Resolving CD Transports Crowd Sourcing

@jetter 

Both you and ghdprentice raise an interesting point. To many people playing a CD is an archaic way to listen to music. There are multiple reasons. Consequently, the technology that makes the CD listening experience sublime, i.e the ability of getting a replacement Phillips CD drive is no longer a necessity for the majority of music enthusiasts, and is a real concern and consideration. 

If I was much younger (I'm  66 and recently retired!!), I'm not sure CDs would be the way I like listening to music. My thirty year old son lovingly chides me because of the money I spend on my hobby and the physical space needed to enjoy it. His media of choice is his iphone and Apple Music.

I was a BIG analog person and only when my turntables stopped working, were hard to repair, and records were harder to buy, did I grudgingly buy my first CD player--a SONY multi-disk. Now, I like CDs for their physical convenience-storage and ease of handling, sound quality, and the availability of satisfying CD players and transports. 

With that said, technology being what it is, it's not hard to accept (after a Manhattan, or two) that at some point I could be streaming on a regular basis. The sound quality via Hi REZ is improving, the huge music catalogs available, and the excellent DACs and streamers available point to a future where CDs and transports could be fewer and far between. Space considerations also factor into this. Looking to downsize, one of the first questions I ask is if the house I'm looking at has a something I can turn into a listening room. Until then, or not, I'm going to really, really enjoy my CDs. 

@charles1dad 

I did not know that Morgan and McLean collaborated. Looking into this I saw that at some point both played with Art Blakey. What do you recommend?

OP,

I recommend signing up for the free month of Qubuz. My dealer pestered me for the better part of a year to switch fro Tidal to Qobuz. I finally did a couple years ago and cancelled my Tidal subscription within a couple days.
 

While there is only a slight difference in the basic sound of the two services with the exact same recording… Qobuz has well over one half million high resolution albums Tidal only has something like 50K… MQA pretty much sound like red book. 
 

Hi David,

https://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/jackie-mclean-and-lee-morgan-the-dynamic-hardbop-duo/
 

I bought “Consequence “  probably 25 years ago. They’re good playing together.

Charles

The Marantz CD60 is a strong buy a $999. Marantz is one of the few companies still taking CDs seriously, and both the 6007 ($599) and the CD60 make excellent cases for their success. The CD60 has 2 filters in its DAC, a new output stage and dedicated headphone amp. There are those who turn their noses up at Marantz as being too 'mid-fi'. I suggest you listen before speaking. For sound quality, value, actual support they are hard to beat.

And if it's just a CD/SACD/Streamer with a custom DAC/Upsampler, dedicated streaming and headphone amp with a wireless player with app (HEOS) you want, the SACD 30N  for $2999 has you covered. Oh, finally, the analog parts are not the ubiquitous opamps, the HDAM modules are Marantz designed differential amps, more skin to high precision instrumentation amps than hifi. Long story short: Marantz is building some pretty awesome high-end gear, as they have for the last 65 years.