Why CD players will never be dead

Rar1,
You are not the only one about the server. I am in the same boat. Though I can play with computer registry and stuff like that, I love to spin the good old CD. Future might force us to take up a server, but for now we are good :-)

I a not with Steve on this one. My computer audio front end and others I have heard do not sound as good as a great CD/SACD player in my experience. Not yet anyway. I love the convenience however! I love Spotify and Pandora etc...

The battery operated DAC section in my modified Sony CD player (TRL) still sounds better than the Apple/$1000 dac options I have tried.Perhaps I need to spend more on the DAC to compete with my CD player? Don't know. I expect at some point I will like the sound of computer audio better, but this far no.

Grannyring,

Funny you should mention TRL in this thread. I have owned one of their modded Sony players for several years now. It has beat up some pretty expensive seedee players in this time.

I just put together a modest system of SB Touch and MHDT Havana DAC. I have to concede that this does indeed sound better than my cdp. The TRL will be for sale in the near future. This is the best digital sound I have heard in my system.

Shakey

Shakeydeal, his mods vary and mine is the latest with the battery power supply and all (modified last year). Tell me about yours? Love to know how (what program) you use to rip CD's? I have not had as much luck as you getting computer audio to sound as good. I also use the Squeezebox Touch and a good Bel Canto DAC? No way it sounds as good. I stream wireless to the SB Touch however.

This is the issue I have with computer based audio. So many ways to cobble out the final sound that perhaps I could be doing SOMETHING better? That something is confusing and a royal pain to me....

Granny wrote: "My computer audio front end and others I have heard do not sound as good as a great CD/SACD player in my experience."

You just need to buy the right computer interface. There is no reason why it should not beat both your CD player and your vinyl.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio