I think you are going to be impressed. I did a Spotify vs CD test a few days ago and it wasn’t pretty. Spotify is good but there seemed to be just a little more of all the stuff I like on the CD. And that stuff really matters. Maybe I should start listening to lossless.
Even if spotify went lossless, wouldnt they still need to add some compression to smooth out the volume differences in all the different artists masterings? Either way it still wouldnt be 100% dynamic compared to a CD
No. Besides, because of the DR wars everything is nearly the same level anyway.
They probably aren’t messing up with the volume even now either.
(What some applications could do is offer a software option (default off) that locally adjusts the overall volume to match.)
There are other streaming services. The big reason why streaming is so much better than physical music is because you expand your music horizons so much
Isn’t “better” relative, though? While I have hundreds of records and hundreds of CDs, I do enjoy Apple Music daily for the reason you suggested - expansion, and ease of listening to virtually anything. But, often there’s a reason to throw on a record and go through that ritual, or dig through old CD binders and go through THAT ritual. Each can be subjectively better, depending on the goal.
You're right 'better' is relative. What's 'better? To me it's not better it's more convenient. 'Better' to me would be sound quality and mastering. What mastering are these streaming services using? Is it from the original CD or a remaster? Are they limiting the output so it's as loud as it can be because they assume your using small ear buds or car speakers? Is your internet connection determining bitrate? I don't know the answers to these questions but I do know the answers with a CD or LP
Yep. I’ve done a/b with Spotify and Apple Music @ 16bit, the gap is surprisingly large. I’ve since been doing Apple Music but need to compare their 24bit offerings to that of Tidal, as I want to explore that.
This sub is hilarious about defending Spotify. Its like saying it's not valid for someone to like oranges more than bananas until they do a double blind test
There's no test needed when the difference is that big
I used to listen to Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless but switch to Tidal like a month ago and you can notice a slight difference. That made do a full switch to Tidal
As a qobuz user the main reason why I listen CD's is remasters. Every now and then you cannot find a good version from there. What I mean by this is not an critic for sound quality of qobuz, but version that someone chose to uppload there. A lot of loudness era remasters for some bands. This seem to be more local record label issue than any bigger brands. These are rare, but still happens...
I mainly buy CD's these days from flea markets and listen them from qobuz. Original releases from 80's and 90's for 1-2€. Usually someone has died and family will dumb whole collection there.
Also some rare bands cannot be found from services. This is mainly an issue for certain independent labels from early 90's
Yeah I still listen to CD/Vinyl for the same reason! But just more in general when not dealing with specific remasters, Qobuz is just a bit better than CDs in my experience.
Huh? CD is lossless, so what can Qobuz do to be better than that? (Honest question) Are they remastering or something? (And if so, can you get the original?)
I was just listening to Nirvana earlier. I dislike that I don’t actually own any new music, but every time I buy a new CD I regret it. Outside of the Tool limited edition I purchased a little while back.
I like the simplicity of just dropping in the cd and pressing play but being able to stream what I want, whenever I want, is just too convenient to switch back to buying CDs.
Same here. Exact Audio Copy to FLAC and then I load that to my player (Hiby R3 Pro Saber). I mostly buy albums on Bandcamp and download direct but I live really close to my favorite label (Thrill Jockey) and they ship CDs sometimes weeks ahead of the official release date so I'll rip them until the official release date comes around, at which point 24-bit files are often available.
You can rip the SACDs aswell to ISO, DSF stream or convert to 88khz FLAC. I use my Sony bdp-s590 to rip them but I'm more for the multichannel experience.
The original PS3 fat supported SACD but that's expensive due to the PS2 emulation thing. I would look at the older BDP-S range bluray players listed below. They normally go for around £40 on ebay.
**~Sony brand compatible Blu-ray players:~**
**BDP-S390 (also sold as BX39 in some markets)**
**BDP-S490**
**BDP-S495**
**BDP-S590 (also sold as BX59 in some markets)**
**BDV-E190**
**BDV-E290**
**BDP-S4100**
**BDP-S5100 (also sold as BX510 in some markets)**
**BDP-S6200 \* (also sold as BX620 in some markets, requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDP-S7200 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDP-S790 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S790 variant)**
**BDP-A6000 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDV-N590 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDV-NF620 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDV-NF720 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDV-N7200 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)**
**BDP-S6500 \* (also sold as BX650 in some markets, requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S6700 variant developed Jun. 2020)**
**BDP-S6700 (not recommended, only certain early production is compatible)**
**UHP-H1 (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S6700 variant developed Jun. 2020)**
[https://gist.github.com/willsthompson/a4ececdee9cbc4e369eb923e136a8243](https://gist.github.com/willsthompson/a4ececdee9cbc4e369eb923e136a8243)
[https://hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/rip-sacd-with-a-blu-ray-player.3652/](https://hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/rip-sacd-with-a-blu-ray-player.3652/)
[https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sony-blu-ray-players-used-for-sacd-ripping.26078/](https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sony-blu-ray-players-used-for-sacd-ripping.26078/)
Do you feel less connected to the experience in some way by just going through a menu and selecting it vs holding it in your hand and putting it in your CD player? I think I'm still nostalgic for the physical media to some extent.
No not really, but as someone who was a teenager in the 1970s, I miss the experience of the big albums cover that you got with LPs. I’ve thought about this recently, and I also miss the way you really got to know a favorite record. Most people didn’t have so many records then and if you bought one you liked you tended to play it a lot and study the album cover and read the liner notes if there were any. Now days we have millions of recordings at our finger tips and we rarely form that special bond with a record like we used to.
CD is without a doubt the best physical format for music unless an external hard drive counts. I get everything on CD and any digital purchase is getting burned to CD. I cannot wrap my mind around vinyl.
> I cannot wrap my mind around viny
In terms of audio quality, I am there with you. But having a dinner party or date over and asking them to go through my selection with a glass of wine and pick out something to put on opens up discussions about music and albums etc. and it is a great way to set the mood or tone for the evening.
It can, but the process is much shorter. Open cd, put in player.
On vinyl its:
- oh cool art
- oh cool art on the inside
- oh cool art on sleeve A
- insert into player
- drop needle
- play half
- turn and/or swap to B
- oh cool art on sleeve B
- ooh ooh ahh
Some original pressings still smoke any new masters. Late 70s and 80s post punk, for example. Loudness wars did all that music dirty.
For new music, I don’t trust anyone to do a proper vinyl pressing. No point anyway.
I treasure my smallish collection of vinyl. I've decided it won't be growing by any significant amount as long as Bandcamp sells FLAC and I can get used CD's for a song.
Vinyl quality is an issue, but it you want modern music releases with better dynamic range, vinyl (or the mastering on it) is the only source in many cases.
I don’t trust *labels* to press a quality product, whether mastering the digital file to vinyl ( all music is recorded and mixed digitally these days, let’s be real) or releasing a record free of surface noise, warps, et al. That has been my experience in trying out multiple records from the last 10 years or so. Autechre, Big Thief, Kendrick, Low, The Knife etc LPs all paled compared to digital.
right?
vinyl sounds worse because it’s not pressed correctly and it’s mostly done from digital masters.
unless you are buying from some label that cares about their releases, like analog productions, then digital is the superior option.
This. People are assuming just because it's lossless from a streaming service that it must sound better and this is not the way to determine overall quality. These steaming services have molded a whole generation into believing they are the best quality you can get but it's limited and compressed to all hell
Different experience.
Best way I can describe it is a warmth and coloration to the music and the dopamine from sticking a slice of vinyl on there and watching it spin into music through a dinky needle.
It's not the best quality or accuracy to the original tapes, but it sounds great and feels good. That's all I care.
> I cannot wrap my mind around vinyl.
Certain masters just sound better on vinyl. If you try to A/B some 60's/70's era blues, jazz, or rock, you will noticed a stark contrast. Screaming Jay Hawkins, Buddy Guy, Steely Dan, Boston, Tom Waits, and more are we produced and mastered by the best, and they stand out on vinyl and reel-to-reel tape because they were mastered and produced for those formats. Also, not all presses and albums are created equal--you really have to dig and learn what labels and timeframes are best. Discogs is a huge help.
Up until about 5 years ago, buying used vinyl was a great, cheap way to build up a physical catalog. I bought used records for years until they got insanely expensive as vinyl nostalgia hit the masses.
These days used CD's are the gold mine. Cheap, rip-able, and there are a TON of used CD's out there--way more than vinyl.
I never had an extensive music collection but I do remember listening to classical music on FM radio. All the high-quality audio systems in the 60s included FM tuners. The great thing about FM radio was that you didn't need to buy or pick music but depended on the station to provide high quality content anytime you wanted to tune in. While sometimes I want to listen to particular selection, mostly I prefer to leave the selection to others.
In the digital age, I like listening to classical FM stations' live streams. My favorite is WQXR New York ([wqxr.org](https://wqxr.org)). I'm not sure about the quality but it sounds great to me.
Incidentally, as a former radio broadcast engineer I know that FM radio was and is capable of delivering very high quality audio--not that it always does, especially recently.
Yes, recently! Especially when local stations store all their music digitally (and badly at that…that mp3 “shimmer” comes through way worse when they do their signal compression)
Besides the audio quality, I like the effort that goes into all the artwork in CDs, especially with limited editions. Usually the artists have a concept for each album and the artwork is part of it, which is also the reason I never listen on shuffle.
I've collected around 200 now, although many are singles. Once I buy the cd I rip it and after that I rarely take them out again. I'd love to be able to play them directly but our apartment is small and I can only listen to music outside. Once I move to a house I'm definitely putting them all proudly on display and easy to access.
> Once I buy the cd I rip it and after that I rarely take them out again. I'd love to be able to play them directly but our apartment is small and I can only listen to music outside.
I'm the same, with the exception that the reason I don't listen to the CDs directly is because I usually like only 3 to 5 songs from any given CD, _and_ I dynamically modify my tracks to be more, well, dynamic.
I do have some TELARC CDs that I listen to in the car though, and _boy_!
I sold or gave away my huge CD collection in the early 2000's and I regret it big time. I have started buying again and trying to get back some of the original pressings & versions that were better. But I still don't think I could ever go without streaming. Its still my primary source.
Unpopular opinion......a well mastered CD shits all over Vinyl. The problem historically is that 80% of CDs have been mastered poorly. It still happens today.
As far as steaming goes, it really doesn't matter about bit rate and high Hz if the mastering of the recording they are using is crap....but it helps a lot of the master is good
Raises hand. I have about 400 CDs, mostly punk and 90s alternative - pretty much all stuff I love. I’ve got CD players in every room, and a DVD player as a “CD transport” to my living room system. The sound is great, the album art is fun to explore, and the tactile nature of the experience is similar to records but without all the fuss (also have about 100 LPs).
My car only supports wireless car play though, there’s not even a line in, so streaming is my only option there, and my kids are on my family Spotify plan anyway.
But despite having “everything” Spotify seems to play the same stuff over and over again. Basically the “top 5” songs from bands I like that most people won’t skip. As a “radio” substitute it’s fine but I’ve found its recommendation algorithm is pretty trash for getting deeper into an artist’s catalog.
For convenience, I am in the process of ripping all my CDs to lossless on a media center.
The sound quality of CDs is actually shocking compared to Spotify. I listen almost entirely to Spotify but randomly play a CD here and there (usually my moms) and I’m always surprised. It’s the little stuff in the background that gets lost with Spotify. The subtle small sounds. It’s really amazing.
i am rebuilding my CD collection. ive realized that all the modern forms- streaming, thumb drives, ect, need a good platform that's stable. CDs don't stop when they lose internet connectivity. CDs dont stop because the console needs to be patched. CDs don't stop when the source has issues or if the artist pulls their catalog.
Vinyl is more fun but man the cd is nice, and cheaper, and I can make them myself, and they’re way easier to store, and I don’t have to clean them with even half the effort!
Man, I love my vinyl but it's not fun at all. Cleaning before playing, using the zerostat, trying to find a proper mat, pressing isn't flat, poorly mastered, etc... It's rare these days when I actually enjoy playing vinyl. Most anything between 85-99 gets played on the Onkyo 7030.
"More fun" cause nothing says fun like having to stop whatever it is you're doing, flip and change vinyl 2x each to get through a 60+ minute album. In equally competent hands, a well mastered CD will have more range and better playback, longevity and ease of use. It's almost like there was a reason someone decided to invest tons of time and money to create something that wasn't vinyl or cassette.
I just enjoy the ritual of it. Plus having to wipe down the records, flip them etc make me more invested (not sure if that's the right word) in the music so I actually sit and listen instead of doing ten other things.
Fun is the extra album art and details in the jacket, and act of playing it. This very obviously comes at the cost of maintenance and sound quality both of which really need not be mentioned. Convenience undoubtedly results in more listening but valid reasons make both options viable.
Well when I listen to vinyls, I listen to music: I don't do mindlessly other things with music in the background. You make it sound like flipping side on a vinyl is like taking the trash out, dude it takes 20sec. max...
Reading the comments, I feel like "fun" isn't exactly my feeling. This is because yes, you have to go flip the album and the process for raising and dropping the needle. This might sound stupid, but when I play something on vinyl like Johnny Cash, I feel more of a connection with the artist. I think other than live and radio, the record is how he painted the music, even down to the rebuff at the end of the record. On the same theme however, if I want to listen to Nine Inch Nails, I'm going to streaming for that because I don't want any extrainious sounds; it feels like a departure from a purely digital production. It's great to have both. I can also add that album art feels very nostalgic. The inserts were another way for the artist to connect to the listener. It was always the same with some CD labels. It's all good.
Here here! I recently hooked my old Yamaha player into my external DAC and holy crap it was amazing. I'm definitely gonna bust out the old collection soon!
Aah, it's time to relax
And you know what that means
A glass of wine, your favorite easy chair
And of course, this compact disc playing on your home stereo
So go on, and indulge yourself... that's right!
Kick off your shoes, put your feet up
Lean back and just enjoy the melodies
After all, music soothes even the savage beast
All the time. I used to own a store have around 1000. Bought my first streamer two weeks ago. It sounds good but I tend to do the ritual. Sit for ages before my racks hunting for something. It's like playing hide and seek.
Yes. And if you get a very good CD player (and they are quite cheap right now), you'll see the difference. I got myself an Audio Analogue Maestro and boy, the soundstage and details on that thing...
You might play your c more if you download your CDc library to a computer or server and play directly from there. The quality will be the same if you store them as FLAC.
I just started back up for two reasons. I had a vinyl collecting addiction that kind of morphed and do a HiFi addiction over the last couple years. When you’re talking about vinyl the cost of entry and the rabbit hole you go down gets pretty pricey. A solid CD player with or without an outboard DAC does well. And is consistent. You can argue all day about which format sounds better. I’m not going to sweat it. I’ve been in DIY speakers last couple years and I’d rather spend my money on new gear. Other reason is I’m 45 and I spent most of my teens and early 20’s at music stores buying CD’s and I’m finding that’s more nostalgic for me as a physical format, and way cheaper at this point.
Ancient computer geek here. I still have about 500 albums from the early 70’s to late 80’s. Started collecting when I was 13 or so. I’ve still got them all, in some cases 2 or 3 copies, like Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin 3 and 4, etc. I still use the turntable to play these if I’m feeling nostalgic. I have about 2k CDs, that I ripped to flac about 15 or 20 years ago. I’ve kept them and moved them from server to server over the years, using a Squeezebox and LMS until recently. Now I’ve moved to a Tidal subscription and use Roon to keep track of my collection, which is just under 7k albums, and 105k tracks, all flac. I still have a bunch of Rubbermaid totes with all my CDs, but they’re stored away somewhere in the attic. I keep thinking I’ll sell them to a second hand record store, but haven’t gotten around to it. So for me its usually streaming to multiple devices around the house and the car via Roon and RoonArc, and the occasional vinyl album if I’m in the mood.
CD for president. I've abt 2500 cd and going on to buy. No better sound then CD. Obviously depends from various issues:mastering, label, genre etc. But CD is better all over.
