I haven’t had a record deck at home for 30 years. I still think I prefer the sound of vinyl to any digital format. But good decks are costly and the running cost is high with replacement styli or cartridges. Plus the storage and cleaning of LP’s and their fragile nature.
I’ve deliberately avoided hearing any turntables at a dealers for many years as I’m afraid I could very easily get hooked again and it will be the start of a very expensive reversal back to vinyl!
likewise every streamer!
Yes absolutely and arguably even more so. I was just really making the point that some people say they dislike computers and this is a reason for them sticking with CD.
All good points Ebor
For me, in terms of sound quality , vinyl rules by a significant margin , albeit very costly
I would think CD and Streaming in terms of SQ are reasonably close, sometimes either way
I still enjoy playing CD’s and so do a number of my mates. I use to have the Naim CD555 and I really miss it , it’s a stunner
Yes I realised that. Some people have an aversion to computers having any involvement with music - even though most recordings in recent decades has involved computers in some way.
Involving computers with music doesn’t bother me - I’m a child of the 80s so synths were a big part of my early musical experiences! - but:
Mark
I must admit that when I first started considering streaming the thought of ripping my discs to a laptop and then playng them back from the same was off-putting to me. Having to fiddle with a laptop every time I wanted to listen to music seemd less than ideal. Then I discovered Melco music libraries and that was the turning point for me. I have the optical drive/ripper so no problem ripping discs. Playback is simpler than a CD player - I don’t even have to bother getting up from my chair!
I have not experienced this. I have been ripping cds to the 'puter since the first Logitech Touch and Duet sytem came out and streaming from the PC and later a Nas without issue. Network set up is key. Now with high speed external connections( fibre etc) internet streaming is as reliable as home streaming. Obviously the system has moved on as technology has improved, but I still rip dbpoweramp or win media to an ssd connected to the PC. I then copy media to a separate ssd that plugs in directly to the player (currently the Aries G1). This now acts as the nas for the other streamers in various rooms around the house. No issues at all.
re access control apps. I use a standard ipad and that seem big enough for my old eyes.
Before?
I delayed servicing my CDS3 on the advice that “if it isn’t broken, don’t send it in” and since it was only skipping every once in a blue moon, I never sent it. Then, just as the skipping became more frequent, there were no more replacement lasers available. I really thought that was the end of my CDS3 and my thoughts turned to alternatives.
Naim no longer offer a CD player at the CDS3 level so the most interesting replacement was the CD555. However, spending all that money on a product that was no longer manufactured and the risk of ending up in the same situation pushed me to “modernise”.
I am currently in transition, ripping around 2000 or so CDs to an Innuos Statement and play back through ND555. I have no subscriptions so its internet radio or ripped CDs at the moment. If I want to listen to something I havent ripped yet, I just take the extra few minutes and rip it first.
I kept the CDS3 in service for a while and thought initially I might have made a mistake. Once the ND settled down and I adjusted the new presentation, the CDS3 was found wanting sonically (comparatively) and finally retired.
I still purchase CDs but now with the intention of ripping them. I do miss perusing the stacks of CDs and though more convenient, don’t enjoy scrolling album thumbnails on a screen. I have also discovered a self discipline problem in that having my phone or iPad with me results in distractions, browsing, etc. rather than sitting back and enjoying the music the way I used to. I will be on the 3rd or 4th track and realise I haven’t really been listening. I have to throw the thing out of reach once I hit play so I still have to get up between albums, just like in the old days!
So, for me the sonic improvements have been well worthwhile but I’m not sure comparing the ND555 with CDS3 is fair. Had my CDS3 been repairable at the time, I would have taken that route and been perfectly happy and none the wiser. I would still sacrifice the convenience for the physical routine of selecting and playing CDs but I wouldn’t be too keen to take a sonic step backwards now.
FWIW…
Using Spotify or any compressed source makes a comparison with a CDX2 easy - the CD wins. However, I have a CDS2, the best CD player I ever heard for non-ridiculous sums. For most CDs, a Qobuz Hi Resolution signal via my NDX2 is very comparable to the CDS2, though the proportion that were clearly better streamed was quite small until I added the (expensive) power supply box to the NDX2.
I have B&W 804 D3s, and your speakers and amplification will certainly let you hear how all these options compare - if you ever want to explore.
I’d also say that there is nothing wrong with doing what many have done - keep the CD player for now and just add a decent streamer. After a while, many rip and then ditch the CD player, but there is no need to do that - I still use my CDS2.
And of course, there is nothing wrong with simply enjoying the music you like through the good kit that you are used to, while ignoring the incessant chatter on here!
Sorry, but you know what I meant!
Ofcourse, and it was meant in a lighthearted way Peter.
Something to consider when CD player dies and needs replacing (which was my trigger)
I may have misunderstood but I thought the CDS3 was still repairable?
It was, then it wasn’t, now it is again…
The CD is still the better solution. The disc is universal, I can buy one and people know what to do with it. I still prefer to buy CD:s and rip them. I dont trust those streaming services.
Downloads/streaming is just a mess self-inflicted by the industry. The confusing variety of formats, different internet services and subscriptions to pay. No common API:s so developers can work on it. I mean if you do mail and such on an iPad with a 5G sub and want to use a streaming service on your system you need to buy an extra broadband sub and go figure out what to do with itl
I’d in general say a Jays CD2 transport sound better than most streaming. You need to clean up a server-computer with low-noise motherboards, even lower-noise network cards and so on. And switch off everything not needed. Doing this made my server stand up and pass the CD2-level.
What are you talking about. Most homes have an internet service. I have a streamer that connect to the internet and to my home network. The iPad is merely a remote control device. No 5g needed, just a network connection. Turn the internet off and I still have my home network and media server.
Yes, that’s why it’s a multi billion dollar industry and has been embraced by consumer and manufacturers alike.
A right mess isnt it.
Ah, that’s interesting as I thought all of the recent Naim CD players were unsupported.