The CD revival thread
- Thread starter Tony L
- Start date
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Rolling Stone called the CD revival in January: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cd-revival-compact-discs-rob-sheffield-1284487/
I'm just hoping it doesn't cause prices to rise (sorry Tony!) - I'm still hoovering them up for a pound a go
I'm just hoping it doesn't cause prices to rise (sorry Tony!) - I'm still hoovering them up for a pound a go
flatpopely
Prog Rock/Moderator
I abandoned CD in the 90's despite having 500+ CDs. And then I bought a Sony CDP338ESD and rediscovered the format. My Walkman D-11 is in regular use in my home office.
awkwardbydesign
Officially Awesome
I still have my blue Walkman, although it hasn't been used for years. Must check the batteries are out! I have kept my Meridian 200 transport and 263 DAC as I like the design, although it gets upset by some CD-Rs. Every CD I buy I just rip with my Innuos Zenith 2 and play the rips. I prefer to buy a CD and rip it, rather than buy a download, if possible.
In the loft system it's a mix of playing CDs, LPs and the Innuos back-up hard drive.
I bought one of these cheaply recently for the loft, and play CD-R copies of my regular CDs. It sometimes doesn't like track 1, but I just start with track 3 and go back to track 1, which works.
In the loft system it's a mix of playing CDs, LPs and the Innuos back-up hard drive.
I bought one of these cheaply recently for the loft, and play CD-R copies of my regular CDs. It sometimes doesn't like track 1, but I just start with track 3 and go back to track 1, which works.
Tony L
Administrator
Here’s my D-EJ751 CD Walkman. I’ve still got the box, PSU, and I think unused original earbuds. I had one of those padded Case Logic cases that held it and a couple of CDs in a different compartment, hence it still being in great condition despite a lot of use on public transport etc. Still works perfectly and thankfully I never left batteries in it so no corrosion.
Jim Audiomisc
pfm Member
I tend to use Pioneer Audio CD recorders to play CDs. They can cope with a wider range of disc specs and give a decent sound. As per others, I've mainly stayed with buying CDs and often find them excellent. Depends on the mastering and condition. I did have PDO replace a lot of 'bronzed' CDs decades ago. Since then the discs have been fine. But yes, old CDRs can 'fade' - although keeping them in a dark cool place helps them stay OK.
awkwardbydesign
Officially Awesome
Well, the Walkman still works. I'm playing Leonard Cohen's last (posthumous) album through some little extension speakers. Sounds quite nice if I keep the volume down.
Glad I still have every CD I ever bought!
Up until recently so did I, but I had a purge last year to get the collection down to a reasonable size... about 10K of them now. Have about 1,000 records most of which were bought before CD arrived properly (i.e. when Naim made their first CD player and they finally sounded right). Have 4 players too although these are split across 2 locations. Rega Isis is my main player as it sounds wonderful and is repairable via the manufacturer if it goes wrong. The rest are Linn and Naim. I cannot embrace streaming or downloads as it's just not for me.... I'm a luddite I guess as I do get why so many prefer it and there is no criticism of it... it makes perfect sense, but I like some tangibility. Vinyl is too expensive new so CD fills the middle ground and is what I default to... it's a great marriage of physicality, quality and convenience in my book. I probably prefer the sound of vinyl all other things being equal, but it's small margins IMO.
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messengerman
pfm Member
Oddly I'm tempted a little the other way. I never stopped buying CDs (used ones) but have recently been wondering why I still do that when all I do is rip them anyway and stream them through my far more convenient laptop and external DAC.
CD sized sleeve notes I'd now need an electron microscope to read. I no longer even try. The stuff (reviews etc) the laptop automatically pulls up (Material Skin/LMS) is better anyway. Fear of losing files is probably the main thing keeping me going for now. And a dislike of subscriptions I know I'd have to drop before I drop.
CD sized sleeve notes I'd now need an electron microscope to read. I no longer even try. The stuff (reviews etc) the laptop automatically pulls up (Material Skin/LMS) is better anyway. Fear of losing files is probably the main thing keeping me going for now. And a dislike of subscriptions I know I'd have to drop before I drop.
daytona600
Registered User
2022 CD is dead
Outsold by LPs now & dwarfed by streaming Top 5 over 80billion streams
2021 Spotify Top 5
1 - Drake - 21.5 Billion Total Streams - $52,546,150 Total Earnings
2 - J Balvin - 15.5B Total Streams - $37,904,012
3 - Post Malone - 15.3B Total Streams - $37,577,611
4 - Bad Bunny - 14.8B Total Streams - $36,227,528
5 - Ed Sheeran - 14.7B Total Streams - $36,014,920
US Vinly record sales hit $1 billion for the first time since 1986
At $1 billion in vinyl record sales, 2021 was the biggest year for vinyl since 1986, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. At just 11% of all revenues, physical sales are still exploding — with vinyl revenue growing 61% year over year.