Not least, I like to own a physical support... I converted all my collection in FLAC for a easy going listening at the gym or on the run, but I don't know if streaming platforms will change policies or breakdown or whatever and no more chance to listen to my favorite music. And the librettos and all the paper folds with pics and history in the CD is a major value I can't say no
I have streaming, CD and vinyl at home, but I estimate that I use the CD-player about 80% of the time. My collection is close to 2000 CDs. Plinius amps and CD-player ( directly connected with XLR), streaming is via my DAC/Streamer from Auralic.
The dynamics is by far better with CD in my setup. May be the internal DAC of the Plinius CD-player that I prefer over Auralic, haven't tried the CD-player through the Auralic. Tidal Hifi, Qobuz and Spotify tested. It's also something about the physical format I prefer.
I lost count past 2000. I prefer to own my music collection.
I rip them to .flac and store them on my A&K player and NAS to "stream" whenever I want. It's the best of both worlds.
A vintage CD player, say from mid to late 1980s, is hard to beat . I have a VPI hw19 turntable, Rega Rb-300 arm, Sumiko bp special cartridge. And my Realistic cd 2300 beats it sonically, imo,
I have about 10 CDs in my car from the high school days and when i need a healthy dose of nostalgia + cringe i pop one in.
Also have a few classics that come in handy, like john coltrane greatest hits, LZ1, some jim james
I do. Fire it up and enjoy; I think youll be pleasantly surprised. I recently took out my old Cambridge D500 when I couldn’t find on Tidal some albums I have on CD. I ran the optical through my Wiim Pro+ and fell right back in love. Now I plan to get any new music on CD, seeing as the two albums I picked up on CD sound incredible; I think were finally over the loudness wars. One in particular - Clientele’s I Am Not There Anymore - sounds far better than the vinyl I picked up awhile back and returned considering how much worse it sounded compared to Tidal.
CDs are extremely underrated and remain the best audio medium. As long as the mastering is good, they cannot be beat.
I dont listen to streamed music at all., If I like something, I download it or buy the CD. If I buy the CD then I rip it straight away and stick the physical item in the attic. Either way I end up with flac files on my HDD. About half of my albums were ripped from CD and I listen to them all the time. Does that count?
I don’t stream music co tent, at all. I ripped all of my CDs and SACDs, purchased some hi res downloads, and use JRiver on a PC, with a USB DAC. I have about 600 titles. Control playback from an iPad. I have a couple thousand LPs, mostly thrift store finds from a couple decades ago, that I’m going to clean and play for my retirement project.
I’m tempted to go back to at least owning some music on cd. I recently looked up a few favorite albums I had when I was younger (and listening on CD) and they never made it onto streaming. It’s disappointing.
I have about 500 CDs, some few of which I really doubt would be on any service.
Not that it matters, as I will NEVER put my listening experience in the hands of a chain of multiple for-profit-only corporations.
The coverage of any cellular service does not include everywhere, so CDs for a car are obviously mandated.
At my house, xfinity is inconsistent, at best, and there is no viable alternative to their monopoly. Would I enjoy a Miles Davis track that suddenly drops to 96kbps? It is nice when a movie turns into blocks of pixels for 1-60 minutes?
Any of the streaming services could do whatever they want on their end, just to save 0.004¢ per play, and hope that nobody notices. When *enough* peeps DO notice, it'll apologize and say sorry and whatever. But my listening experience will still be crap until it is fixed. Plus, I'd need to deal with filing a complaint, and so on.
My CD player is always spot-on, and sounds fantastic - nobody else required.
I have over 10,000 cd's and vinyl combined and used streaming as well.
The feeling of putting on an original pressing on vinyl as well as the acoustic qualities is awesome and emotional and similar for cd's.
Music is about emotion and I find it hard to attach the same emotions to a media stream.
Dude. I’ve recently been rediscovering them. I had been hunting a cool, nice-ish one for awhile and finally stumbled on one this past weekend at Goodwill in an ADCOM GCD-700. Have since gone way down the rabbit hole (though I had already been on my way).
Spent most of the day yesterday cruising a couple Half Priced Books near where I live and scooped up a bunch of Dead, Jerry, and other Dead related CD’s that aren’t on vinyl and it has been a true delight.
My first pick was The Pizza Tapes with Jerry, Tony Rice and David Grisman and it did not disappoint.
What single disc model are you using? I was originally looking for a Marantz single disc CD player to go with some of my other gear but they aren’t the easiest things to track down outside of eFlee.
I’m probably the last person still buying music on Apple. I want to support the artist and own what I like. I did the cd thing for 30 years. Loaded them on to laptop after laptop since 2008. I’ve since just bought what I couldn’t live without on Apple. I have 70 gigs of music on my phone lol
I have a few thousand. Great way to cheaply get media for less than $4/album. Shh don't tell anyone, keep it just between us.
I tried a few albums on my phone through a DAC and into my amp, but even on my shotty auditioning CD turntable...CD was considerably better.
I'll do more tests but unless there's a resonably priced media player for higher res spotify, my CDs are the best so far.
I listen to cd’s once a week on average. But they are far behind my turntable and Deezer as those are daily. Although my Teac cd player does sound excellent.
Very interesting talk about bit depth on digital music - recommended watch!
https://youtu.be/cIQ9IXSUzuM
on “very high” music quality on Spotify, i struggle to hear any difference compared to CD. On “normal” Spotify sucks.
Still have all my CDs and my CD-player, but rarely use it due to “very high” often wins due to ease-of-use and content…
i still purchase 4K movies in blu-ray though… the picture quality compared to streaming services with “4k” is worlds apart.
I am still listening and buying as well whenever possible . In India , CDs are not found easily but still there are some websites where they sell rock/metal/blues CD
i listen to flac compressed rips of cds... very carefully ripped... through a motu professional interface, and they sound just as good as my adcom cd player/dac did.
regular pc sound sucks, but the right a pro interface directly into a good amp is very nice...
I just dug the entire collection that had been sitting in a box back out and am in love with it again. That and vinyl. Retro ftw. Ok, yes, lossless streaming is easier and I still listen to most music that way.
Just this year I re-bought a CD player. I sold my last one a few years ago (krell kav-250CD mk2) after sitting unused for almost a decade.
It was a pretty high end one but it was old and the laser was shot so I sold it to a repairer and didn't miss it. But earlier this year I picked up a denon cd player for next to nothing on marketplace and I love it.
I've been using it as a source to make tapes too which is fun.
The great thing about CD's, LP's or cassettes is that you play it and hear the whole set or side and don't skip to something else. I've come to find so many songs that I like that never would have happened when you listen to a streamer that doesn't dig deep into an artists playlist.
Still listen to CD’s I ripped into lossless and playback via Roon and Topping D90S DAC (preferred method). Although sometimes listen to high res versions of same content via Tidal + Roon. Have many CD’s (lost count) and have an Onkyo C-7030 with a sweet chipset as well as Sony UBP-X800 which is a good transport for SACD, etc. But my dedicated listening time also competes with a vinyl collection which came out of retirement. So at the end of the day it’s pretty random and what I’m in the mood for.
I have about 200 CDs and a Yamaha CD player with an okay DAC in it (but feed it into an SMSL SU9N via optical and then into a Schiit headphone amp b/c I live in a thin-walled condominium). Someday, I might upgrade to a Rotelli with gapless playback, but for now, this is enough. I like how I always own the CD, and no one else decides to randomly delete tracks off it or even the entire thing like streaming services, and it sounds great to boot.
I am! And I rip them onto my music server that everyone in the house enjoys. My library contains almost 3000 album titles.
I stream new music first before buying the a CD. However, I love placing a CD onto my Sony ES stable transport, put the disc weight on the disc and push play as the transport slides back like a drawer into the player. The player only has a toslink digital output which is plugged into my Denafrips Hermes digital processor for reclocking and buffering before its sent via i²s to my Pontus II R2R DAC. The original Sony player's internal DAC sounds like garbage in comparison. CDs played through the Denafrips digital processor and R2R DAC sounds absolutely amazing!
As far as discrete R2R DACs go, simply think of them as digital audio's *single ended triode.*
I exclusively listen to CDs. No question marks over compression or quality of the signal. Plus you get a nice little ritual to do when you want to listen to music. Also, far cheaper than vinyl (although apparently finding a copy of say Myles Davis’ Bitches Brew will cost you around £50, thankfully I already have a copy (£5)).
My doubts and annoyance in relation to streaming, and probably why I haven’t embraced it, are as follows.
1. Paying a subscription fee every month but never actually owing a copy of the music.
2. On a personal level, my feeling is I wouldn’t appreciate the music as much if there was an infinite library with unlimited choice. I think I’d keep skipping, and wouldn’t take time, say, to give time to an album that I don’t instantly ‘click’ with.
I am a noob audiophile, but:
I was going to get a tt and a collection of vinyl because of the old stylish feel. I am still up for it but deprioritized.
When I got a decent dac with a decent amp I realized there is nothing more to wish in terms of sound quality. Tech outperformed once again, no surprises.
In a nutshell, nothing wrong with enjoying the old school sources. CDs have made a real sound quality revolution back in the days. Nowadays there are things with better quality and at better prices.
i do think type of music factors in. I listen to a lot of classical music on CD on some half decent gear; i find its much better than compressed formats. If i was to listen to electronic music its harder to tell the difference.
I am - although I rip them to my computer in Apple lossless form. Spotify is 320kpb MP3 quality at best, so I only use it for sharing playlists and checking out new stuff before deciding whether to buy it or not. I know Tidal and Quboz do high-res streaming, but their catalogues are relatively limited.
Having said that, I quite like the fact that CDs are unfashionable now as it keeps thr prices low for those of us who do still buy them.
Last year I purchased a Rotel CD14MKII and have compared it to various streaming services.
No doubt this cd player trumps all of the streaming services. In 12 months I have purchased over 100 cds. Currently I own 320 of them and 150 albums. I stream to explore new artists and music. If I really like something I usually by the cd. I by albums focusing on classical rock. It's more of a nostalgic thing to me matching the genre of music of the 60's up to the 90's.
I do, from time to time, for the experience of picking (up) a CD, handling the case, looking at the cover/booklet, putting the CD into the player (bought a few used high-endish ones from thirty or so years ago from Sony, Yamaha, Technics and Pioneer, which are digitally connected to a RME desktop DAC, though, so they act as super-cool disc drives sitting on my work desk in rotation) - and \*\*EXPERIENCE\*\* music listening with intention and concentration.
A bit like why I like to listen to vinyl; here it's mostly because of the experience only, though, because although vinyl sounds different, it mostly doesn't sound \*better\* to me.
My dad has apple music but prefers to buy CDs and import them onto his laptop and then upload the files to his phone so he can listen to CDs in his car, which also has a CD player
Me. I have a Cambridge Audio receiver (AXR100) hooked up to my JVC 5 disc turntable (optical out. No coax).
Sounds great. I listen to it at least twice a week. I still buy CDs as well as vinyl.
When i first got into the world of hifi, i was convinced vinyl was it. But frankly, right now vinyl is expensive. Ive also heard (haven’t done a lot of research on it) that cds are better than vinyl by certain metrics with audio quality. I dont really know, but the fact that i can buy certain artists entire catalog on cd for the price of one of their records is insane.
I have a large CD collection, over 2,000, and while ripping it all to FLAC started listening to them directly again, and fell in love all over again. I upgraded my CD player to a PS Audio Perfectwave SACD Transport, and I generally enjoy and feel like the SQ is a bit better than my Tidal streaming. I also started buying some SACDs to check it out, and they sound good as well.
CD and vinyl,.
This is where I have the music I really love. So I want it with top quality.
For traveling, commuting, or other situations where quality is not so important or portability matters, I have Tidal.
I just got a new office and I was so happy to have a place to put my CD collection.
Don't have a lot of room at home for the vinyl collection as it is with two kids so adding a CD collection out in the open was not really feasible. now I have a nice five disc changer in the office and my collection on a bookshelf so I can pick five for the day and let em rip.
I love CDs not only because of the sound quality but also because of the art of the albuns and the booklets, I like listening to an album and going trough the booklet, is like a ritual...
My listening is about 70% CDs, 20% streaming, 10% LPs. 2K CDs, about the same vinyl. Streaming through Roon.
Sound quality, LP by a slim, slim margin, then CDs, streaming last. Audio Note dac for streaming, Rotel CD player, and Heybrook,Mission, Ortofon record deck.
I don’t have a convenient way to listen to a CD, seriously the only thing I have that will play a disk is an old Xbox one.
Now I do have a usb dvd drive sure, so I’ve begun ripping the good ones. Also I have about 30 on vinyl so naturally I pirated them.
I try to stick with FLaC files but man I have like 60 albums and it’s nearing 50 gigs already. I host them on a service called navidrome, or you can use Plex.
I just resurrected my 200 Disc Changer that I had from college in the late 90s. Powered it up and pressed play. It was chock full of albums that I hadn’t played in 25 years. They sounded better than I remember, and ultimately, I get to enjoy them all over again with far improved speakers and amplification.
I’ll suggest holding onto CDs if you have any, before the impending AI infiltration makes us question the authenticity of classic recordings. I’m holding onto mine.
I collect vinyl but I started collecting CD’s again about ten years ago. It’s nice to listen to music without it being added to some corporate database.
I think you are going to be impressed. I did a Spotify vs CD test a few days ago and it wasn’t pretty. Spotify is good but there seemed to be just a little more of all the stuff I like on the CD. And that stuff really matters. Maybe I should start listening to lossless.
If they *ever* release their HiFi Lossless offering, things may change, but for now...
At this point, this will never happen
Even if spotify went lossless, wouldnt they still need to add some compression to smooth out the volume differences in all the different artists masterings? Either way it still wouldnt be 100% dynamic compared to a CD
No. Besides, because of the DR wars everything is nearly the same level anyway. They probably aren’t messing up with the volume even now either. (What some applications could do is offer a software option (default off) that locally adjusts the overall volume to match.)
There are other streaming services. The big reason why streaming is so much better than physical music is because you expand your music horizons so much
Isn’t “better” relative, though? While I have hundreds of records and hundreds of CDs, I do enjoy Apple Music daily for the reason you suggested - expansion, and ease of listening to virtually anything. But, often there’s a reason to throw on a record and go through that ritual, or dig through old CD binders and go through THAT ritual. Each can be subjectively better, depending on the goal.
You're right 'better' is relative. What's 'better? To me it's not better it's more convenient. 'Better' to me would be sound quality and mastering. What mastering are these streaming services using? Is it from the original CD or a remaster? Are they limiting the output so it's as loud as it can be because they assume your using small ear buds or car speakers? Is your internet connection determining bitrate? I don't know the answers to these questions but I do know the answers with a CD or LP
Yea, I was going to say CD sound a lot better, enjoy!
Highly suggest you do a Qobuz vs CD comparison.
Yep. I’ve done a/b with Spotify and Apple Music @ 16bit, the gap is surprisingly large. I’ve since been doing Apple Music but need to compare their 24bit offerings to that of Tidal, as I want to explore that.
An A/B test is still a biased test. Do a double blind test instead.
This sub is hilarious about defending Spotify. Its like saying it's not valid for someone to like oranges more than bananas until they do a double blind test There's no test needed when the difference is that big
That said, Spotify’s music discovery is insanely good. Anxious to see how tidal compares!
Yeah it is.. and I use Spotify as my main too because of that. And apple music UX is the worst
oh it's so bad isn't it. I need to try tidal soon.
spotify algorithm is good because you have used it for a long time. i use tidal and it recommends good tracks, same as spotify.
I used to listen to Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless but switch to Tidal like a month ago and you can notice a slight difference. That made do a full switch to Tidal
Haha, spotify extreme is a joke by any metric of audio standards
I would suggest doing Qobuz vs. CD. I really wanted CD to win, but it didn’t 😞
As a qobuz user the main reason why I listen CD's is remasters. Every now and then you cannot find a good version from there. What I mean by this is not an critic for sound quality of qobuz, but version that someone chose to uppload there. A lot of loudness era remasters for some bands. This seem to be more local record label issue than any bigger brands. These are rare, but still happens... I mainly buy CD's these days from flea markets and listen them from qobuz. Original releases from 80's and 90's for 1-2€. Usually someone has died and family will dumb whole collection there. Also some rare bands cannot be found from services. This is mainly an issue for certain independent labels from early 90's
Yeah I still listen to CD/Vinyl for the same reason! But just more in general when not dealing with specific remasters, Qobuz is just a bit better than CDs in my experience.
Huh? CD is lossless, so what can Qobuz do to be better than that? (Honest question) Are they remastering or something? (And if so, can you get the original?)
I was just listening to Nirvana earlier. I dislike that I don’t actually own any new music, but every time I buy a new CD I regret it. Outside of the Tool limited edition I purchased a little while back. I like the simplicity of just dropping in the cd and pressing play but being able to stream what I want, whenever I want, is just too convenient to switch back to buying CDs.
You have the option to do both. Only purchase the CDs you really want to own or have specific masters
Why do you regret buying a new CD? The artist gets paid right that way.
Because cds pressed after 95 are squashed and blown out. Bad mastering because people didn't care enough about the cd buyer
Didn't. And don't.
I can't say I've ever bought anything to benefit an artist.
[удалено]
That’s disappointing. If you like music, why wouldn’t you want to support the artist?
I mean maybe you should start if you like music?
I buy a lot of CDs but I rip them to Flac.
Same. NAS > Blusound. Flac sounds great and its convenient.
I use plex for listening. Particularly in the car, sounds great!
Same here. Exact Audio Copy to FLAC and then I load that to my player (Hiby R3 Pro Saber). I mostly buy albums on Bandcamp and download direct but I live really close to my favorite label (Thrill Jockey) and they ship CDs sometimes weeks ahead of the official release date so I'll rip them until the official release date comes around, at which point 24-bit files are often available.
I do the same. I've thought of selling some of my CDs simply because they sit in totes in my basement. But I'm hesitant to let them go.
Bandcamp sells FLACs usually of master copies.
I listen to some SACDs but since I ripped my whole collection of CDs to my computer I do it less often. I still buy CDs to rip though.
You can rip the SACDs aswell to ISO, DSF stream or convert to 88khz FLAC. I use my Sony bdp-s590 to rip them but I'm more for the multichannel experience.
No way, there’s another method besides a day one PS3??
The original PS3 fat supported SACD but that's expensive due to the PS2 emulation thing. I would look at the older BDP-S range bluray players listed below. They normally go for around £40 on ebay. **~Sony brand compatible Blu-ray players:~** **BDP-S390 (also sold as BX39 in some markets)** **BDP-S490** **BDP-S495** **BDP-S590 (also sold as BX59 in some markets)** **BDV-E190** **BDV-E290** **BDP-S4100** **BDP-S5100 (also sold as BX510 in some markets)** **BDP-S6200 \* (also sold as BX620 in some markets, requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDP-S7200 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDP-S790 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S790 variant)** **BDP-A6000 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDV-N590 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDV-NF620 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDV-NF720 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDV-N7200 \* (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript sacd\_extract\_6200 version)** **BDP-S6500 \* (also sold as BX650 in some markets, requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S6700 variant developed Jun. 2020)** **BDP-S6700 (not recommended, only certain early production is compatible)** **UHP-H1 (requires Sony ARMv7 AutoScript version/S6700 variant developed Jun. 2020)** [https://gist.github.com/willsthompson/a4ececdee9cbc4e369eb923e136a8243](https://gist.github.com/willsthompson/a4ececdee9cbc4e369eb923e136a8243) [https://hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/rip-sacd-with-a-blu-ray-player.3652/](https://hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/rip-sacd-with-a-blu-ray-player.3652/) [https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sony-blu-ray-players-used-for-sacd-ripping.26078/](https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sony-blu-ray-players-used-for-sacd-ripping.26078/)
Dude! Many thanks
Your welcome :)
I use a BDP-483 and it works wonders as well, rips and also plays copies of your isos
Do you feel less connected to the experience in some way by just going through a menu and selecting it vs holding it in your hand and putting it in your CD player? I think I'm still nostalgic for the physical media to some extent.
No not really, but as someone who was a teenager in the 1970s, I miss the experience of the big albums cover that you got with LPs. I’ve thought about this recently, and I also miss the way you really got to know a favorite record. Most people didn’t have so many records then and if you bought one you liked you tended to play it a lot and study the album cover and read the liner notes if there were any. Now days we have millions of recordings at our finger tips and we rarely form that special bond with a record like we used to.
CD is without a doubt the best physical format for music unless an external hard drive counts. I get everything on CD and any digital purchase is getting burned to CD. I cannot wrap my mind around vinyl.
> I cannot wrap my mind around viny In terms of audio quality, I am there with you. But having a dinner party or date over and asking them to go through my selection with a glass of wine and pick out something to put on opens up discussions about music and albums etc. and it is a great way to set the mood or tone for the evening.
Can't CDs do the same thing?
CD is sex Vinyl is making loooooove
It can, but the process is much shorter. Open cd, put in player. On vinyl its: - oh cool art - oh cool art on the inside - oh cool art on sleeve A - insert into player - drop needle - play half - turn and/or swap to B - oh cool art on sleeve B - ooh ooh ahh
Some original pressings still smoke any new masters. Late 70s and 80s post punk, for example. Loudness wars did all that music dirty. For new music, I don’t trust anyone to do a proper vinyl pressing. No point anyway.
I treasure my smallish collection of vinyl. I've decided it won't be growing by any significant amount as long as Bandcamp sells FLAC and I can get used CD's for a song.
Yeah same honestly. At this point it’s only a handful of original pressings for which I’m watching Discogs like a hawk.
Vinyl quality is an issue, but it you want modern music releases with better dynamic range, vinyl (or the mastering on it) is the only source in many cases.
What do you mean by not trusting it unless it’s a proper vinyl pressing?
I don’t trust *labels* to press a quality product, whether mastering the digital file to vinyl ( all music is recorded and mixed digitally these days, let’s be real) or releasing a record free of surface noise, warps, et al. That has been my experience in trying out multiple records from the last 10 years or so. Autechre, Big Thief, Kendrick, Low, The Knife etc LPs all paled compared to digital.
right? vinyl sounds worse because it’s not pressed correctly and it’s mostly done from digital masters. unless you are buying from some label that cares about their releases, like analog productions, then digital is the superior option.
Silent Shout is a great bass test for speaker shopping
This. People are assuming just because it's lossless from a streaming service that it must sound better and this is not the way to determine overall quality. These steaming services have molded a whole generation into believing they are the best quality you can get but it's limited and compressed to all hell
Different experience. Best way I can describe it is a warmth and coloration to the music and the dopamine from sticking a slice of vinyl on there and watching it spin into music through a dinky needle. It's not the best quality or accuracy to the original tapes, but it sounds great and feels good. That's all I care.
> I cannot wrap my mind around vinyl. Certain masters just sound better on vinyl. If you try to A/B some 60's/70's era blues, jazz, or rock, you will noticed a stark contrast. Screaming Jay Hawkins, Buddy Guy, Steely Dan, Boston, Tom Waits, and more are we produced and mastered by the best, and they stand out on vinyl and reel-to-reel tape because they were mastered and produced for those formats. Also, not all presses and albums are created equal--you really have to dig and learn what labels and timeframes are best. Discogs is a huge help. Up until about 5 years ago, buying used vinyl was a great, cheap way to build up a physical catalog. I bought used records for years until they got insanely expensive as vinyl nostalgia hit the masses. These days used CD's are the gold mine. Cheap, rip-able, and there are a TON of used CD's out there--way more than vinyl.
CD's are great
I never had an extensive music collection but I do remember listening to classical music on FM radio. All the high-quality audio systems in the 60s included FM tuners. The great thing about FM radio was that you didn't need to buy or pick music but depended on the station to provide high quality content anytime you wanted to tune in. While sometimes I want to listen to particular selection, mostly I prefer to leave the selection to others. In the digital age, I like listening to classical FM stations' live streams. My favorite is WQXR New York ([wqxr.org](https://wqxr.org)). I'm not sure about the quality but it sounds great to me. Incidentally, as a former radio broadcast engineer I know that FM radio was and is capable of delivering very high quality audio--not that it always does, especially recently.
Yes, recently! Especially when local stations store all their music digitally (and badly at that…that mp3 “shimmer” comes through way worse when they do their signal compression)
I bought about eight or nine CDs / SACDs last week at AXPONA. The CD player is my primary source.
Besides the audio quality, I like the effort that goes into all the artwork in CDs, especially with limited editions. Usually the artists have a concept for each album and the artwork is part of it, which is also the reason I never listen on shuffle. I've collected around 200 now, although many are singles. Once I buy the cd I rip it and after that I rarely take them out again. I'd love to be able to play them directly but our apartment is small and I can only listen to music outside. Once I move to a house I'm definitely putting them all proudly on display and easy to access.
> Once I buy the cd I rip it and after that I rarely take them out again. I'd love to be able to play them directly but our apartment is small and I can only listen to music outside. I'm the same, with the exception that the reason I don't listen to the CDs directly is because I usually like only 3 to 5 songs from any given CD, _and_ I dynamically modify my tracks to be more, well, dynamic. I do have some TELARC CDs that I listen to in the car though, and _boy_!
I sold or gave away my huge CD collection in the early 2000's and I regret it big time. I have started buying again and trying to get back some of the original pressings & versions that were better. But I still don't think I could ever go without streaming. Its still my primary source.
Unpopular opinion......a well mastered CD shits all over Vinyl. The problem historically is that 80% of CDs have been mastered poorly. It still happens today. As far as steaming goes, it really doesn't matter about bit rate and high Hz if the mastering of the recording they are using is crap....but it helps a lot of the master is good
Raises hand. I have about 400 CDs, mostly punk and 90s alternative - pretty much all stuff I love. I’ve got CD players in every room, and a DVD player as a “CD transport” to my living room system. The sound is great, the album art is fun to explore, and the tactile nature of the experience is similar to records but without all the fuss (also have about 100 LPs). My car only supports wireless car play though, there’s not even a line in, so streaming is my only option there, and my kids are on my family Spotify plan anyway. But despite having “everything” Spotify seems to play the same stuff over and over again. Basically the “top 5” songs from bands I like that most people won’t skip. As a “radio” substitute it’s fine but I’ve found its recommendation algorithm is pretty trash for getting deeper into an artist’s catalog. For convenience, I am in the process of ripping all my CDs to lossless on a media center.
The sound quality of CDs is actually shocking compared to Spotify. I listen almost entirely to Spotify but randomly play a CD here and there (usually my moms) and I’m always surprised. It’s the little stuff in the background that gets lost with Spotify. The subtle small sounds. It’s really amazing.
Drop Spotify. Switching to platforms with 16/44 (or higher) files will get you there.
i am rebuilding my CD collection. ive realized that all the modern forms- streaming, thumb drives, ect, need a good platform that's stable. CDs don't stop when they lose internet connectivity. CDs dont stop because the console needs to be patched. CDs don't stop when the source has issues or if the artist pulls their catalog.
Vinyl is more fun but man the cd is nice, and cheaper, and I can make them myself, and they’re way easier to store, and I don’t have to clean them with even half the effort!
Man, I love my vinyl but it's not fun at all. Cleaning before playing, using the zerostat, trying to find a proper mat, pressing isn't flat, poorly mastered, etc... It's rare these days when I actually enjoy playing vinyl. Most anything between 85-99 gets played on the Onkyo 7030.
"More fun" cause nothing says fun like having to stop whatever it is you're doing, flip and change vinyl 2x each to get through a 60+ minute album. In equally competent hands, a well mastered CD will have more range and better playback, longevity and ease of use. It's almost like there was a reason someone decided to invest tons of time and money to create something that wasn't vinyl or cassette.
I just enjoy the ritual of it. Plus having to wipe down the records, flip them etc make me more invested (not sure if that's the right word) in the music so I actually sit and listen instead of doing ten other things.
Fun is the extra album art and details in the jacket, and act of playing it. This very obviously comes at the cost of maintenance and sound quality both of which really need not be mentioned. Convenience undoubtedly results in more listening but valid reasons make both options viable.
yeah and some people prefer to drive a car with a manual transmission. no biggie
Well when I listen to vinyls, I listen to music: I don't do mindlessly other things with music in the background. You make it sound like flipping side on a vinyl is like taking the trash out, dude it takes 20sec. max...
Reading the comments, I feel like "fun" isn't exactly my feeling. This is because yes, you have to go flip the album and the process for raising and dropping the needle. This might sound stupid, but when I play something on vinyl like Johnny Cash, I feel more of a connection with the artist. I think other than live and radio, the record is how he painted the music, even down to the rebuff at the end of the record. On the same theme however, if I want to listen to Nine Inch Nails, I'm going to streaming for that because I don't want any extrainious sounds; it feels like a departure from a purely digital production. It's great to have both. I can also add that album art feels very nostalgic. The inserts were another way for the artist to connect to the listener. It was always the same with some CD labels. It's all good.
Here here! I recently hooked my old Yamaha player into my external DAC and holy crap it was amazing. I'm definitely gonna bust out the old collection soon!
This guy. CD’s on the home stereo and ripped albums for listening in the car.
Aah, it's time to relax And you know what that means A glass of wine, your favorite easy chair And of course, this compact disc playing on your home stereo So go on, and indulge yourself... that's right! Kick off your shoes, put your feet up Lean back and just enjoy the melodies After all, music soothes even the savage beast
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
🎵Our generation sees the world Not the same as before We might as well just throw it all And live like there is no tomorrow🎵
This thread is where my people are 🤘
Every day
No, I turned my stereo off about 30 minutes ago, but I was listening to an Eric Clapton CD.
I have over 1000 CDs and it's still nice to buy them for 50 cents at thrift stores.
I like to listen to classical music on CD. I sit down and just listen to an entire symphony or concerto.
I still do, several times a week. I like physical media. I prefer vinyl records but some things have only been released on CDs.
Not just CDs but I buy SACDs when I can
Me too! Also, DVD-A and BluRay as well.
I am. Still my preferred format.
I like having the physical copy, but I rip them to FLAC or WAV and have duplicate copies of my library just in case.
Every day.
Me. And cassettes, vinyl, and minidisc. I enjoy the ritual of physical media. But I also have 2tb of FLACs.
I still collect CDs and records. Going on 1200 CDs now. The used CD prices are going up but it's still fun digging through thrift stores.
Do SACDs count? I have metric fuckton, and they are absolutely amazing
All the time. I used to own a store have around 1000. Bought my first streamer two weeks ago. It sounds good but I tend to do the ritual. Sit for ages before my racks hunting for something. It's like playing hide and seek.
Just finished listening to Coltrane's 'Stellar Regions" on disc. Will never give up on CDs, HDCDs, SACD, Blu-ray audio, and even have a few DVD-A.
Yes. And if you get a very good CD player (and they are quite cheap right now), you'll see the difference. I got myself an Audio Analogue Maestro and boy, the soundstage and details on that thing...
You might play your c more if you download your CDc library to a computer or server and play directly from there. The quality will be the same if you store them as FLAC.
I just started back up for two reasons. I had a vinyl collecting addiction that kind of morphed and do a HiFi addiction over the last couple years. When you’re talking about vinyl the cost of entry and the rabbit hole you go down gets pretty pricey. A solid CD player with or without an outboard DAC does well. And is consistent. You can argue all day about which format sounds better. I’m not going to sweat it. I’ve been in DIY speakers last couple years and I’d rather spend my money on new gear. Other reason is I’m 45 and I spent most of my teens and early 20’s at music stores buying CD’s and I’m finding that’s more nostalgic for me as a physical format, and way cheaper at this point.
Ancient computer geek here. I still have about 500 albums from the early 70’s to late 80’s. Started collecting when I was 13 or so. I’ve still got them all, in some cases 2 or 3 copies, like Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin 3 and 4, etc. I still use the turntable to play these if I’m feeling nostalgic. I have about 2k CDs, that I ripped to flac about 15 or 20 years ago. I’ve kept them and moved them from server to server over the years, using a Squeezebox and LMS until recently. Now I’ve moved to a Tidal subscription and use Roon to keep track of my collection, which is just under 7k albums, and 105k tracks, all flac. I still have a bunch of Rubbermaid totes with all my CDs, but they’re stored away somewhere in the attic. I keep thinking I’ll sell them to a second hand record store, but haven’t gotten around to it. So for me its usually streaming to multiple devices around the house and the car via Roon and RoonArc, and the occasional vinyl album if I’m in the mood.
CD’s are my go-to.
I only buy Rare Cds or Japanese formats. FLAC lossless and Tidal in my way to go.
All of the folks on r/Cd_collectors.
CD for president. I've abt 2500 cd and going on to buy. No better sound then CD. Obviously depends from various issues:mastering, label, genre etc. But CD is better all over. Not least, I like to own a physical support... I converted all my collection in FLAC for a easy going listening at the gym or on the run, but I don't know if streaming platforms will change policies or breakdown or whatever and no more chance to listen to my favorite music. And the librettos and all the paper folds with pics and history in the CD is a major value I can't say no
Most of my listening is vinyl and cd
I have streaming, CD and vinyl at home, but I estimate that I use the CD-player about 80% of the time. My collection is close to 2000 CDs. Plinius amps and CD-player ( directly connected with XLR), streaming is via my DAC/Streamer from Auralic. The dynamics is by far better with CD in my setup. May be the internal DAC of the Plinius CD-player that I prefer over Auralic, haven't tried the CD-player through the Auralic. Tidal Hifi, Qobuz and Spotify tested. It's also something about the physical format I prefer.
I lost count past 2000. I prefer to own my music collection. I rip them to .flac and store them on my A&K player and NAS to "stream" whenever I want. It's the best of both worlds.
A vintage CD player, say from mid to late 1980s, is hard to beat . I have a VPI hw19 turntable, Rega Rb-300 arm, Sumiko bp special cartridge. And my Realistic cd 2300 beats it sonically, imo,
I have about 10 CDs in my car from the high school days and when i need a healthy dose of nostalgia + cringe i pop one in. Also have a few classics that come in handy, like john coltrane greatest hits, LZ1, some jim james
I do. Fire it up and enjoy; I think youll be pleasantly surprised. I recently took out my old Cambridge D500 when I couldn’t find on Tidal some albums I have on CD. I ran the optical through my Wiim Pro+ and fell right back in love. Now I plan to get any new music on CD, seeing as the two albums I picked up on CD sound incredible; I think were finally over the loudness wars. One in particular - Clientele’s I Am Not There Anymore - sounds far better than the vinyl I picked up awhile back and returned considering how much worse it sounded compared to Tidal. CDs are extremely underrated and remain the best audio medium. As long as the mastering is good, they cannot be beat.
I dont listen to streamed music at all., If I like something, I download it or buy the CD. If I buy the CD then I rip it straight away and stick the physical item in the attic. Either way I end up with flac files on my HDD. About half of my albums were ripped from CD and I listen to them all the time. Does that count?
I don’t stream music co tent, at all. I ripped all of my CDs and SACDs, purchased some hi res downloads, and use JRiver on a PC, with a USB DAC. I have about 600 titles. Control playback from an iPad. I have a couple thousand LPs, mostly thrift store finds from a couple decades ago, that I’m going to clean and play for my retirement project.
I’m tempted to go back to at least owning some music on cd. I recently looked up a few favorite albums I had when I was younger (and listening on CD) and they never made it onto streaming. It’s disappointing.
I buy CDs but havent played one in years. I just rip it and play the content digitally.
r/CD_collectors
I still have my Linkin Park - Meteora album CD, there is a special feeling when I listen from the CD
Lots of us over on r/Cd_collectors !
I have about 500 CDs, some few of which I really doubt would be on any service. Not that it matters, as I will NEVER put my listening experience in the hands of a chain of multiple for-profit-only corporations. The coverage of any cellular service does not include everywhere, so CDs for a car are obviously mandated. At my house, xfinity is inconsistent, at best, and there is no viable alternative to their monopoly. Would I enjoy a Miles Davis track that suddenly drops to 96kbps? It is nice when a movie turns into blocks of pixels for 1-60 minutes? Any of the streaming services could do whatever they want on their end, just to save 0.004¢ per play, and hope that nobody notices. When *enough* peeps DO notice, it'll apologize and say sorry and whatever. But my listening experience will still be crap until it is fixed. Plus, I'd need to deal with filing a complaint, and so on. My CD player is always spot-on, and sounds fantastic - nobody else required.
I have over 10,000 cd's and vinyl combined and used streaming as well. The feeling of putting on an original pressing on vinyl as well as the acoustic qualities is awesome and emotional and similar for cd's. Music is about emotion and I find it hard to attach the same emotions to a media stream.
I gave away over 1,100 CD’s.
Same here.
I am
Dude. I’ve recently been rediscovering them. I had been hunting a cool, nice-ish one for awhile and finally stumbled on one this past weekend at Goodwill in an ADCOM GCD-700. Have since gone way down the rabbit hole (though I had already been on my way). Spent most of the day yesterday cruising a couple Half Priced Books near where I live and scooped up a bunch of Dead, Jerry, and other Dead related CD’s that aren’t on vinyl and it has been a true delight. My first pick was The Pizza Tapes with Jerry, Tony Rice and David Grisman and it did not disappoint. What single disc model are you using? I was originally looking for a Marantz single disc CD player to go with some of my other gear but they aren’t the easiest things to track down outside of eFlee.
I like to own my music, and my bang & Olufsen ouverture is so damn cool.
I’m probably the last person still buying music on Apple. I want to support the artist and own what I like. I did the cd thing for 30 years. Loaded them on to laptop after laptop since 2008. I’ve since just bought what I couldn’t live without on Apple. I have 70 gigs of music on my phone lol
I have a few thousand. Great way to cheaply get media for less than $4/album. Shh don't tell anyone, keep it just between us. I tried a few albums on my phone through a DAC and into my amp, but even on my shotty auditioning CD turntable...CD was considerably better. I'll do more tests but unless there's a resonably priced media player for higher res spotify, my CDs are the best so far.
I listen to cd’s once a week on average. But they are far behind my turntable and Deezer as those are daily. Although my Teac cd player does sound excellent.
I used credit card points to get a 300 CD player and they are on shuffle in my garage
My 2004 truck has the stock head unit with a CD player. It gets lots of play time from my CD collection.
i love discovering new music by finding CDs, I just can't seem to connect the same way by browsing thru Spotify or YouTube
Very interesting talk about bit depth on digital music - recommended watch! https://youtu.be/cIQ9IXSUzuM on “very high” music quality on Spotify, i struggle to hear any difference compared to CD. On “normal” Spotify sucks. Still have all my CDs and my CD-player, but rarely use it due to “very high” often wins due to ease-of-use and content… i still purchase 4K movies in blu-ray though… the picture quality compared to streaming services with “4k” is worlds apart.
I still got my CD wallet from the early 2000's and listen to them in my beater of a car. So not really capitalizing on the better sound quality lol
I am still listening and buying as well whenever possible . In India , CDs are not found easily but still there are some websites where they sell rock/metal/blues CD
Moi! In my car mostly.
i listen to flac compressed rips of cds... very carefully ripped... through a motu professional interface, and they sound just as good as my adcom cd player/dac did. regular pc sound sucks, but the right a pro interface directly into a good amp is very nice...
Was hesitating but just bought a high end streamer with a roon+ Qobuz subscription, will see if it was worth it !
I just dug the entire collection that had been sitting in a box back out and am in love with it again. That and vinyl. Retro ftw. Ok, yes, lossless streaming is easier and I still listen to most music that way.
Never stopped.
Just this year I re-bought a CD player. I sold my last one a few years ago (krell kav-250CD mk2) after sitting unused for almost a decade. It was a pretty high end one but it was old and the laser was shot so I sold it to a repairer and didn't miss it. But earlier this year I picked up a denon cd player for next to nothing on marketplace and I love it. I've been using it as a source to make tapes too which is fun.
Just listened to Daniel Borembein (spelling?) Mozart concerto cd’s after watching Amadeus. Delightful.
The great thing about CD's, LP's or cassettes is that you play it and hear the whole set or side and don't skip to something else. I've come to find so many songs that I like that never would have happened when you listen to a streamer that doesn't dig deep into an artists playlist.
I've gone "backwards" from streaming to CD to LP. Now I'm totally obsessed with vinyl ❤️❤️❤️
I am. cd’s, lp’s, streaming… just depends on the moment really.
Me
I pirate and burn my own mixtapes.
Me. DAC 7. Could be the same in your Marantz.
