Dear @frenchrooster,
I would not say 1,5 k is cheap, it is a little investment.
And many are very happy using a 1-2 k streamer (Innuos, Melco, etc.) into the Chord combo, and claim this sounds better than a DNX 2.
Let me please test the Chord combo streaming from the BNC digital output of a DNX 2 against the BNC output of an Exposure XM CD. Then I will provide a reply to you. It can take a bit of time though.
Except that I feel pretty certain that vinyl will be around long after CDs are gone.
And I regrettably sold almost all my vinyl (still have a negligible amount) at bargain basement prices about 10 years ago, no longer have a TT. Although with the number of possible relocations upcoming, it might be OK - albums are a b**ch to move.
We’ll see.
I really hope the industry is disrupted again. The revenue the artists get from streaming is not sustainable.
And just imagine a provider like CD Japan shipping to your door in a few hours. And the billions of second hand CDs in very good shape. This vision cannot be based in vinyl, I am afraid.
Well Rafael, heaven knows if I was perfect at predicting, my life would be immeasurably different!
However, the reason for vinyl’s longevity and resurgence is the analog audio experience it provides, which CD doesn’t have. This is why I think it will remain and CDs will ultimately go the way of the 8-track. And I say this as the owner of about 1.500 CDs…and I know many members (such as yourself) have more than that.
However, on the plus side, CDs provide a worthwhile streaming backup and proof of digital rights to the content for the owner. Although I kind of feel sorry for the future Mrs DrMark when I pass and she has to deal with disposing of all that.
Hi Mark, you will be amazed how analogue CD can actually sound not being much disrupted by a pre amp, and great dynamic range too! 
ATB Peter
PS. I am not divulging into CD vs Streaming vs Gramophone here 
( Life’s too short )
English not being my language, I should have said not on the same level or not well balanced….
Innuos Zen mini into Chord Qutest
Innuos Zennith into Tt2/ Mscaler
Innuos Statement/ Chord Dave/ Mscaler
……seem balanced to me.
Rega Apollo R is a 750 euros cd dac transport. I would not run it with a Chord Hugo/ Mscaler.
But you will share your feedback. I am curious.
I didn’t plan my collection, it just happened, helped by the fact that I lived and worked in some places where playing music in a system was one of few available entertainments.
Perhaps my desire that the CD remains relevant is just my inability to recognize that I wasted my money.
But I can say that the music for me is more important than the equipment, and my CD collection defines me better than my audio gear.
The question of longevity of course depends on how much used - 8 hours a day will likely wear out the mechanism 7 times as fast as 8 hours a week - and people also playing vinyl obviously don’t spend all their playing time on CD. The two CD players I had each lasted about 10 years before problems with tracking, though quite intensive play.
@frenchrooster, I would also like to listen to a Rega Isis and to a Rega Apollo>M Scaler>TT 2. Similar price, which sound I will like better?
I think CD players wear more when you move them than when they play a CD. You also need to factor this if you change home often.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think Cyrus spent a lot of money not too long ago to develop their own in house mech so that their players and cd transports had as long a life as possible, in fact if my CD5 XS (which I use as a transport into an ndac) ever packs up and is not repairable by Naim then Cyrus would probably be my first point of call for a replacement transport.
Hardly a waste of money in my opinion, Rafael…you have music you enjoy, which is the whole point irrespective of the storage medium.
I still purchase CDs myself. I get them at thrift stores, and even on the River.
It’s a good news. No I didn’t knew that. So a good choice apparently 
Sat here listening to music whilst reading the thread, my new to me Hugo just ran out of juice mid streaming Moby - 18. Put the CD in my CD5 and picked up where I left off. Different presentations for sure, imaging separation and detail better through the Hugo. Feet still tapping away with my CD5 though, it’s very enjoyable indeed. Yes, CD player in 2021.
I think if they are clamped properly moving them shouldn’t be an issue. My Cambridge CD2 moved house once, and in the second house moved position once. It started playing up after 10 years. My second CD player, a Shearne Phase 7, moved house once, in each house it remained in the one position. It started playing up after about 10 years. Both had been properly clamped for the home moves.
My Rotel went from Madrid to Milan (3 homes) to Mexico DF back to Milan then to Johannesburg, where the lid stopped to work. I bought another Rotel CD player in Johannesburg that is now in Milan.
I think my kit and CDs are well traveled!
I’ve recently had to have the mechanism in my Cyrus CD6s replaced. As I bought the CD player second hand I can’t vouch for its exact age or previous service history, but I would estimate it was the original mechanism and must have been around 15 years old when it failed. I believe the Cyrus uses a Philips VAM mechanism like several Naim players. I’ve also got a Technics CD player which has been retired from a second system, but when it was last used about a year ago was still going strong, and on its original mechanism - that one is over 20 years old.
I have however experienced a number of more premature failures - a Toshiba DVD player which became picky about which discs it would play after about 8 years of light use. We also had a Philips boombox portable CD player which failed after about 4 years. I’ve previously read that the life of CD player mechanisms is a bit of a lottery - some go on for years and years, while others fail after a short period of time.
Yes they do, I use a Teac PD-501 HR CD/DSD player, which cost me only around $1k Canadian when I bought it. I have mine hooked up to my Mscaler/TT2 with an optical cable, and also the analog outs go directly to my Nagra integrated for when I play DSD’s. Both sound excellent, but in reality I usually play streamed music from my Core/ND5XS2 into the Mscaler/TT2…it is just way more convenient, and sounds equally good. I think the Teac is no longer made though.
My Teac sits on the second from the bottom shelf of my Fraim.
A couple of thoughts.
First, Roksan just announced a new transport the Attessa apparently at 495 GBP.
Second, I’ve also wondered about the importance and longevity of CD playback in the streaming era - having a reasonable number of CDs myself.
I recently installed a ND5XS, which I have been quite happy with.
For fun I hooked up my CD50mk2 and used the ND5XS as a DAC and did a brief comparison of some tracks between Tidal (Lossless) and the same CD fed by the CD50mk2.
I was surprised to find the CD presentation more solid, for lack of a better terminology, and better in general.
I need to get another FRAIM shelf so I can actually re-integrate it into the system. I’m still happy with my ND5XS, but it was interesting to me to experience enough of a notable difference with an ‘older’ CD transport through the same DAC.
I think CD still has a fair bit of life left in it.
[Typo Corrected: Only using ND5XS, not ND5XS2]
Yep agree with your last comment Nathan
