What makes a Cd player a Great cd player

Grannyring, yer right, I hear the pops-n-clicks, but those dynamic swings sure kick our ass !

I think that part of the divergence of viewpoints on vinyl vs. digital probably relates to the kinds of music that people listen to. In two ways:

1)Tics, pops, surface noise, etc. on a vinyl system will be most objectionable on material that has wide dynamic range, such as classical symphonic music. Assuming comparable pressing quality, it will be much less noticeable on rock, (especially if it has been typically compressed), and on jazz, most chamber music, etc., that has narrower dynamic range.

2)It is well established that very low level high frequency hiss, such as lp surface noise, can result in a subjective perception of enhanced air and ambiance. I would expect that to also assume greater or lesser significance depending on the type of music being listened to. And also depending on the quality of the engineering of the recordings -- overly dry recordings will benefit from that effect; recordings that were produced in a good hall, and were properly mic'd and mixed, will not.

Regards,
-- Al

Speaking of hiss, in the recording studios, many musicians and engineers dislike Dolby noise reduction because they feel it makes the music sound dull for, among other reasons, removal of the hiss. Since the tape hiss is a constant, as opposed to a random pop or click on an LP, the ear tends to ignore it, as we do the constant din of human existence. The hiss becomes perceived as brighter = better high frequency response, mostly when A/B'd against a tape using noise reduction.