1. Home
  2. digital
  3. 1293638612

Is this the END of DAYS for the high end CD player

Seem like this format days are numbered like the cassette and LP. Why would you want to spend 5k or 10k+ for a high-end CD player or DAC combo??

Just trying to see what other audiophile’s thoughts are and where you guys & gals may be planing for the future. Do you stop here at the high end CD player and this format or go completely too digital files?

I'm at a quandary about investing into an expensive CD player setup.
apachef1
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Best Buy does not sell a lot of CDs. They have a really POOR selection anyway!!! (IMO they suck on picking what they have available for sale in thier stores in music. And same thing for DVDs.)
I would think nearly anyone buying CDs (new) are buying them on Amazon, or some other web-retailer.
hifihvn
943 posts
 
I haven't shopped for a CD there in a long time.I do remember that they didn't have a couple of the ones I wanted.A friend keeps buying them off of the net,and he calls me and asks if I
want any,and I do let him get them.He says I wont have to pay any shipping,so that works for me.I was just in one(BB) a couple of days ago to pick up some blank DVD's.I didn't look at CD's,but the cellphone department grew into the CD area. It's been awhile,so I don't know what they have to offer now.
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
I'll go along with Elizabeth . The LP was none in 1983 , or so the story went .
I for one , bought about 100 CDs this year and a new mid fi CD player , ( Ayre C5MP ) and have no intension of giving up on the format .
On the flip side of that , the only music store in are town ( Zeus ) will be closing January 11th .
rtn1
535 posts
 
There are more high end CD players on the market now than in any other time in history. The sweet spot for ultra high-end seems to be $15-25k, but there are well over a dozen state-of-the-art systems in the $50-100k realm. Right now, Vekian is getting much attention from end users.

How does a state-of-the-art system sound? Simply sublime.
mthieme
74 posts
 
I am reminded of a quote "audiophiles perfect what the mass market selects". Clearly the market is choosing downloads over discs. Like vinyl I'm sure it will have a dedicated following, but the average age of an audiophile seems to be increasing and eventually will fizzle out. I cannot see upcoming generations paying the prices it takes to keep vinyl alive. CDs are already seen as unnecessary. I hope I'm wrong on at least the vinyl part.
More to discover