Just remember, a 24 bit DAC does not make a 16 bit CD recording any better, it just adds 8 zeroes to the end on the 16 bits! The same goes for any high res streaming service, if the source is a 16 bit CD, the streamed music will still be 16 bit "quality" even though it is technically 24 bit.
It is a good time to buy. If I go on the Bay I can usually find a bunch of choices when I want a certain CD. I usually go for ratings of "very good". There might be some that are listed as "acceptable" or "good" that play just fine but I usually don't want to take any chances. And I have yet to get a bad CD. I sometimes will buy a new one. But usually I can find a used one in very good condition. Generally under $10. The last one (Stevie Ray Vaughan) ran me all of $8.53.
Part of me feels that way as well... but then again, I've done pretty well already, collecting lots of nice titles over the last few years for very cheap. A few weeks ago, I wont to two differnt sales on one weekend and bought a good number of both CDs and LPs, which I got for very cheap, so I'm happy about that, but am now realizing that I'm really starting to run out of space. Having too large a collection isn't really a terrible problem to have, but it does kind of dampen some of the enthusiasm in shopping for new stuff. The joy of cool new music is kind of dampened by the "where will I put this?" kinds of thoughts...
Have you thought about "thinning the herd" so to speak? I really don't have so many CDs that it is much of an issue. But sometimes, I will let a few go just to free up some space. Maybe I have not listened to a certain CD in a while. I figure I can pass it on to someone else, either by selling it for a few bucks or even donating it to the library. Frankly I think I just might donate a few soon.
That is a good question. There is so much discussion about vinyl here, and LPs this and that... The undeniable fact remains: the CD is vastly superior to vinyl in every measurable parameter. In fact, it is probably the "ultimate" physical medium for music yet devised especially if you consider the SACD and other even more exotic variants as part of the CD family. In addition to this, it is also far more durable than vinyl. To those who claim that vinyl sounds better, that is preference. I would say, use a different DAC or player. Many of those who make the claim of the "superior sound" of vinyl, mistake the warm analog playback as the advantage. It is not, but colored due to the limitations of the format, together with all the pops, skips, and crackles. If you want to make your CDs sound analog, that is quite easy: either adjust the tone settings on your preamp or record the CD to an analog medium such as cassette tape (which will also have superior dynamics to vinyl given the quality of the tape deck and tape used).
While I still love vinyl and tape, perhaps both for the more tactile user experience and how it sounds (coloration or otherwise), I do have to admit ever since I grabbed a Denafrips DAC back in the fall, I've been doing WAY more of my listening via CD rips and digital sources.
Because an expensive boutique DAC makes all the difference. Not bad, actually. Someone wondered, "apparent performance no better than $90 D10, and arguably (imo) not much better - if any - than the $9 Apple dongle. Look at all that grass! Why would anyone in their right mind pay $680 for this thing???" Then again, as someone else replied, "I don't see anything wrong with buying a DAC based on performance numbers just for performance numbers sake and I also don't see anything wrong with buying a DAC based on liking something about the implementation. In both cases the owners probably enjoy their DAC more because of those things."
I would have to respectfully disagree with you on the DACs. A performance DAC, will allow not only a broader, but much deeper soundstage than a cheap one. There are inexpensive DACs which are superb; the Schitt Audio Modi 3+ is an example. There are also some more expensive DACs, such as the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 2, which do not provide that great of output. I have owned both, and the much less expensive Modi 3+ was by far the better. Both are, however, superior to any cheap stand alone DAC, or what came onboard in a CD player like my Pioneer Elite PD-59. A DAC, in many ways, is like the difference in changing cartridges (and sometimes tone arms) in turntables. Currently I utilize the Pioneer only as a transport as I operate it with the twin-sabre chip DAC in my preamp.