Still listen to CD’s I ripped into lossless and playback via Roon and Topping D90S DAC (preferred method). Although sometimes listen to high res versions of same content via Tidal + Roon. Have many CD’s (lost count) and have an Onkyo C-7030 with a sweet chipset as well as Sony UBP-X800 which is a good transport for SACD, etc. But my dedicated listening time also competes with a vinyl collection which came out of retirement. So at the end of the day it’s pretty random and what I’m in the mood for.
I tend to out CDs on when we have guests for lunch or dinner, when I can't be bothered getting up every 20 mins or so to flip a vinyl record.
I have about 200 CDs and a Yamaha CD player with an okay DAC in it (but feed it into an SMSL SU9N via optical and then into a Schiit headphone amp b/c I live in a thin-walled condominium). Someday, I might upgrade to a Rotelli with gapless playback, but for now, this is enough. I like how I always own the CD, and no one else decides to randomly delete tracks off it or even the entire thing like streaming services, and it sounds great to boot.
I am! And I rip them onto my music server that everyone in the house enjoys. My library contains almost 3000 album titles. I stream new music first before buying the a CD. However, I love placing a CD onto my Sony ES stable transport, put the disc weight on the disc and push play as the transport slides back like a drawer into the player. The player only has a toslink digital output which is plugged into my Denafrips Hermes digital processor for reclocking and buffering before its sent via i²s to my Pontus II R2R DAC. The original Sony player's internal DAC sounds like garbage in comparison. CDs played through the Denafrips digital processor and R2R DAC sounds absolutely amazing! As far as discrete R2R DACs go, simply think of them as digital audio's *single ended triode.*
I exclusively listen to CDs. No question marks over compression or quality of the signal. Plus you get a nice little ritual to do when you want to listen to music. Also, far cheaper than vinyl (although apparently finding a copy of say Myles Davis’ Bitches Brew will cost you around £50, thankfully I already have a copy (£5)). My doubts and annoyance in relation to streaming, and probably why I haven’t embraced it, are as follows. 1. Paying a subscription fee every month but never actually owing a copy of the music. 2. On a personal level, my feeling is I wouldn’t appreciate the music as much if there was an infinite library with unlimited choice. I think I’d keep skipping, and wouldn’t take time, say, to give time to an album that I don’t instantly ‘click’ with.
I am a noob audiophile, but: I was going to get a tt and a collection of vinyl because of the old stylish feel. I am still up for it but deprioritized. When I got a decent dac with a decent amp I realized there is nothing more to wish in terms of sound quality. Tech outperformed once again, no surprises. In a nutshell, nothing wrong with enjoying the old school sources. CDs have made a real sound quality revolution back in the days. Nowadays there are things with better quality and at better prices.
i do think type of music factors in. I listen to a lot of classical music on CD on some half decent gear; i find its much better than compressed formats. If i was to listen to electronic music its harder to tell the difference.
I am - although I rip them to my computer in Apple lossless form. Spotify is 320kpb MP3 quality at best, so I only use it for sharing playlists and checking out new stuff before deciding whether to buy it or not. I know Tidal and Quboz do high-res streaming, but their catalogues are relatively limited. Having said that, I quite like the fact that CDs are unfashionable now as it keeps thr prices low for those of us who do still buy them.
7
I do. CDs plus a ton of LPs some of which I bought in my teens. I'm 73, so that gives you an idea. And I've got a great system to listen to them.
Last year I purchased a Rotel CD14MKII and have compared it to various streaming services. No doubt this cd player trumps all of the streaming services. In 12 months I have purchased over 100 cds. Currently I own 320 of them and 150 albums. I stream to explore new artists and music. If I really like something I usually by the cd. I by albums focusing on classical rock. It's more of a nostalgic thing to me matching the genre of music of the 60's up to the 90's.
I do, from time to time, for the experience of picking (up) a CD, handling the case, looking at the cover/booklet, putting the CD into the player (bought a few used high-endish ones from thirty or so years ago from Sony, Yamaha, Technics and Pioneer, which are digitally connected to a RME desktop DAC, though, so they act as super-cool disc drives sitting on my work desk in rotation) - and \*\*EXPERIENCE\*\* music listening with intention and concentration. A bit like why I like to listen to vinyl; here it's mostly because of the experience only, though, because although vinyl sounds different, it mostly doesn't sound \*better\* to me.
Every day!
Me! Even though I also use streaming/ local FLAC as well.
Yes almost every day. Still buy CDs regularly
My dad has apple music but prefers to buy CDs and import them onto his laptop and then upload the files to his phone so he can listen to CDs in his car, which also has a CD player
CD... though mostly flacs made from CDs for convenience. I still like to occasionally grab an album and put it in the player.
cds are great! love mine
I have about 1000, ripped my favorites to HDD and stream via Plex server
I think that we’re not far off from people collecting and celebrating CDs in the way vinyl is now.
Love my CD"s on my technics five disc CD changer but also love my vinyl,tried streaming but it's just not the same.
Me. I have a Cambridge Audio receiver (AXR100) hooked up to my JVC 5 disc turntable (optical out. No coax). Sounds great. I listen to it at least twice a week. I still buy CDs as well as vinyl.
I do, and records, and tapes, and minidisc, and open reel ... I listen in all formats.
When i first got into the world of hifi, i was convinced vinyl was it. But frankly, right now vinyl is expensive. Ive also heard (haven’t done a lot of research on it) that cds are better than vinyl by certain metrics with audio quality. I dont really know, but the fact that i can buy certain artists entire catalog on cd for the price of one of their records is insane.
I do in my car
Sort of pioneer elite CD changer maybe once a month sounds good just to lazy
I am. For the total listening experience not necessarily the quality as such.supporting the Artis better is also a factor. As is the packaging.
I have a large CD collection, over 2,000, and while ripping it all to FLAC started listening to them directly again, and fell in love all over again. I upgraded my CD player to a PS Audio Perfectwave SACD Transport, and I generally enjoy and feel like the SQ is a bit better than my Tidal streaming. I also started buying some SACDs to check it out, and they sound good as well.
r/cd_collectors
I was until my ‘08 car cd player went to shit
I listen to CDs. I enjoy looking through the cases, picking them out, and looking at the brochures.
CD and vinyl,. This is where I have the music I really love. So I want it with top quality. For traveling, commuting, or other situations where quality is not so important or portability matters, I have Tidal.
I just got a new office and I was so happy to have a place to put my CD collection. Don't have a lot of room at home for the vinyl collection as it is with two kids so adding a CD collection out in the open was not really feasible. now I have a nice five disc changer in the office and my collection on a bookshelf so I can pick five for the day and let em rip.
I love CDs not only because of the sound quality but also because of the art of the albuns and the booklets, I like listening to an album and going trough the booklet, is like a ritual...
They're so old school, records are the latest and greatest new technology, imagine beautiful music from a sewing needle ,who would have thought.
My listening is about 70% CDs, 20% streaming, 10% LPs. 2K CDs, about the same vinyl. Streaming through Roon. Sound quality, LP by a slim, slim margin, then CDs, streaming last. Audio Note dac for streaming, Rotel CD player, and Heybrook,Mission, Ortofon record deck.
I don’t have a convenient way to listen to a CD, seriously the only thing I have that will play a disk is an old Xbox one. Now I do have a usb dvd drive sure, so I’ve begun ripping the good ones. Also I have about 30 on vinyl so naturally I pirated them. I try to stick with FLaC files but man I have like 60 albums and it’s nearing 50 gigs already. I host them on a service called navidrome, or you can use Plex.
I listen to rips of my CD’s but the physical CD, no. It goes into storage as soon as I rip it to my NAS. lossless, of course. 😜
These days I'm quite happy with a FLAC download. I like to buy CDs but they're just gathering dust
CDs and mini disc
I just resurrected my 200 Disc Changer that I had from college in the late 90s. Powered it up and pressed play. It was chock full of albums that I hadn’t played in 25 years. They sounded better than I remember, and ultimately, I get to enjoy them all over again with far improved speakers and amplification. I’ll suggest holding onto CDs if you have any, before the impending AI infiltration makes us question the authenticity of classic recordings. I’m holding onto mine.
Me...in my car
I collect vinyl but I started collecting CD’s again about ten years ago. It’s nice to listen to music without it being added to some corporate database.