Is this the END of DAYS for the high end CD player

There won't be END DAYS for the high end (or any end) cd player in our lifetime. There are just too many cd's out there. What will probably happen, as it happens often in audio (think SACD) is that the player market will decrease to a nice niche, smaller specialized market for the die-hards, not unlike turntables.

Very intersting dicussion about the same subject on the computer auifophile site:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/CD-v-ripped-CD-files-inferior-Sound-quality
The OP is trying to get clear answer to the same question I asked beofre, I quote:

The issue here is whether it is possible to get exactly the same sound from ripped files as from direct CD playback, comparing them in the the same playback setup (i.e. same PCs, CD drivers, DACs, cables, etc.)?

I would like to know this. For me this is the most important aspect of this whole computer based front end, before jumping in. Please read the thread before advising on different tools and options. The OP down there is used/tried most of them and still claiming that original CD sounds better.

Any body who did the A/B testing?

I think many has done the À/B-ing but come to different results Depending on how advanced each setup were. My experience is that CD done "right" sounds better than PC/Mac->Dac done "right". My A/B-ing was done with same Dac so difference was CD as transport vs Computer(PC and Mac) as transport.

"The issue here is whether it is possible to get exactly the same sound from ripped files as from direct CD playback, comparing them in the the same playback setup "

Absolutely, in fact I would argue that with the right equipment and playback software, its better. That's the key though. If you have an AirPort Express and a Mac, dont expect to beat your CD player. If you use Toslink directly from a Mac, dont expect to beat your CD player.

If you get The Absolute Sound, you would know that a computer audio room got best sound of the show at 2010 RMAF.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Having had my head spun around by digital, both in the positive and negative sense since first having heard it, I'm ready to agree with the presumptive nature of the question, 'Are we at the 'End of Days' with regard to High End Digital...meaning I suppose, pricing beyond a certain dollar figure is about to come to an end quickly, as the ROI is so shaded toward the lower end of product given the level of quality now available.
In the old days, early on in digital, the inadequicies manifested themselves as 'thin and reedy' and annoying to the ear, (for me). Turntables simply 'trounced all commers' into the world of music reproduction.
Now, almost 30 years later, we're seeing the 'limitations' as a simple 'lack of resolution', but, to my ear, not nearly as grating--if one can separate dissappointment from fidelity, or lack thereof.

In experimenting with a friend who just purchased an IMAC, and is building a music library, we did a fun experiment.
Using the 'Great Winston Ma's' recordings as a sample of what a 'truly great recording' should sound like....we recorded a piece using the 'minimum/for maximum transportability' that Mac recommends. The file took up about 14.5MB. Then, we recorded the same, using the true maximum res, least loss, and compared a (minimum) to b (maximum) to the original, while being played through a piece that I consider to be a wonderful player, the Oppo conversion piece by Exemplar.
A was 'adequate' and other than dissappointing, not annoying. B was much, more resolving (and took up 75MB by comparison), and C was of course, the best, by far.
We've come a long way in digital--and to answer the question that this site/post asks...YES, I do believe we've reached the point of no return on mega buck players.
First of all, most people lack the hardware to appreciate the differences--convenience has to be a factor in some regard and at a certain point for most of us, AND with a player like the Oppo/Exemplar, which costs $2500--why spend much more?

Best, as always,

Larry