I agree... well said. Vinyl is kind of more fun to collect, at least if your someone like me who digs the graphics, but I believe digital is superior and the DAC really does make a difference.That is a good question. There is so much discussion about vinyl here, and LPs this and that... The undeniable fact remains: the CD is vastly superior to vinyl in every measurable parameter. In fact, it is probably the "ultimate" physical medium for music yet devised especially if you consider the SACD and other even more exotic variants as part of the CD family. In addition to this, it is also far more durable than vinyl. To those who claim that vinyl sounds better, that is preference. I would say, use a different DAC or player. Many of those who make the claim of the "superior sound" of vinyl, mistake the warm analog playback as the advantage. It is not, but colored due to the limitations of the format, together with all the pops, skips, and crackles. If you want to make your CDs sound analog, that is quite easy: either adjust the tone settings on your preamp or record the CD to an analog medium such as cassette tape (which will also have superior dynamics to vinyl given the quality of the tape deck and tape used).
What is also undeniable, is that digital formats are technically far more intensive than analog ones. Of the analog formats, the vinyl LP is probably among the least complex. One advantage that the LP does have, in my opinion, is the large format cover art. The CD isn't going away, but there is a shift to non-physical formats. This is sad. Those who depend on streaming, are completely at the mercy of their venders. In addition, many of the files stream at 128 or 256kb. I personally prefer 320kb MP3 or FLAC, but SACD and CDs are my all time favorite.
I feel like if you're comparing formats with very good gear for each that they both can sound very good, if slightly different, but CDs really win out because don't have the kind of issues that vinyl has, with pressings, condition, cost, maintenance, etc.
I think that going on purely specs with something like a DAC is a mistake. These days they all seem to measure very well and yet there are still very clear differences in terms of the sounds of each that we perceive. I've noticed a real improvement in sound each time that I've upgraded to a new DAC. I really don't think that it was conformation bias that lead me to feel that my current DAC, a Chord Qutest sounds so good. I didn't put down the big money for it and instead traded it for some stuff that I was having difficulty selling. I wouldn't have really been too unhappy if I didn't notice a big improvement, yet I did... The DAC matters, for sure.
I love tape myself... In addition to shoes (and especially high-heel boots) I have this seeming addiction to 3-motor / 3-head tape decks.
This was my experience as well. I was a "DAC skeptic" for awhile because they mostly all measure so well as you say, but I was still curious and figured the Denafrips could easily be flipped for my money back if I was disappointed - but it's still here, and if we're talking money, then it's still a lot cheaper than a really good turntable and cart in many cases.
My vinyl purchasing has been at a very slow crawl, so to speak, for quite some time now, but certainly not ended. Not so for CDs. While I've happily retained my LPs & 45s collections, the CD collection is the one that keeps growing at a steady pace. Of course, if a particularly special LP becomes of notice, that warrants to me buying in that format, I'll get it.
I agree. The main issue is not with the CD format itself, but with how it was recorded and/or mastered. Fortunately though, that only applies to certain CDs, but those ones do tend to be more with the newer, more commercially popular acts.
Yeah, I did quite a bit of that back in the day (yes, there was a good period of time where CDs & blank cassettes successfully coexisted & kind of supported each other even) & vinyl even earlier, but not nearly as much these days, although here and there I'll still do it just for fun. Blank cassettes were a pretty good deal not especially long ago, but not now, and I did buy some back then. Don't know how many of them I'll end up using, but I don't care because I'm definitely a tapehead and love them regardless.
Yes, the getting's still good now, but I have noticed prices starting to go up more recently, so these good times may be nearing an end ... Still, as with LPs, there will remain a lot of not so desired ones which will remain at rock bottom prices, as opposed to the more desired ones which I expect to continue to go up over time.
Yes, that is a very good point. It is also a reason why I never got into vinyl, although I find turntables, especially the higher-end ones, quite fascinating as they often are really "works of art". For a really good turntable and cartridge, it's going to set you back $800-1200, perhaps more. You can get a spectacular DAC for around $500, and that cost has remained relatively stable. What confuses so many is that the measurable parameters of most DACs, even very inexpensive ones, are quite similar. What is not similar is the width and depth of the soundstage a higher-end DAC produces. This being said, the DAC on my Creative Labs AE-5+ in my multimedia computer is also quite good, and perhaps far better than many stand-alone DACs costing $170 (what I paid for the soundcard).
