The Long Overdue Death of Retail Compact Disc

[Gerry Nason]

I still buy CDs. Even though it can be cheesy at times, I really like the high-rez multi-channel recordings from SACD and DVD Audio.

Does anyone know a good place to purchase high-resolution multi-channel tracks and albums to download?

I have had good experience dealing with HD Tracks.com . They have a good selection, are always running sales and the download process is not a hassle. As you would expect, the HD quality will cost you a premium compared to purchasing a CD.

 

[Gerry Nason]

I also agree that downloads will never replace having a hard copy of the original source material. I have over 5,000 CDs which I have ripped to a digital server. The only problem with this is that you need space to store the CDs on racks so you have easy access to them. A second problem is sourcing racks large enough to keep your collection as compact as possible. Not to mention the time spent ripping them. However, it is worth all of this to have a copy you can depend on in case your hard drive craps out and a recovery download has problems.

Technology has evolved greatly over the past 30 years since CDs were first made available. You would think that we would now be in a place where high definition would have replaced them. Given the advances made in audio hardware since them, it's quite apparent just how much the music content side has lagged behind.

If the problem is disc space for the additional musical content of HD, they could be putting music on DVD's. To my ear, DVDs are the closest reproduction of sound content other than the actual live performance. Processed thru a DAC, it sounds noticeably better than CD reproduction. I would hate to think that downloads are the future of music reproduction.

 

[DigitalDawn]

I have had good experience dealing with HD Tracks.com . They have a good selection, are always running sales and the download process is not a hassle. As you would expect, the HD quality will cost you a premium compared to purchasing a CD.

I haven't been able to find any multi-channel tracks over there. For example, Fleetwoord Mac's Rumors was mastered in high-resolution multi-channel, but only the stereo version is available on HD Tracks.

 

[Old-Timer]

I was not happy with the introduction of mp3's. The higher cost of digital storage at the time of their creation caused extreme comprises in the fidelity of the music (i.e., low bit-rate compression of the high-fidelity source). I was afraid that the convenience factor would lead to the extinction of good source material.

But as digital storage became more affordable, the availability of 320 kbps mp3's and FLAC files created a sense of optimism about quality music surviving.

I converted all of my music (CD's, LP's, and cassettes) to mp3's (for car/portable listening) and FLAC's for home listening. I can store all of it on a single USB flash drive and take it with me anywhere I go.

 

[davidscott]

So many CDs still available with almost any title and artist. I think I'll keep My cds for awhile yet. As well as my Lps.

 

[Blue Dude]

I converted all of my music (CD's, LP's, and cassettes) to mp3's (for car/portable listening) and FLAC's for home listening. I can store all of it on a single USB flash drive and take it with me anywhere I go.

I used to rip my CDs to FLAC and mp3 for just that reason. Storage is now so plentiful and cheap I quit ripping mp3 files and took them off my server. I shouldn't ever have to replace the FLAC files.

 

[Old-Timer]

A number of posters have opined that the hobby of music is dying. From my personal experience, I believe that a great deal of its demise can be attributed to a lack of knowledge/experience in the younger generations.

I remember the first time I played some music with which my sons were familiar (from mp3 playback only) from LP's or CD's, they were astonished. "I can hear instruments that I didn't even know were on this recording" and "the music sounds so much more expansive" were some of the reactions. Up until this experience, they didn't have any idea that music could sound this good.

 

[Old-Timer]

Similarly, I think that is one of the reasons that vinyl is so popular with the younger generations - their only previous reference is low bit-rate mp3's.

 

[Old-Timer]

I like CDs. I like having a tangible item to show for my purchase. I don't listen to CDs very often though. I rip them to FLAC using EAC (this, not this) because it's more convenient to shuffle through a directory of files than a stack of discs in most places. After ripping, the CD goes into my Sony 300-disc changer because it's awesome. For my truck, it's easy enough to convert those FLAC files to mp3 and copy to a 32gb flash drive. From a cmd prompt:

md MP3
for %I in (*.flac) do ffmpeg -i "%~I" -b:a 224k -map_metadata 0 "MP3\%~nI.mp3"

From PowerShell:

md MP3
gci *.flac | %{ ffmpeg -i $_ -b:a 224k -map_metadata 0 "MP3\$($_.basename).mp3" }

Easy peasy, right? Either will convert a full directory of songs while retaining ID3 tags, taking about 5 seconds per song (give or take, depending on length).

But if I have a hard drive crash, if I lose my flash drive, I've still got the original CDs. If I'm buying music, I want that CD to satisfy my OCD as proof that I have received something of value in exchange for my money.

CD quality is the standard. I don't want to pay for CD quality MP3s, because to me that's an oxymoron. I know if I rip a CD to flac, then burn a CD from those flac files, then re-rip to flac, I'll still end up with a bit perfect copy of what I purchased. On the other hand, if I burn MP3 to CD and re-rip, I'll have lost something. It might be audible or it might not, but it's still something lost, and it's no longer CD quality. Again, OCD. Whether it's reasonable or not, it's how I feel.

