The Death of the CD?

[barber olly]

money has little to do with it
people still use tape as well as cds

ok but why?

[MrGongGong]

because its what they have !

most people couldn't be bothered changing what they have if it more or less works ok !
I've worked in recording studios with speakers that cost more twice as much as my car , i'd love to have them at home but am more than happy (for now at least) with the ones we inherited from my father-in -law

[barber olly]

because its what they have !

most people couldn't be bothered changing what they have if it more or less works ok !
I've worked in recording studios with speakers that cost more twice as much as my car , i'd love to have them at home but am more than happy (for now at least) with the ones we inherited from my father-in -law

Fair enough - I love my ageing KEFs. It was a shame that the Minidisc replacement for casettes was dumped by the industry - it was a really user-friendly, editable recording medium.

[MrGongGong]

absolutely
I wore out a couple of minidisc machines
it could have become a credible alternative to unreliable DAT machines
big shame as I have boxes of the things ! (and heaps of 456 masters , porta studio masters on metal cassettes etc etc etc )

[akiralx]

I buy a lot of music from iTunes, especially if I'm going to listen to it primarily on an iPod. Also saves shelf space... If a recording is issued on SACD then I will buy the disc to listen via my Sony player and Stax earspeakers.

[PJPJ]

I have had some problems with customer service at hdtt however, failure to resolve the (rarely-encountered) problems. But their best stuff is uniquely marvellous (avoid any sets of variations, they are - bizarrely - gapped even at hd!). Maybe it is still seen as a bit edgy and adventurous, but it's easy enough to do!

I do like HDTT's stuff generally. Occasionally I've had to add some silence at the end of tracks, but haven't found any redundant silence. It's easy enough to repair with Audacity or any wave editor. Which release gave you problems?

Chandos' BBCPO 24/96 are stunningly good though expensive. Do try eclassical.com, too, for BIS, whose latest are 24/96; other labels available from them. too. Then there's the Linn shop, Acousence and 2L - however, nearly all releases are available on SACD for much less money.

I discovered by chance that Analekta issue some 24 bit files while browsing Mathieu

http://www.analekta.com/

e.g.

http://www.analekta.com/en/album/Andre-Mathieu-Concerto-No-4-Orchestral-Works.515.html

still on my wish-list.

And now DSD tracks can be downloaded - huge files. I must say the cost of storage of these makes SACD cheap (unless you're buying from Japan).

[VodkaDilc]

I do like HDTT's stuff generally. Occasionally I've had to add some silence at the end of tracks, but haven't found any redundant silence. It's easy enough to repair with Audacity or any wave editor. Which release gave you problems?

Chandos' BBCPO 24/96 are stunningly good though expensive. Do try eclassical.com, too, for BIS, whose latest are 24/96; other labels available from them. too. Then there's the Linn shop, Acousence and 2L - however, nearly all releases are available on SACD for much less money.

This is not meant as criticism of PJPJ or of anyone else who has adopted this baffling-sounding technology - far from it; I have great admiration for them.........
BUT it sounds so much more complicated than my present method: See a CD which I like the look of; go to a shop or phone The Woods to buy it; put it on the CD player; listen! (Then put on shelf and admire, giving easy access for next time.)

[PJPJ]

This is not meant as criticism of PJPJ or of anyone else who has adopted this baffling-sounding technology - far from it; I have great admiration for them.........
BUT it sounds so much more complicated than my present method: See a CD which I like the look of; go to a shop or phone The Woods to buy it; put it on the CD player; listen! (Then put on shelf and admire, giving easy access for next time.)

The high resolution files can take some time to download, but, for the improved 24 bit sound quality I think it's worth the effort. CD quality takes about five minutes per disc. I've never bothered with printing out booklets and CD tray bit and pieces. I do agree with you, though - buying a ready-made disc with professionally printed booklet is my preference, too. Nearly all of my downloads aren't available on CD or SACD.

I think my downloading started with friends offering Albert Coates transfers not on CD, then getting Pristine's Edwin Fischer Bach 48. Once I started collecting off-air concerts via the computer, I was hooked. I used to burn everything to CD (or DVD for the 24 bit material) but now stream to my sound system.


PS Here's one of my addictions!

http://nealshistorical.wordpress.com/

Masses of material otherwise unavailable.

[akiralx]

This is not meant as criticism of PJPJ or of anyone else who has adopted this baffling-sounding technology - far from it; I have great admiration for them.........
BUT it sounds so much more complicated than my present method: See a CD which I like the look of; go to a shop or phone The Woods to buy it; put it on the CD player; listen! (Then put on shelf and admire, giving easy access for next time.)

Yes, we understand... But how did you ever make the transition from LPs to CDs? As it meant buying a lot of new-fangled equipment...

