Do I still need my CD player?

One of the issues with including the liner notes with a digital release is that the copyright for the liner notes is not always/necessarily covered by the same copyright owners as the actual music and the cover art. So including the liner notes would mean a separate copyright issues and royalty. In that respect I can understand why liner notes aren't always (or rarely) included. At the same time, I really wish the liner notes were included as standard and expected with a digital release.

Apple tried standardizing (in the Apple sort of standardizing way) a way of releasing digital albums along with liner notes and other interactive extras called iTunes LP. Some albums were released in the iTunes LP format with additional content but in March of 2018 Apple killed that format. RIP iTunes LP 2009 - 2018. It was an attempt. I never bought or tried any iTunes LP releases because I don't do iTunes or lossy. iTunes LP was a revolution that completely missed me.

 

I agree! Thankfully my wife is an artist and I stare at her artwork on the walls while listening to computer transported music.

 

If you have an external CD drive there is zero need for the CD player. Buy the Mac Mini and use the external drive to play or rip CD`s. I have a Lampazator DAC and a 2012 Mac Mini with a external CD drive that i bought on eBay for $19.00 and the combination sounds better than any CD player while playing CD`s. I do not see the need for a CD player anymore.

 

That cd player is built like a tank. Keep it for the aesthetics at least....

 

It looks like you copied a post of mine from 5 years ago. Now, I never touch a cd accept to load it into and out of the Mac Mini. The system I use to listen to bit perfect rips is just as simple as a cdp and as reliable.

It's something I had to experience to appreciate.

 

anyway, guys, let's not tease ...
if someone asks a question like this ... He knows already the answer ....
He only asks for some confirmation ... (which, however, does not come from me ... and will never arrive ...)

 

but ask ONE... and, the answer will be... NO !

 

25 years from now, will the drive and laser assembly on the CD player still work? And if not will replacement parts be available?

 

Oh you are preaching to the choir my friend, I am all about the speakers, room size and acoustics . The next house is going to have a large dedicated room fitted with true behemoths that get the closest to speakers reproducing an orchestra that I've heard. The setup will look something like Living Voice Olympian, minus their old fashioned engineering.

 

I'm 100% with this. I have no interest in actually ripping CDs, maintaining disk drives and network connections. I'll just never do it (in fact, at this point, I have a laptop at home without an optical drive so I'd have to even buy new additional hardware to rip CDs); it's just work. Instead of doing all that, I'd rather just play a CD. But that's why I like streaming from a streaming provider -- the streaming service does all that work for me: acquires the content, manages the library, develops and deploys the software, makes sure its interoperable across platforms, networks, devices, etc. I listen to a lot of new music that way, and when I do want to listen to music while I'm roaming, I use that sort of service. But ripping CDs, maintaining my own library and server, way more time and effort than I'm interested in expending.

 

Being a physical device, it will surely wear out in some point in time, as most gear does.

But if lightly used and not left sitting around, a decently made CD may continue to function twenty five years from now.

Twenty five years after CD's, who'd have thought that turntables would still be around, with many of them in homes, properly cared for, still functioning properly.

Look at all the legacy gear that is still around today. You name it, there is someone out there repairing and restoring the oldest gear.

People who do repairs and restorations buy inoperative gear for pocket change and part it out.

I doubt if there will be a shortage of parts out there to effect repairs.

All my legacy gar can be repaired, every single last piece. The piece of junk from China that I bought new, two years ago, not so much!

 

That's the thing, the optical drive and laser assemblies -- the number of companies making those is already shrinking. And those things crap out more often and in shorter time than a decent turntable motor. There's so much legacy media on optical disk it's possible that someone somewhere will still be making some kind of disk drive for some time to come, but a part for your Philips CD drive assembly on a specific old CD player you want to repair? I'm not sure you can count on that being available years from now.

 

Setting up network access to a multitude of devices is not my thing.

I just like the easy access of having an extensive library on one drive, and I like having the ability to create custom playlists and also have the software do random shuffling. I have already discovered some "hidden gems" in my collection this way!

 

I have a Raspberry Pi with attached Wolfson Audio Card that I now do 99% of my listening through:-



I connect the Pi via a co-axial lead to my Creek 50CD CD Player / DAC:-



The Pi is a clone of the Squeezebox Touch (and I can control it from an Android Tablet app). The Pi is so small I stash it round the back of my Creek setup.

....but having said all that I still like the fact that my DAC (Creek 50CD) is also a CD Player - for those odd occasions when your IT equipment is malfunctioning.

 

In my case I'm just about the music. I've never been one to fondle media cases etc. (who said audiophiles were perverts!). Furthermore there are very few albums that I like to play in their entirety. For this reason I mostly listen to compilation CD-Rs that I make.

I did rip all my CDs to investigate computer audio and to set up a headphone system. With some albums, where there was only one or two tracks I liked, I only ripped those tracks, putting them on a CD-R, and disposing of the CD. Others with more tracks I liked I kept. I now have about 600 CDs instead of I don't know how many. I still play the CDs and CD-Rs on my speaker system.

I use a specially designed dedicated offline PC with no cooling fans (using Windows 8 and JRiver). This includes a hard drive with all my rips. Of course I have a back up hard drive too. If I buy a new CD I rip it and add it as and when I can.

The advantage of all this is that I too can just turn it on and play. Furthermore a real bonus is that I can use 'shuffle' for my entire library of music, which is very enjoyable. I can also make playlists of any length.

I have invested a lot in my CD set up but if my CD player comes to an end, or perhaps as a next step in developing the speaker system, I may look to add my PC, or a better one perhaps. I don't think there will be any issues of sound quality judging by what I currently hear on the headphone set up.

Incidentally, in the six years I've used the audio PC (with DAC, headphone amp and monitor), I've only had one issue which was my own fault. It is remarkably stable, turns on just as quick as my CD system and is easy to use once I learned all I needed on JRiver.

 

It's all out there if you dig enough. Sometimes it takes a lot of work, sometimes it's easy peasy.

Here's a pretty good one: BootlegZone : The Beatles -- 1962-1966 (Disc 1) (US Stereo LP - Apple) . Go to Scans+ on top

Or, this one: (Dr Ebbetts) Beatles Compact Discs

 

Also: Google Images works pretty good too.

 

For me, the answer to this question lies within another question. "Do you keep a collection of CD's?" If the answer is "yes", you need something that will play them. I have a fairly large library of CD I've collected over the past 30 years or so. When I look at them I like to have the option of pulling one off the shelf and playing it rather than making a mental note to go listen to those files.

I get keeping them for a physical back up but what is making much less sense to me is ripping CD's in the first place. I'd rather just have a monthly subscription rather than dealing with managing files on a HD.

 

You must be new here. Welcome to the forum!

I suggest you keep the CD player and enjoy all forms of media.

 

I still prefer cd's although I have all of them ripped and available on my hd. These rips are super when I change/upgrade something in my system because I can easily switch from one album/song/genre to another without having to leave my sweet spot. They are also super for background listening. But I just like to pop in a cd from time to time because it is just more 'real' and it lets me relax so I can focus better on the music.

 

Others have made the same comment...
I just don't react the same way, I guess.

CDs as a data carrier are no more "real" to me than a hard drive.

 

At my age, I'm not sure which I'd rather be forced to do without. My prostate or my CD player. Very tough choice. Lol.

M. M.

 

Without the one you can do highspeed streaming again.

 

Now, that is funny! Winner of the post of the week award.

M. M.

 

Personally, I value the forced simplicity and focus a CD player brings to my hobby.