As far as CDs disappearing from retail stores, that's no big deal to me. I always considered CDs in retail stores as customer bait. Stores get CDs for people to browse, and while browsing they're exposed to 75" TVs, home theater demos, and other big ticket items. I prefer not to be exposed to all that or to sales people, so I buy CDs from Amazon.

If Amazon stops selling CDs, then I'll be upset, unless they then start offering an option to purchase albums as FLAC, WAV, or DSD files on flash drives. That would still be something tangible, and would satisfy my OCD.

I use cloud storage to store a copy of my ripped CD's in case I experience a hard drive failure at some point. Won't need to re-rip all my CD's, just download the files from the cloud.

 

[Old-Timer]

As long as Amazon still sells CD's I'll still be buying them. I like having the physical media myself and then ripping it to FLAC so I can stream it to my devices. I've not found much in the way of FLAC downloads for obscure musical tastes, so CD is still the way to go for me.

I converted all of my music (CD's, LP's, and a handful of cassettes) to high resolution mp3's and FLAC files. For some of the LP's, I borrowed CD's from the library and ripped them - my understanding of the law is that, as long as you have purchased the music in some format, you are free to convert it into whatever format you wish (so long as you keep your original purchase, which provides you with the license to do so).

 

[Old-Timer]

Here we are, audioholics, having a nice exchange of ideas about whether or not CD's are becoming obsolete. Is anyone else feeling the irony of our entire hobby, serious audio, having already become obsolete?
Our entire hobby, such as it is, is slipping away in to obscurity, not just CD's.

I love listening to music and fooling around with the equipment and technology that makes it work. I have a very large family. Even though I share as much as humanly possible, I'm still the only one that takes audio seriously. My family all have music systems, but, none of them are "on purpose" selections of serious gear.

I would wager that there isn't another member of my family, or someone in my neighborhood, that buys and rips CDs. Everyone streams or just plays whats handy on whats handy. Bluetooth speakers abound.
Audio as a hobby? I doubt it. Home theater in a box? All up and down the street.

@MrBoat gave me a line on some new-to-me music this week. 50 year old titles. I will go and chase those down on CD. It might take me two or three weeks to lay my hands on some of those that weren't all that popular to begin with. But, I'll make the effort because I love the music. The physical media, the CD, is still king in my book for the way to acquire it. Legally. Buy the CD, used or new, and I'm legally good to go from a usage point of view. Screw the lawyers. Screw the RIAA and the music police.

I am a cranky old man and its far too late to change that.

I believe that some people simply need to be exposed to what is possible. They can't have a desire to acquire something if they aren't even aware that it exists. For the (hopeful) preservation of hi-fi, I make it my mission to promote it to people I encounter.

 

[Old-Timer]

Hi Irv, apparently I'm an older dinosaur than you for I still buy Vinyl ! I still prefer physical media for I enjoy album covers, liner notes, etc. When I'm back home in Upstate NY I have a abundant supply from various Record / CD stores (Record Archive, Rochester, NY to name one)

Just curious (no judgment), do you prefer the sound of vinyl to that of CD's?

 

[Old-Timer]

Hi, I am John (no last name – this site is anonymous, right?). I am 54 and have been buying music since the ‘70s. I love my CDs and will continue to buy them. In fact, y’all can have my CDs when you get my guns: pried from my cold dead fingers! Sorry – got carried away there…


I really miss the “Ye Olde Record Shoppe” experience, where one can make friends with the proprietor, chat about what is new, find cool stuff that may or may not be obscure. Mom and pop shops, local chains, national “warehouses”, heck even my nearby Best Buy (I knew the buying manager and he would order awesome music not found on the Billboard Top 100) have all gone by the wayside. Now, there are very few places in town – most dried up as did the brick ‘n mortar stereo fronts.


Hopefully, I am not too old to adapt. I am finishing up my “family room” (aka, the “MAN CAVE” but I had to rename it to justify the expense and promise to let my two little girls – and maybe my wife - in once in a while) and counted at least eight fast and easy ways to access music, from LPs to CDs to computer to phone. I love the convenience of streaming Tidal from my phone (probably the easiest way bring up some tunes and wake up the kids in the morning) but nothing beats the experience of opening up a new (to me at least – it may be used) CD (SACD, DVD Audio, Blue-Ray Audio) turning on the system, loading the tray and pressing play while I pour over and caress the artwork and liner notes. Nope, nothing, except… vinyl. The OP mentioned the smell of a new CD, which is cool – has he never smelled a new LP? I could pretty much tell where the vinyl was pressed or where the jacket was manufactured just by the smell. It was an incredible aphrodisiac back in the day! Well, it would have been if my girlfriend was into music like I was. Who am I kidding – it would have been if I had a girlfriend…

I gifted my old equipment to my sons (Hafler DH-110 pre-amp, Hafler DH-220 amp, Snell Type E Series II loudspeakers, Dual CS-5000 turntable (with Shure V-15 Type VMR cartridge), Sony CDP-C7ESD disc changer, Nakamichi 502 cassette deck) when I retired (and moved into a small 1-bedroom apartment. Since all of my music has been converted to FLAC, I've been looking for a modest A/V receiver to replace the system that I gave away. I find it so frustrating that there is no longer anywhere that I can go to audition various receivers. Like you, I lament the passing of the old, familiar audio stores.

