

    Default

    Personally, I doubt there will be a significant CD revival. I could write pages on this but I'll try and keep it brief

    I don't think anybody really understands all the reasons behind the vinyl revival. However, it has been driven by today's young as well as those who were brought up with it. My belief is the format and tactile nature of vinyl has driven much of the interest and revival. The album artwork, the larger sleeves, the fact you can see something happening when you are listening to the music, the retro aspect, the nostalgia. The fact the format is associated with possibly the heyday of popular music (1960s/1970s).

    CD never had that appeal.

    After all, there has not been a cassette or 8-track revival.

    There is also the fact that all a CDP does is convert a digital code into an analogue signal. Modern devices such as computers and other devices do that just as well - we don't complain about using computers for everything else and the bits not being right.

    However, there are, I believe, some CDs that are valuable, original non-barcoded releases, etc. Also, as you say CDs are SO cheap. It is generally better to buy a used CD off Amazon and rip it than buy a lower bit rate download.

    All IMHO of course

  3. #3
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    i still think cd will remain a popular choice. its a good medium, and sits nicely between the no physical media streaming and the major investment of vinyl.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  4. #4
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Bishop View Post
    There is also the fact that all a CDP does is convert a digital code into an analogue signal. Modern devices such as computers and other devices do that just as well - we don't complain about using computers for everything else and the bits not being right.

    However, there are, I believe, some CDs that are valuable, original non-barcoded releases, etc. Also, as you say CDs are SO cheap. It is generally better to buy a used CD off Amazon and rip it than buy a lower bit rate download

    As you say, all a CD player does is convert digital to analogue for playback. But there is a certain enjoyable tactility about using a player and discs that streaming does not have. Streaming is about as involving and interesting as turning on a kitchen tap. I like CD's and their players .

    Also, buying second hand CD's is not the minefield that used vinyl tends to be. An old CD will generally play just as well as a new one.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

    Default

    I personally am enjoying the fact that CD’s are selling dirt cheap! I’ve been stocking up on most any title I can think of. Only the really special stuff do I seek out on vinyl anymore.

    I never stopped collecting vinyl. During the years that no new vinyl was for sale, except for some specialty labels, I could buy albums for a dollar! At the flea market or local second hand shops. Heck, people gave me their vinyl collections. CD’s came around at $17 each, and after many years dropped down to about $13. And during those times vinyl was just a few bucks. Now, new vinyl is $24 and CD’s are just a few bucks. I suppose once all the old CD’s have found their-self a home, prices on used ones may climb a little?

    But as Phil said, newer digital mediums do what CD’s do, only better. CD players will be in demand for the next 30 years, just because of the vast collections of CD’s already out in the world. As advertised, if you take care of them they’ll last forever. 8-tracks didn’t last, once they stopped making them, within two years they were all broken! My old 8 tracks had so many splices in them you could barely tell what you were listening to.

    If a person wanted to get into CD’s right now, it would be a very good time! High end players are selling very affordable on the used market, and everything you can think of is available on eBay or other sources of used music. A person could enjoy a CD collection for a fraction of what it cost the first time around.

    Russell

  6. #6
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Bishop View Post
    Personally, I doubt there will be a significant CD revival. I could write pages on this but I'll try and keep it brief

    I don't think anybody really understands all the reasons behind the vinyl revival. However, it has been driven by today's young as well as those who were brought up with it. My belief is the format and tactile nature of vinyl has driven much of the interest and revival. The album artwork, the larger sleeves, the fact you can see something happening when you are listening to the music, the retro aspect, the nostalgia. The fact the format is associated with possibly the heyday of popular music (1960s/1970s).

    CD never had that appeal.

    After all, there has not been a cassette or 8-track revival.

    There is also the fact that all a CDP does is convert a digital code into an analogue signal. Modern devices such as computers and other devices do that just as well - we don't complain about using computers for everything else and the bits not being right.

    However, there are, I believe, some CDs that are valuable, original non-barcoded releases, etc. Also, as you say CDs are SO cheap. It is generally better to buy a used CD off Amazon and rip it than buy a lower bit rate download.

    All IMHO of course
    Actually there has been to a degree, though small, and reel to reel seems to be growing in popularity again with rumours of new machines coming to market.
    Regards Neil

  7. #7
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,772
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    I don't think CD will revive in any significant way, it may become like cassette or RTR where there is a tiny niche market that will always be around.

    Most people now, and I'm talking about civilians here, are streaming, not buying, in any format, even downloads. You want to listen to something, you click on it, listen then move on. You don't buy it and stick it on a shelf or even on your hard drive anymore. 3 months later you want to listen to it again, you stream it again. This is now the new normal.

    Vinyl you've got the artwork, the turntables, and it's desperately anachronistic, and that's its special appeal over streaming. CD is just the worst of both worlds; it does not have the convenience of streaming, it does not have the kerb appeal of vinyl.

    No-one cares about floppy discs anymore, there's no nostalgia for them, they were never cool and never will be. I suspect CD will go, or is already going, the same way.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  8. #8
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Reading, UK

    Posts: 362

    Default

    Interesting conversation Actually, with digital I sit somewhere between CD Players and streaming. I generally buy used CDs as they are SO cheap these days and rip them to iTunes on my Mac, thence via DACs to my systems. However, if I my house burnt down and I had to start from scratch again I'd probably just subscribe to a streaming service such as Apple Music or Spotify Premium.

    Cheers

    Phil

  9. #9
    Join Date: Mar 2011

    Location: Reading

    Posts: 110
    I'm George.

    Default

    I think there are the murmurings of a revival. What the vinyl revival showed was people like owning the music rather than have an amorphous computer cloud serve up music.

    Maybe paranoia. But what would you do if Tidal, Qobuz or Spotify stopped, you would have no music. Both Tidal and Qobuz have been (are still?) in financial straights and are certainly NOT making money. Never mind if you have the CD (they sound better) as they are your ultimate back-up.

    Kylie's new album is on cassette.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Mar 2010

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,898
    I'm Simon.

    Default

    No one ever skinned up on a CD case and enjoyed it.
    Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 9 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •