Are you thinking about getting into CD's again

[Drummerman]

I was wondering if any of you have given up all physical media in the past but are thinking of 'getting into' CD's (or vinyl) again after an absence. - If so, what are your reasons for this or are you are entirely happy with non-hardcopy playback and will not return?

 

[savvypaul]

Yes. A couple of months back, I wrote elsewhere...

Over the past few months I've probably bought as many CDs as I had done in the previous 20 years combined. There have been some 'business' reasons for this, but other factors have also had a significant influence on my behaviour.

For NVA, CDs are convenient for playing music at shows; they're easy to transport and store / display, they require less meticulous 'handling' than vinyl, they sound good when using a competent transport and DAC, and they don't rely on hotel Wi-Fi networks!

Streaming is convenient at home, and great for checking out new music, but there are still very good reasons to own music in a physical format. Not everything I want is available through a streaming service, and there are no guarantees that all the albums that I have stored as 'favourites' on Qobuz will always be available on that platform in the version that I want.

Then, there is affordability. Single vinyl LPs start at £20 these days and sometimes go up to above £30. Double LPs can be 50% or more on top of that. Secondhand vinyl is also now at premium prices, and sought-after, rare titles can be into three figures. New CDs, even recent releases, can often be found for under a tenner, and secondhand CDs can be had from pennies upwards (especially if you're prepared to put the yards in), with plenty of good titles at around the £3 to £5 mark, even on eBay and Discogs. I've just bought a couple of excellent classical box sets, working out at around £1 per disc. CD packaging and accompanying 'guff' has also improved, so 'pride of ownership' may be greater than it once was.

Most interesting for enthusiasts seeking the best bang for our buck is that there are a number of vintage all in one players from the 80s and 90s that can be picked up for around £50, and are now recognised as having excellent sound quality (now that they are not all being fed through nasal 'flat earth' speakers).

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

Pretty much what he ↑ said

 

[hiesteem]

Never been attracted to streaming although it's probably improved in audio quality.
I came kicking and screaming that I could not get the vinyl I wanted in the 90's and so set off to find the best CDP I could knowing that it wouldn't sound as good as vinyl but I would be able to get the music I wanted.
I auditioned Levinson, pink triangle, Naim, meridian and this is what I chose.
Bought the whole system at the same time except the Dac.
Restek CDP and amp have been serviced and upgraded.
It's more refined in presentation now, more detailed and hasn't gone wrong in 25 years.

 

[eddie-baby]

No.

I think streaming is of a standard now where its brilliant, and certainly doesn't have me thinking the quality of this is not good enough. I just enjoy the music in its fullest.

I occasionally put a record on for novelty and I enjoy the sound, but even digitised records streamed can get close to the sound.

Streaming and digitised files is the best thing that's ever happened to hifi. No need for physical media anymore.

 

[bencat]

While in truth I rip my cd,s to a hard drive and play those I have never stopped buying CD,s and still buy them rip then store them . So while I play very few cd,s I own thousands and if networks ever all go to hell then I will still be able to play lots of music .

 

[awkwardbydesign]

I auditioned Levinson, pink triangle, Naim, meridian and this is what I chose.

It would be nice if you said what it is.

 

[awkwardbydesign]

Streaming and digitised files is the best thing that's ever happened to hifi. No need for physical media anymore.

Apart from the music that is only available on physical media. Which is quite a lot! Try Indian classical, as just one example.

 

[hiesteem]

It would be nice if you said what it is.

Thanks for pointing that out it's an all Restek system, Ruark Equinox speakers.
CDP is Restek Concret.

 

[chris_bates1974]

I have a few hundred CDs sitting in some boxes within the unit I keep my hifi on... I have listened to a few over the last year, and that's really it.

I did think of selling a load, but the prices on offer were a little insulting to be honest. So, in the box they will stay.

My listening is probably 95% streaming, and 5% records. It would be more for records if it weren't for the fact that I work from home, and play (stream) music for the whole working day Monday to Friday.

 

[griffo104]

I no longer have anything to play a CD on, so that's a NO from me.

I've still got over 1000 CDs at at some point I'll get myself into gear and sell/give them away.

I went electronic with books and as much as I used to love owning books the fact that I can carry my entire library around with me I think is a wonderful thing, same with my music collection.

 

[JANDL100]

No.

I think streaming is of a standard now where its brilliant, and certainly doesn't have me thinking the quality of this is not good enough. I just enjoy the music in its fullest.

....

Streaming and digitised files is the best thing that's ever happened to hifi. No need for physical media anymore.

I agree.

I even have a CD player used as a transport into my DAC de jour, placed conveniently next to my chair, and a pile of CDs not available streamed.
Damned if I ever get around to playing them!
There's just so much music to explore streamed.

Living in the backwoods of Deep Gloucestershire I do get occasional Internet outages, so I'll wait for one of those and play some of the CDs.

 

[eddie-baby]

Apart from the music that is only available on physical media. Which is quite a lot! Try Indian classical, as just one example.

It'll get there at some point, if you don't digitize it yourself, that is.

 

[awkwardbydesign]

It'll get there at some point, if you don't digitize it yourself, that is.

Some of it is 60 years old, so I doubt it. And digitising it oneself is rather hard if you don't have physical media, don't you think?

 

[Audio Al]

I am not a fan of CD's however I do own about 100 + , I did not dump them when they went out of favour, Recently purchase a Esoteric player , also have a Ming Da valve CDP and several others accumulated over the decades.

 

[Spence]

Its a yes from me as well.
Still need to get in the loft and grab the many cd's I had stored up there though.

 

[bigfish786]

I’ve been buying CDs more than ever recently.
New and used. Excellent value for money compared to Records but I’ve bought quite a lot of them recently too. It’s been a good year for Metal music in general. I’ve even pre ordered a few new releases (on both formats) because I like to have the choice of which to play.

I’ve looked into streaming several times and it just doesn’t have any appeal to me personally.
I can see why people like it, but collecting music is a big part of the hobby to me.

 

[DomT]

I have recently bought CDs of albums that are really import to me to rip them to my Innuos as the ripped CD is usually better sounding that the streamer version even if High Res. But I have no wish to play CDs even though I could (I have a BluRay player) and the CDs are in the garage. I really should just sell them.

 

[aoxomoxoa]

I have recently bought CDs of albums that are really import to me to rip them to my Innuos as the ripped CD is usually better sounding that the streamer version even if High Res. But I have no wish to play CDs even though I could (I have a BluRay player) and the CDs are in the garage. I really should just sell them.

Shouldn't one keep them as a physical backup for when the hard disc goes phtt?

 

[eddie-baby]

Some of it is 60 years old, so I doubt it. And digitising it oneself is rather hard if you don't have physical media, don't you think?

The way the Internet is going, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if everything known to man will be accessible there one day.