Buying CDs. Why?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm curious why people still listen to violins when the synthesiser has been around for many years !

Don't joke. A composer friend composed a work for large orchestra, but a few years later, performed it several times with the strings substituted by a sequencer. The result was hideous, but much cheaper.

And Steve Martland advocated using a small group of strings plus amplification.

[MrGongGong]

Don't joke. A composer friend composed a work for large orchestra, but a few years later, performed it several times with the strings substituted by a sequencer. The result was hideous, but much cheaper.

And Steve Martland advocated using a small group of strings plus amplification.

That's odd because a sequencer strictly speaking doesn't produce any sound
and
Steve was right for HIS music

Context is all indeed

Electronic music can be wonderful BUT like vegetarian bacon trying to make your computer sound like an acoustic instrument is bound to fail

[richardfinegold]

I am curious as to why people are buying CDs when can have a Qobuz or Spotify subscription? The only label I can't get and that I want is Testament but they are stuck in the dark ages anyway! Apologies if I sound like a marketing guy for Qobuz but I use it every day and get all the music I could ever want from it. Even for hires downloads, I don't hear a big enough difference to me to want to shell out for a new remastering. Though I may eat my words and concede that the remastered Solti Ring does sound superb and appears to me to be a step up from the CD incarnation.

If new LPs were sensible priced I have to admit that I'd be very tempted. But it's virtually impossible to get my hands on recordings I want without paying a fortune for a used LP or having the luck the find a new pressing at a mere 30 quid or so.

Higher bit rates with CDs, SACDs, Blu-Rays, and every other physical form of digital media, including downloads. LPs sound better as well

[visualnickmos]

Buying CDs. Why?

'Cos it's fun. Like car-booting and finding unexpected gems, and the whole thing about rifling through racks of CDs - like old books. A million more times more fun than pressing buttons to find this bit-rate, this sonic equaliser, 10Mhz amplificators and its merits compared to double bit-rate sonic equalization units and all that crap. I just want to find a nice CD and get it home and hear the wonderful sounds contained therein, waiting to fill my living space with splendour, sadness, sunshine, winter, mystery, victory, tenderness, etc, etc or just damn good music.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Electronic music can be wonderful BUT like vegetarian bacon trying to make your computer sound like an acoustic instrument is bound to fail

I didn't know there was such a thing as vegetarian bacon, so I looked it up…

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegan-bacon/

[Flosshilde]

Just read pastoral's post. My points are similar. ...

(most of Gurnemanz's post deleted in the interests of brevity, not because I didn't agree with it)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes; pastoralguy, visnick and Dave have summed up my own feelings. I do downloads, but tend to burn them to disc anyway. Spotify I use only for comparing performances and helping me choose which CD I'm going to buy.

[visualnickmos]

......Spotify I use only for comparing performances and helping me choose which CD I'm going to buy.

Indeed, that is an advantage, but sometimes one or more of the available versions that one wishes to compare, are not on Spotify!

[Flosshilde]

I didn't know there was such a thing as vegetarian bacon,

Yes, the pigs aren't fed meat

[Flosshilde]

Today's Guardian has a review of the Ring released on USB. The reviewer, Andrew Clements, commented "other than freeing up six inches of shelf space for collectors, it's hard to see what it gains from this format. ... I found the audio files difficult to play consecutively without an intrusive break between tracks; "

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/19/wagner-ring-nibelungen-barenboim-review

[Beef Oven!]

Today's Guardian has a review of the Ring released on USB. The reviewer, Andrew Clements, commented "other than freeing up six inches of shelf space for collectors, it's hard to see what it gains from this format. ... I found the audio files difficult to play consecutively without an intrusive break between tracks; "
http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...renboim-review

I don't think I understand why anyone would want a Ring on a stick. There must be a reason, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.

[teamsaint]

I don't think I understand why anyone would want a Ring on a stick. There must be a reason, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.

well some people want the moon on a stick, so a/the ring isn't such a big ask.
Odd concept though , as memory sticks always go missing.
always.

[Beef Oven!]

well some people want the moon on a stick, so a/the ring isn't such a big ask.
Odd concept though , as memory sticks always go missing.
always.

Soap on a rope was a step too far for me, so I've no chance with this

[teamsaint]

Soap on a rope was a step too far for me, so I've no chance with this

lolsaplenty.

I liked the one they sold at the vatican.
pope on a rope

[MickyD]

Buying CDs. Why?

'Cos it's fun. Like car-booting and finding unexpected gems, and the whole thing about rifling through racks of CDs - like old books. A million more times more fun than pressing buttons to find this bit-rate, this sonic equaliser, 10Mhz amplificators and its merits compared to double bit-rate sonic equalization units and all that crap. I just want to find a nice CD and get it home and hear the wonderful sounds contained therein, waiting to fill my living space with splendour, sadness, sunshine, winter, mystery, victory, tenderness, etc, etc or just damn good music.

I couldn't have put it better myself!