To put the argument another way - why would anyone buy a CD when they can buy a download, assuming we all here have a computer and internet access? Bearing in mind (sonic differences aside which are negligible), they're cheaper (or free), take up less room, can be backed up as often as you like at no cost, don't get scratched or 'bronzed', don't use up oil-based resources, or come in nasty plastic boxes that break or get lost in the post...

[Parry1912]

As it meant buying a lot of new-fangled equipment...

A CD player hardly counts as "a lot" of equipment!

To put the argument another way - why would anyone buy a CD when they can buy a download, assuming we all here have a computer and internet access? Bearing in mind (sonic differences aside which are negligible), they're cheaper (or free), take up less room, can be backed up as often as you like at no cost, don't get scratched or 'bronzed', don't use up oil-based resources, or come in nasty plastic boxes that break or get lost in the post...

What you say about sonic differences is debatable and I can always sell it on ebay if I don't like it. CDs are, for me, more convenient and better in every way. Chacun à son goût

[Bryn]

absolutely
I wore out a couple of minidisc machines
it could have become a credible alternative to unreliable DAT machines
big shame as I have boxes of the things ! (and heaps of 456 masters , porta studio masters on metal cassettes etc etc etc )

Likewise. though when recording live performances to DAT I got used to adding a MiniDisc deck, fed with a throughput from the DAT recorder, to the chain so that I could patch any drop-outs in the DAT recording. I keep promising myself to get on with backing up the many DATs, MiniDiscs, cassettes, VHS HiFi, etc. recordings to hard disc, but only ever do a few at a time. I've got to admit though, that recording to silicon is by far the most convenient and reliable medium today, and it can be done in 96/24 or even 192/24. My new toy (a Zoom H2n) can even record reasonable 4 channel surround using its 5 integral mic. capsules (three for mid-side and a near coincident pair in the opposite orientation for x-y) though 'only' at 48/24 max. when opting for surround.

http://www.drivebyhighfive.net/2011/08/26/a-new-audio-toy-reviewing-the-zoom-h2n-recorder/

[Bryn]

A CD player hardly counts as "a lot" of equipment!



What you say about sonic differences is debatable and I can always sell it on ebay if I don't like it. CDs are, for me, more convenient and better in every way. Chacun à son goût

And CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays are somewhat less prone to getting corrupted by stray magnetic fields, though they do have their own longevity problems, especially in their writeable varieties. Legal lossless downloads tend to cost around the same as, or even more than, their optical disc alternatives.

[doversoul1]

VodkaDilc
It is good to know that I am not alone.

akiralx
Laugh if you like but to this day, I still have not mastered my fear of computer despite the fact that I use it every day for work. It’s the lack of physicality (?) that I have not quite come to term with the idea of downloading. With CDs, I can see them and hold them in my hand, and a CD player is just for that (I don’t use any functions other than on/off and select a track). With electronic signal, which is how I understand downloading is, you are depending on so many things, including your own memory, I suppose. And as far as I am concerned, well…. it’s all in your mind to believe that it’s there (I told you, you can laugh).

Having said that, I might think differently if my CD collection were anything like the size of many of the forum members, and if I did not work from home.

[VodkaDilc]

Yes, we understand... But how did you ever make the transition from LPs to CDs? As it meant buying a lot of new-fangled equipment...

.

I hardly dare admit it to akiralz, PJPJ and others, but I am thinking of buying a top quality turntable for my Hi-Fi set-up. I have so much excellent vinyl which I can no longer play - and I keep reading about the superior results obtainable from new LPs. To quote the publicity of one of the major British manufacturers: the turntable is a tribute to the medium of vinyl and its unique position in the music lover’s life. It has re-defined the way that analogue will evolve in the next century and eloquently re-affirms the long term viability of the format.

So the answer to akiralx's question is that I have never fully made the transition.

On the subject of lots of new-fangled equipment, I have no desire to listen to a download on the speakers which Mr Jobs and his colleagues have provided me with. The mind boggles at the amount of equipment which would be needed to wire the Mac up to my hi-fi. Like my soul-mate, doversoul, I am very happy with my current music reproducing system. If new CDs cease manufacture tomorrow, I will still have more than enough to keep me entertained for many years!

[Frances_iom]

The mind boggles at the amount of equipment which would be needed to wire the Mac up to my hi-fi. Like my soul-mate, doversoul, I am very happy with my current music reproducing system. If new CDs cease manufacture tomorrow, I will still have more than enough to keep me entertained for many years!

Modern upmarket CD players now often have a usb connection (or better still an optical digital input) - this can give excellect results from computers (I don't know about Macs however as they exist in their own walled garden) but I use a cheap HP netbook to store 500GB of music using quodlibet under Mint11 linux system the netbook is quiet, provides a good size screen to read details and quodlibet can easily be set up to handle CDs and gapless playback)
the Cambridge DAC (sold by a well known chain) also offers a high quality digital interface between computer systems, DVD players etc and a hifi