I think this is a very good, yet controversial topic to discuss, firstly, don’t get me wrong, I adore CD music as well, I solely would like to throw a thread to make discussion, that’s it.
Let’s look at this thing “ objectively “, normally CD players got sampling rate at 44.1KHz/16bit for PCM data, music streamers nowadays got sampling rate at 192KHz/24bit or higher for PCM or DSD data(so-called “ Hi-Res “ audio), so given the sampling rate comparison, it seems that a music streamer literally serves better sound quality than a CD player, right?
However, if that’s a damn fact, how come still lots of people out there fighting for which is better for music playing, so CD player does have its audio merits, shorter data transmission path, connect to a DAC then to speakers, easy and fun, but as mentioned, Hi-Res audio got higher sampling rate, which indicates that it’s got more music details, more music data stored, so it’s understandable one should gear up more equipment to play this music data through a music streamer properly.
As one might wonder, why bother making listing to music such a complex job, fairly good point, lets’ do some simple pros and cons then.
*CD Music*
Pros: Easy to apply, and serves fair sound quality, immersive and loveable.
Cons: One CD can’t serve many songs, lacking flexibility and convenience, due to lowers sampling rate, some music detail might be ignored.
*Streaming Music*
Pros: Versatile choices, easy to obtain, listening to different genres to fit different mood in seconds, more details and dynamics.
Cons: Somewhat difficult to understand how to play it “ right “, too many gears to equip, certainly cost higher than a CD system (if you are a extreme audiophile).
Generally speaking, I don’t actually see which conquers which lol, everyone has his/her own taste, no? if you like it easy and “ less technological “, CD would be adequate indeed; if you like it challenging and “ more audiophile-like “, streaming music is your pal.
For me, Vinyl is a whole other level, people adore its quintessential spirit, it’s gonna last forever as long as people still treasure this divine audio essence, but it’s just too expensive and way harder to get the desired one lol…
Personally speaking, as a dude in his early 30’s, I’ve been in love with CD music for sure, it’s classic, it’s cool, it’s the ancestor of digital music, but as the innovative technology keeps cornering me with its appealing convenience, I failed to be loyal to my CD soul… I stated to adopt streaming audio system 3 years ago, yes, at first it was hard to understand what the heck is going with all the “ new stuff “, such as music server, network switch, linear power supply, even the audio cable for network and power connections, let along the audio operating app, I was like, oh man I don’t think I’ll be able to learn all this shxt, but my curiosity of the freaking “ Hi-Fi “ and “ Hi-Red “ drove me to learn and try, well, you reap what you sow, after 1 year, I finally geared up my own audio system…
Was it perfect? Hell no. Was it lousy? It’s alright, Was it worth learning? YES, so now I can write this article, no? lol…
Anyways, I do enjoy listening to music via a streamer, it’s damn convenient and versatile with the whole different streaming services, but, I still listen to CD music every now and then, it’s still got its spirit actually, cuz some music does actually perform better via CD player, it’s classic, it’s lovable, so does expert music streamer outrun CD player, my answer is 70% YES, 30% NO!
Care to leave a comment and let me know what you think about it?
