Why CD players so expensive when the fomat is dead

Realremo- the example you provide is exactly what one would expect to see when bridging from one technology to the next. Of course you are going to rip your CDs- but in the future iTunes and the like which get their samples from the master tapes directly are going to completely kill the CD. In addition- out of print music like the example you give will become more accessible because the economics of creating a manufacturing run of less than mainstream music onto a CD will not come into play. You dont need to worry about needing to sell x to break even as much because the costs are soo much lower to simply get the song on a server! Music wont go "out of print" because there is nothing to print!

CDs are antiquated only multiple levels and the writing is absolutely on the wall.

I agree the format is dying, but I wouldn't quite call it dead. The reason CDs remain relevant is that the amount of data on a CD still far exceeds that of a typical download.

As technology improves and all the detail of a CD or SACD becomes common to downloadable files, the CD medium will become obsolete and, with it, our big-rig CD players.

This does not mean that the rest of the system becomes obsolete - good wires, amps, speakers, set-up, placement, and all that stuff will still matter just as much. The box where the CD player now sits will merely look a little different. And, it will require regular backup.

For now, though, I would not call the CD format obsolete.

cd is not dead

"reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated"

Linn has produced their last CD player in 2009. They had many SOTA players over the years so for them to be exiting the market says something.