Is there a future for Redbook players?

Yes...................!

-cfb

ABSOLUTELY!!
CD is the only medium on which you can get almost EVERY music you want/need! Since the new formats are mainstream formats in the first place and not necessarily high end formats it will take ages - if ever! - til you really get what you want: musicwise, musicianwise, recordingwise.

WOOOO how moved the rock and let cfb out??? :o)

I've always maintained that it only takes ONE superb
redbook recording to prove that the CD format is not
the problem....and there are many. Listen to some
recordings from Mapleshade, XRCD, Mobile Fidelity,
Telarc and others to demonstrate excellence in clarity,
dynamics, soundstaging and ambience. Jazz at the Pawnshop,
though criticized by some for it's performance, is
still a benchmark in live recording.

The MASTERING of many recordings is sadly inferior. There
are thousands of mediocre (or worse) vinyl recordings,
just as there are redbook CD's, SACD's and DVD-Audio's.
Unless and until there is a major effort to produce
superb masterings of recordings, the format will not matter
much.

Certainly, and "all in one" Redbook CDPs are gaining more popularity I guess since jitter could be more an issue once you do separates. I have just purchase a Rotel RCD 1070 (my old cdp just died) and had it mod with the Superclock II (yes, you might consider doing your existing CDP too instead of a new CDP altogether??) and I now have a brand new collection of 1000+ cds......... I do not think I will be moving to SACD/DVD-A format in a hurry till the "race" between the two formats is being sorted out, remember Sony's Beta vs VHS????
Good Luck