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What will become of my beloved CDs?

I have nearly 2000 CDs (DVDA, SACD, etc) and am very fond of them, or at least the music that is on them. However, it seems that music distribution is going to someday soon be totally on-line through downloads (True? When?). So, when most all of the music on my CDs is available in higher-quality on-line downloads (with artwork, I'm sure), what will become of my CDs? Will they be the shiny-silver equivalent to 8-Track tapes? Or, will they become a novelty and collectable? Should I seel them ASAP?? Any economists here???
bday0000
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craigl59
307 posts
 

Most of the new CDs I buy come from Amazon and about every fifth or so disk is part of their Amazon Music program. In this curious animal, your CD automatically appears in your online account for streaming and potential download as a MP3 file.

So while I am waiting for the CD to arrive, I sometimes stream the advance copy and get a feel for the new listening style. Here's what I have found.

Something strange in Amazon keeps the file order unpredictable so the stream will not always move from track to track properly. There are, as well, numerous clicks and pops as part of the streaming network process -- usually at least one for every track.

When you download a MP3 file and compare it to the stream the download sounds better -- clearer and more precise (even though they should be the same).

Then, when the CD comes I rip it into JRiver and upsample it to the DAC with SoX. The sound quality is so much better that it always reminds me: MP3 really sucks but its faults are particularly evident when you compare it directly to a CD wave file.

SO, despite the continual pressure from the forces behind the Spotify/Tidal crowd I do not find streaming the same quality as CDs well done and think it is another case where the philosophy of "almost as good" is being sold to the public.

craigl59
307 posts
 

glupson:

Have a like-new Minidisc player in the garage where it has been for years. My entire collection of minidisks consists of the Brandenburg concertos.

It was another of Sony's high quality efforts that had uncorrected design issues and was allowed to perish.

Tant pis!

glupson
7,842 posts
 
elizabeth,

I, by putting turntable in a different state (geographically), managed to resist having 37 different vinyl versions of Blood On The Tracks but would have probably collected them over time, had I only had something to play them on. You surely beat me to that one. However, I do have two Blonde On Blonde SACDs. One is single layer and on one disc and one is hybrid and that one is on two discs. And I do not even like that album.

Have you ever read a short book by Nick Hornby named Songbook? It is an interesting and unexpected read. If you come across that book, see chapter about one Bob Dylan’s song. First few sentences describe just what we are talking about.

https://books.google.com/books?id=eZ8q0jS2oskC&pg=PA39&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&...
craigl59
307 posts
 

Elizabeth:

As someone who has 25 or so music blu-rays, can second your assessment of their marginal value. In the classical field they have perished a quick death because of high production costs and low sales. The best I have are the Chailly Mahler symphonies that are memorable because of their sound engineering -- which is the best I have heard for orchestral music.

Naxos tried to offer blu-rays that could be played without a tv connection and I tried several of their offerings -- they are awful.

Have been told that Sony abandoned the SACD format after reputable articles appeared showing it had inherent noise/distortion faults in the 1-bit design.

So, this last week, bought some new Sony CD releases made after they moved to the high-res PCM format. They are incredibly accurate for orchestral textures and far superior to any of the SACDs I have gotten.

As I have stated many times, think the death of the CD was prematurely announced and that it will survive more emphatically than many streamers believe.

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