Why Do ~You~ Still Play CDs?

@nonoise audiophiles are not necessarily engineers so good luck with that science thing!! We just know….. what sounds good better than the average bear. That’s pretty much it.

“the shortest signal path is the best”
@nonoise 

Since you asked……

The “shortest signal path is best” principle originates from the analog era, where every additional connection or component introduced potential for signal degradation, noise, and distortion. This was especially true for fragile analog signals, where maintaining purity was paramount.

In the digital realm, however, the game changes. Digital signals are far more robust over distance because they are transmitted as data packets, which can be error-checked, corrected, and reclocked to ensure integrity. A digital signal traveling halfway around the planet via fiber optics or Ethernet can arrive virtually unaltered, assuming the network and equipment are high-quality. This is why streaming, when done right, can rival or surpass traditional physical media playback.

That said, the transition from digital to analog still matters. The quality of the DAC, power supplies, and even the local signal path in your playback chain remains critical. Audiophiles who value the shortest signal path may need to reconcile their beliefs with the fact that in the digital domain, distance and path length are less of a concern than implementation and system design.

Hope this helps! 

Because:

1) With a high quality CD Transport and DAC, CDs sound better.

2) I have lots of CDs to which I love to listen, and buy more when I feel like it.

3) I don't need unlimited access to all music.

4) I like the physical format and access to written lyrics.

I don’t need unlimited access to all music.

@condosound Yes you do, you just don’t know it yet. Once you get to explore limitless amounts of awesome new music (and much of it in hi res BTW), playing familiar stuff over and over again becomes an antiquated and ridiculous notion. I discover wonderful new music almost daily and as a result am having more fun as an audiophile and music lover than I ever have in my life, and it’s so interesting and exciting I rarely spin a CD anymore. Once you start streaming you’ll never go back. My only regret about streaming is that I didn’t start sooner. Continue to ignore streaming at your own peril. There are worlds of incredible new music out there just waiting for you to explore, enjoy, and to greatly expand your horizons.

With a high quality CD Transport and DAC, CDs sound better.

That’s absolutely not true at all.  A well-constructed streaming setup will match and potentially surpass CD, and streaming offers thousands of hi res recordings you can’t get with CD  

Artists actually ....you know..... make money from CD sales.