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

I would have both. Just buy a cd player with digital input so you can interact with your cd when you want and can still connect a computer to it for ease of use/random play. Why fight over just having one when most good cd players coming out are equipping themselves with digital inputs?

"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 WAS SIMPLY ASKING SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF A CDP.....FOR THE TENTH TIME."
"Apparently Oakleys' computer has some sort of Pratt and Whitney aircraft propeller as a fan. You've got to be kidding me. I'm standing directly in front of my Mac as music is playing (with preamp muted), and I can BARLEY hear anything."

I love it when an OP writes "I just want to know, for someone to explain it to me" and then when someone gives their answer the OP posts "WRONG!!" Cracks me up every time.

The computer audio paradigm is till in flux on several fronts.

The introduction of one-box units is slowly rolling out. IMO, this is the future. Although many audiophiles and early adopters are willing to have computers and hard drive units in their listening rooms, I don't believe the majority of electronics consumers are willing to adopt this configuration. One-box servers are the answer, and they are still in their infancy.

Down loadable *high resolution* audio is also in it's infancy. When this matures, server based front ends will become more popular and will be adopted by the large consumer audio manufacturers, which will provide parts and platforms for the high end audio manufacturers to work their magic.

Music ownership is a big impediment that many aren't quite grasping. Consider that you buy a music file, and your storage drive crashes. Consider that your back-up also crashes, and that you don't have the access to more downloads of the file because you've already used your allotment. Consider also that Apple maintains control of downloaded music files. You don't really own the file. Rather, your acquisition of the file is more akin to a lease.

With CDs, once you've purchased the disc, you own it forever, and given proper care and storage, it will be there for decades to come. You can loan it to a friend. You can sell a used CD if you've grown tired of it. You can purchase used copies of CDs. On the other hand, you can't legally loan your music files, nor can you purchase or sell used music files.

Nothing's perfect, but I'm one who dislikes giving up control of what I purchase, and thus far purchasing down loaded music files means giving up a fair amount of control over what can be done with the file.

I have no doubt music files and servers are the future, but there are many kinks that need to be worked out before I give up CDs.

"I remember when tube gear was dead, deader than dead, by the 1970's. And vinyl was "dead" after the first (then awful) CDP's came out in the early '80's.

I still have most of my LP's now, & a tube pre-amp......I'm also REALLY happy"

nec·ro·phil·i·a (nkr-fl-) also nec·rophi·lism (n-krf-lzm, n-)

1. Obsessive fascination with death

Tvad wrote:

Consider that you buy a music file, and your storage drive crashes. Consider that your back-up also crashes...

Consider also that Apple maintains control of downloaded music files....

With CDs, once you've purchased the disc, you own it forever, and given proper care and storage...

Lots of red herrings in this.

First, if hard drives are that flawed, then the world as we know it is in imminent danger. Every major institution in the world - banks, governments, hospitals, insurers, manufacturers and so on - store the vast bulk of their critical information on computers. And they count on backups to preserve that info.

And, Apple does not maintain control of your downloads. The current downloads have no DRM and Apple has no way to remove them from your computer or backup drive. Perhaps you are confusing this with the Kindle ebook story from last year.

In my particular case, purchased downloads are less than one-quarter of 1% of the collection on my server.

What happens when you lose CDs due to CD rot? What happens when your collection is stolen? What happens when it is damaged in a house fire or windstorm?

You'll have to buy replacements, assuming they are still available on the market. You don't even have the option of looking to a backup. And, if all backups for a HD user fail, he's now in the same boat you are. He gets to go buy new material.

Nothing is risk free, but hard drives are so cheap that multiple backups are a great option and can certainly give you favorable odds.

I certainly have no problem with anyone who wishes to keep their music collection CD or LP based instead of on a music server. However, I think we could do without the "Chicken Little" horror stories.