Thread: It's official: Audiophiles are over CDs

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Post by The Seventh Taylor July 18, 2008 (1 of 22)
11% use a SACD or DVD-Audio player.

See http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-9991658-47.html

Post by Claude July 18, 2008 (2 of 22)
Interesting, although it is only an online poll of limited representativity.

As far as digital sources go:
- 36 percent use a computer
- 34 percent use CD players
- 11 percent use a SACD or DVD-A player
- 10 percent use a streaming server (Squeezebox, etc)
- 4 percent use iPods
- 3 percent use something else

Given how rare hi-rez downloads are, this makes a total of 84 percent who predominantly listen to music in redbook resolution.

Post by jakeroux July 18, 2008 (3 of 22)
Another redbook playback option worthy of consideration for those who do not require a reference-level CD player (which admittedly may be a small percentage on this list) is multiple mega changers controlled by software via a video monitor. It has all of the convenience (search ability, create playlist, display album art, etc.) of a server-based system, but without the downside of having to (re) create your entire library in digital data files. I currently have approximately 1500 discs set up on such a system. There are at least a couple of brands of mega changer software available, maybe more if you just Google for it.

Post by DSD July 18, 2008 (4 of 22)
The Seventh Taylor said:

11% use a SACD or DVD-Audio player.

See http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-9991658-47.html

I wish that number was 100% use a SACD or DVD-Audio player. I could never understand the attraction of commercially pressed CDs and I have never liked them. Burned CD-R's are easier to listen to but they are still low resolution and I find cassettes as played on my Nakamichi to outperform either one.

SACD does digital right and the powers that be should have waited and not introduced Digital at all until DSD and SACD were ready. PCM should never have been thrust upon the world. it should never have happened. Just the easy transition from Analog to DSD. Think of it all SACDs would be from Analog or DSD masters! If that had happened most audiophiles and everyone else would have a SACD player and every single recording would be on SACD.

Post by Edvin July 18, 2008 (5 of 22)
...a girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Cellophane flowers...

Post by The Seventh Taylor July 19, 2008 (6 of 22)
DSD said:

I could never understand the attraction of commercially pressed CDs and I have never liked them. Burned CD-R's are easier to listen to but they are still low resolution

Conversely I have never been attracted to CD-R except for practical uses like PC back-ups.

Post by flyingdutchman July 19, 2008 (7 of 22)
And just how are CD-Rs easier to listen too? I'm just waiting to read Teresa's lame reasoning on that one.

Post by raffells July 19, 2008 (8 of 22)
flyingdutchman said:

And just how are CD-Rs easier to listen too? I'm just waiting to read Teresa's lame reasoning on that one.

Depends on whether they are Telarc CD-Rs doesnt it?
Of course the quality of PC set up and soundcard will have nothing whatsover to do with the sound.
I still think Edwins response should have closed off the subject.Priceless.

Post by stvnharr July 19, 2008 (9 of 22)
raffells said:

I still think Edwins response should have closed off the subject.Priceless.

I agree!

Post by DSD July 19, 2008 (10 of 22)
flyingdutchman said:

And just how are CD-Rs easier to listen too? I'm just waiting to read Teresa's lame reasoning on that one.

I believe it is error correction as implimated in standard "pressed" CDs. If I take a regular decent sounding pressed CD such as a Reference Recordings or a Telarc and load it into my MAC Mini using Apple Lossless with NO ERROR CORRECTION and then burn a CD-R it totally blows away the CD version.

I tried the uncompressed format AIFF and WAV and the lossless compressed Apple Lossless. And all three sounded identical from the lowest to the highest frequencies however I discovered Apple Lossless was warmer and more analog sounding.

When I used error correction the CD-R just sounded decent much like the original CD. But when I turned off the error correction, magic! The CD-R copy sounded like "music" still low resolution but the emotional involvement was there.

I've never really cared for CDs but there are some works not yet available on SACD or LP, and burning CDs to CD-Rs without error correction helps a lot!

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