BTW - did you ever find a girlfriend? If your experience was like mine, you'd have been better off NOT finding one.

 

[Old-Timer]

I own over 5,000 audio CDs having invested myself heavily in the technology after the fall of vinyl. I had a collection of over 3,500 LPs previously, so the recording industry got a big lift by changing formats. I imagine many others share this same story. I feared they would do it to me again when talk sprang up about the possibility of changing over to a mini-disc.

I still purchase CDs and will continue to do so. The main reason that I do so was because I found too many songs of value that I might have missed out on if I had not heard the entire album. Imagine buying Elton John's Madman Across the Water and missing out on less popular tunes like Indian Sunset, Holiday Inn, Razor Face and the title track. Today's youth would download Tiny Dancer and Levon and miss out on the rest. My iPod is full of B-songs that I love.

Downloading tunes provides immediate gratification and saves the time of ripping tunes from a disc, but it is merely a strategy by the recording companies to resell the same catalogs yet another time. Tomorrow's music consumer is sure to miss out on a lot of great music by downloading only the hits. It's a shame that so many artists great efforts will be reduced to only what get's airplay and makes the Top 40.

I have found numerous songs that I really like only by buying whole albums or CD's. In fact, there are very few that I bought for the one or two songs on the radio that I didn't end up liking the entire album. Still, even in those rare instances that I like only the one or two songs, I think they are a worthwhile investment.

 

[Old-Timer]

I hate parting ways. I love the cd format. To me it is ultimate format for those who like the artwork, liner notes, etc and the reduced size and durability. Since it's inception nothing else has excited me as much in the a/v world. I mean that.

I remember reading about the cd and following it's development and then came my monthly issue of Stereo Review with the now famous cover picturing a cd as ornament on the Christmas tree...it was an exciting time.

Purchased first player and a handful of discs before they were released back home in the states. I got the jump on cd while in Germany when I was in high school. I worked for minimum wage which was about $3 hr or so at the NCO club and eventually had saved enough to purchase a Sony cdp-501es. It was a beautiful beast. Men at work, Bowie, Nazareth, Police, and others...I forget...had a new realism. I will continue to build on my collection. There may be hi-rez better sounding formats and methods but to me it just seems so impersonal. Damn, I'm getting old.

I used to read Stereo Review religiously. I remember an article that appeared right around the introduction of the CD which talked of devices (with no moving parts) that would store thousands of high fidelity recordings. I thought it was a pipe dream. I'm glad I lived to see it become reality.

 

[Old-Timer]

View attachment 23675
So what do I do with this?

If it would help you out, I can PM you my shipping address.

 

[Old-Timer]

CDs have long been merely a physical intermediary between the publisher and the FLAC files that go on my media server. I'm in the process of scanning the liner notes to PDF and storing the CDs themselves in the attic or wherever. Trying to shelve them all only takes up space better used for items I actually require physical access to.

If I could buy music as a high quality digital download (lossless only, DRM free in a non-proprietary format) then I probably would do that and not look back. I could always burn an archival copy if I wished or even just download them again if they were lost.

You could also upload a copy to a cloud storage service.

 

[Old-Timer]

I still have quite a few of my CDs. My problem now being none my computers have optical drives. I'll have to grab and external.

You do realize, don't you, that you lose your license to the music if you get rid of your CD after you rip it?

 

[Old-Timer]

I also agree that downloads will never replace having a hard copy of the original source material. I have over 5,000 CDs which I have ripped to a digital server. The only problem with this is that you need space to store the CDs on racks so you have easy access to them. A second problem is sourcing racks large enough to keep your collection as compact as possible. Not to mention the time spent ripping them. However, it is worth all of this to have a copy you can depend on in case your hard drive craps out and a recovery download has problems.

Technology has evolved greatly over the past 30 years since CDs were first made available. You would think that we would now be in a place where high definition would have replaced them. Given the advances made in audio hardware since them, it's quite apparent just how much the music content side has lagged behind.

If the problem is disc space for the additional musical content of HD, they could be putting music on DVD's. To my ear, DVDs are the closest reproduction of sound content other than the actual live performance. Processed thru a DAC, it sounds noticeably better than CD reproduction. I would hate to think that downloads are the future of music reproduction.

I have already ripped all of my music (CD's, LP's, and a handful of cassettes) to FLAC on my PC. I also have them copied onto external dives and into cloud storage. I rarely listen to CD's (LP's or cassettes) any more, except for new music acquisitions. I would be OK if downloaded FLAC's became the future of music IF: 1.) their prices were significantly lower (say, nearer to the price of a used CD) and 2.) provision was made (as is often done with PC software) that you could re-download your files at no additional cost if you ever had the need.

Even though the production cost of a CD is probably minimal, reduced costs of going to digital downloads should allow the music companies to offer a lower price point for them.

 

[Ponzio]

Even though the production cost of a CD is probably minimal, reduced costs of going to digital downloads should allow the music companies to offer a lower price point for them.

Very true but not likely.