CD players = dead?

It does not matter if it's CD, streamer, blu-ray, sacd, tape, or vinyl, same rule applies to all: garbage in garbage out.  It's all in the mastering.  Most sound engineers now mix recordings so that they sound loud at low volumes.  The reason why hi-res files sound better, or there's a return to vinyl, it's in part because the original recordings are remastered more carefully to sound good with a higher dynamic range rather than mix everything to the limits within 2 or 3db dynamic range.  Just take recordings downsampled in mp3 and their remastered version for mp3... world of difference.....
Anyway, as long as we  don't burn cds, players will be around...

In this days you have pure CD transports that can be connected to an external DAC with amazing results now you don't have to be depend on the internal dac built in the CDP (usually not great ones ) and you can choose any dac you want based on your personal taste ,I bought mine cambrdige Audio CD transport a year ago connected it to my Macintosh pre/dac with astonishing results ,I don't have any desire to move on to a streamer.

That loudness war compilation of good and bad dynamic range does not square with many of the CDs I feel sound very good in my system.  Don't let it throw you off something you want--have to listen to it.  

Jafreeman
That loudness war compilation of good and bad dynamic range does not square with many of the CDs I feel sound very good in my system. Don’t let it throw you off something you want--have to listen to it.

I agree, sort of. For example, Dylan’s Modern Times sounds very good - clear, musical and the playing is great. But it’s dynamic range is quite compressed according to the official dynamic range database. It’s a subtle thing sometimes, but when you hear a CD that has very good dynamic range, you know it. It hits you in the face. And there are other aspects of sound to admire: frequency response, transparency, air, etc. so dynamic range might not necessarily be a deal breaker.

I predict compact discs and players will continue a gradual decline in usage but will never disappear. I do wonder if labels will stop creating discs in another decade or two.

Server/DAC audio quality will only improve; I believe a server as transport can exceed optical media but that will eternally be a source of debate,

Vinyl usage and turntable sales will gradually increase. There's so much passion in the vinyl resurgence - I see it as unstoppable at this point.