The CD player is dead.......

Are you really just now realizing demise of the CD?

My CDP sounds better then my HD/iTunes. That said, I listen to my HD 98% of the time as the sound of the disc actually in the player is only marginal better then my computer files. All of which were ripped directly into iTunes as either AFF or Apple Lossless files. SACDs are fun, but the listenability and the musical enjoyment I get out of my computer set up is on par with spinning redbooks.

I still buy CDs because I have not been able to download music that is bit for bit CD quality. For whatever reason HDTracks will not download to my mac and even if it did the selection is not sufficient to keep me interested for long.

Thus, I'll buy a used disc off Amazon, rip it and shelve it. When bit for bit and/or HiRez downloading becomes ubiquitous, I will be more than happy to stop buy hard copies.

Once I heard how good computer files CAN sound on a friends system, I sold my Naim CDX2/XPSII and purchased a Cary 306 Pro for its digital in/DAC and a MacBook. Every month since(been about a year now), the amount of discs that actually spin in the Cary gets to be fewer and fewer. In fact, I really only use the Cary transport now so it won't seize up in the future.

As for the convenience of using the REMOTE app on my iPone to scroll though my 1500 discs and play any song at will...there is no going back.

jtb

I can't wait until we have more standalone "connected audio appliance" pieces like the Linn DS and the upcoming PS Audio PerfectWave DAC w/bridge. I still like to have hard-copies of all my CDs for archival purposes, in addition to a computer-based backup of my ripped music, but I ELIMINATED my "shelves" years ago. For the most part, I don't care about the physical media. It's all in Rubbermaid storage containers under the guest bed now anyhow and I'm happy to have the space back.

Here's where I get nasty: I agree with the original poster almost wholeheartedly. From my vantage point, the "comb-over" generation (including the manufacturers, resellers AND USERS of Hi-Fi in general) are IMO obliterating their own market and making it much less appealing for the younger crowd: price-wise and feature-wise. Baby Boomers who don't get computer stuff: you're dying and taking the industry with you. Please fix this. Almost nobody buys CDs anymore. I live in the DC area and we have had several great local HiFi shops close in the past year or so. Younger folks (like myself: I'm in my late 20's) sadly seem to be more content with the just-good-enough iPod sound quality and superior usability. In college, I used to be more involved with the Head-Fi community and loved headphone systems - as that market age-group matures, I see them matriculating to speaker-based systems, etc. so there will probably always be a small crowd.

What the industry is lacking (or at best, is behind with) is innovation. I see USB DACs as a "comb-over" solution - and I may be offending the strict computer audiophile crowd by saying this, but I do NOT want a PC Computer anywhere near my audio system or entertainment system/TV, for that matter. Personally, I will spend my hard-earned dollars on --and believe the future is in(!)-- purpose-made embedded/integrated systems such as the aforementioned Linn/PS Audio components with an easy-to-use HCI component - iPhone/iPad app, Android app, dedicated controller, whatever... I give major props to Paul McGowan and his group for trying to make this a reality for moderately less money than Linn.

I posted this on "Digital" on purpose. I knew that if I posted it on "PC Audio", then most people would agree with me and that way I wouldn't learn anything. I'm trying to get a different perspective on the subject, so thank you all for your input.
Devilboy

Unlikely as most read the "new" threads without regard to which category they are posted in.
I am moving toward the computer based audio as it is the future but I will still use cds as the music source until quality downloads are available. To date I have not downloaded any music.

well,we live in the time where there is no hi-def audio format at the moment, so I would wait....(I play LP's and all vintage McIntosh/JBL system for fun in the meantime...)

I would have both. Just buy a cd player with digital input so you can interact with your cd when you want and can still connect a computer to it for ease of use/random play. Why fight over just having one when most good cd players coming out are equipping themselves with digital inputs?