The CD player is dead.......

The positives of CD ownership: got it. can play it. Cheap if buy used. (cheaper than buying MP3 downloads by far.I bought 1,200 Cds in the past year.. used average $2 each)
I have had hard drive problems enough to know that if you do not keep up on spares and such you are toast. Then you got problems of recognition, that if you screw up, you nice spare drive is useless. Change computers.. better know what you are doing or, again, all your downloads are toast.
So considering I am not an expert on computers, I will HOLD OFF on computer based music.
AM I BIASED?
Also, you gotta stick all the music INTO the damn computer (or spare) drive, which takes PLENTY of time.. and then of course if you discard (sell) the CDs, you are screwed when (not if) you system explodes and again you have no access to the drive for one of many reasons.
Maybe for geeks, the computer based is good. For computer morons (like me) it SUCKS major, big time sucks.
And if you have a happy relationship with your computer based system, AND you are not a geek, HAH HAH you are/have a disaster waiting to happen (sucker)......
AM I BIASED? you ask.. no.. a realist.
Eventually a computer based system may be worthwhile... eventually. Good for those early adapters out there doing the testing for us.

I finally receive a reason for not going the computer route. The majority of you seem to be afraid of crashes. Rightfully so as they can and do happen. However, since backing up your music to an external hard drive is not difficult to do, what's the worry? I get the vibe that the issue of TIME seems to be the main reason. Considering a library of hundreds of albums, I completely understand why this would be a deterrent.

What about sonics? Has anyone compared a high end cdp to a computer/dac combo? If so, what were your conclusions?

Look, I'm not out to "bash" anyone for doing whatever makes them happy. I simply wanted to know what makes one stick with a cdp considering all of the benefits of a hd/dac.

I've never pressed a topic on this site nearly as relentlessly as this. It's just very curious to me....

So, I take back what I said at the end of my post. If you're happy with what you have, keep it. I appreciate everyone's opinion, and happy listening.

However, deep down, as painful as it may be to admit it......you all know it's coming.

It's kind of difficult to sling arrows at the old guard when your quiver contains only platitudes.

-Bob

Liz: I too am a "computer moron". I had no problems or issues whatsoever setting up my computer as a server. If you have half a brain cell, it's really not that difficult.

" I simply wanted to know what makes one stick with a cdp"

familiarity and comfort zone.