Whaleblue
Southbound
Blimey, 10,000. I have rather lost count but think I’ve only got 2000-3000ish.
I have collected a handful of beautifully built CDPs from the golden era. Top of the line (single box) players from Sony and Philips, plus some other nice 80s very well built players from Denon, Sony and Marantz. They all sound great to these ears. I have had Naim players too, but would choose the Sony CDP-555esD if I had to have just one player. It just sounds right.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
I'm still using the first CD player I bought over twenty years ago - a Sony CDP-XB930. I sometimes think I should invest in something more exotic but I struggle to get very excited about CD players!
Jim Audiomisc
pfm Member
Are the "LP sales bigger" claims simply based on price, or number of units? FWIW Back when I routinely bought new LPs I got about 2 - 3 times the number of LPs as I actually kept. Because so many had flaws. But that was when EMI actually made LPs... or in their case flat, pockmarked plastic buckets with a spiral scratch! 8-]
I have heard of Ed Sheeran I think, but not the others.
Your list seems a tad light on, say, Jack Teagarden or Finzi, though.
OTOH, nice to see Barbirolli CDs with 'new' material that has been found and cleaned up and released on CD in recent years.
Jim Audiomisc
pfm Member
Thousands would have seemed extreme decades ago. But in recent years boxsets of 50 to 100+ CDs have become quite common at great prices per disc.
Although I'm happy in general with the 'legato link' Pioneer it also has spdif out I can choose to feed to external DACs for when I wish that.
manicatel
pfm Member
If you’ve got a significant cd collection & are against streaming for whatever reason, then cd will not die, just keep on enjoying the music.
But I would doubt that applies to anyone much under 40 or so.
CD’s succeeded mainly as it’s more convenient & robust than vinyl. Streaming has stolen that advantage & in doing so has made cd redundant to anyone other than existing die-hard users.
The market now is streaming for portability, convenience etc etc & it works for the “app” generation.
Then it’s vinyl for the tactile, involving angle, along with arguably a trendy novelty value.
Which leaves cd’s stuck in the middle. Not as convenient as streaming, not as tactile or involving as vinyl.
I’ll leave the sound quality argument out, as we all have our views on that & mine is that I prefer vinyl but also think that mastering trumps format.
But I would doubt that applies to anyone much under 40 or so.
CD’s succeeded mainly as it’s more convenient & robust than vinyl. Streaming has stolen that advantage & in doing so has made cd redundant to anyone other than existing die-hard users.
The market now is streaming for portability, convenience etc etc & it works for the “app” generation.
Then it’s vinyl for the tactile, involving angle, along with arguably a trendy novelty value.
Which leaves cd’s stuck in the middle. Not as convenient as streaming, not as tactile or involving as vinyl.
I’ll leave the sound quality argument out, as we all have our views on that & mine is that I prefer vinyl but also think that mastering trumps format.
say it as it is
pfm Member
Well as a 40 something I am definitely the CD generation, for me it's sound, bang for buck CD still wins the price of a node2i buys a lot of CD player used.
The physical interaction of putting a CD in and fitting the puck if Naim is still something I enjoy enjoy. I try not to use remotes and let a CD play start to finish like you would if a turntable.
I am not against streaming and I will eventually try it properly I tried with Amazon music not the full hd just the cooking version and it was way behind CD via node 2, going via a Regs DAC helped a bit, but still prefer CD Rote rcd 955 with a few mods or the old Naim cd3 when I had it.
I think the quality of the source material ie the stream was the issue.
Not trying to sound like a dinosaur but for me CD is the easiest format to live with plug n play and some amazing players about now they are out of fashion
The physical interaction of putting a CD in and fitting the puck if Naim is still something I enjoy enjoy. I try not to use remotes and let a CD play start to finish like you would if a turntable.
I am not against streaming and I will eventually try it properly I tried with Amazon music not the full hd just the cooking version and it was way behind CD via node 2, going via a Regs DAC helped a bit, but still prefer CD Rote rcd 955 with a few mods or the old Naim cd3 when I had it.
I think the quality of the source material ie the stream was the issue.
Not trying to sound like a dinosaur but for me CD is the easiest format to live with plug n play and some amazing players about now they are out of fashion
Me as well, when I got my first job at 16 about 75% of my paltry £60 p/w went on CDs and did so for many years. But it doesn't hold any magic for me, it's just what the music came on at the time. When I first realised you could rip it all and do away with it I jumped on board.
On the flip side (ho ho) Vinyl does hold some magic and is what my system is geared towards.
I can't knock CDs though, because if I didn't sell all mine to Tony then I'd never have heard the La Scalas which I subsequently ended up buying from him, so I have CD to thank for that!