Why Purchase A CD Player or Transport ?

My 2cents:  Streaming is great and only getting better as you go up the food chain. Having said that, actually owning music on CD or vinyl means no lawyer, record label, or even the artist themselves can take it away from you. 

I also note that on some streaming platforms albums are incomplete for whatever legal reason. I subscribe to Tidal and the latest Daniel Lanois album Player, Piano only has TWO tracks available out of TEN that are on the album. There are several like that. 

And as others note, I enjoy having a physical medium, the cover art, inserts, booklets, etc. they come with. I feel a deeper connection to the band and music playing them than I do just streaming bits from the ether, no matter how "good" it can sound. 

even a modest cd player can sound fantastic…. and cds are available for cheap at thrift stores-  i’ve scored a lot of cool stuff for $1 or $2 at Goodwill and Salvation Army and garage sales, stuff i might not have thought of, so it’s fun to explore.  

myself i have s carefully curated collection on cds organized  in folders w original booklets and whatnot- collected over several decades, and like physical books it’s cool to flip through and browse etc.  

streaming supplements my cd collection… and for background like a shuffled Pandora or whatever stream … 

also note : buying the occasional cd new, whether it’s a classic or a new release, does help support the artist, young or old

Streaming is virtual theft.

Shazam! Some people here get it. You don't have to give up cd's just because you stream, you rip the cd's to local files, don't need a transport. I found cd rips sound quality superior to cd over transport at time I was transitioning, final nail in cd playing coffin.

Take the funds allocated to cd transport, put into streaming setup. Streaming is the future, fewer and fewer recordings will be released on cd format over time.

In our experience, transports still provide a better sound versus streaming as used for a front end.  BUT if you want better digital sound, get the best DAC that pleases you and your most of the way their.