If CDs are obsolete, why old CD players are still expensive?

[concorde1]

Yea as far as I know streaming gives you no control of what issues you listen to. It's ridiculous. I will never touch streaming.

 

[Mart68]

I can understand buying the CD and copying to a server for convenience. Especially if you have thousands of CDs. But I don't. My collection grows, but slowly, and is still perfectly manageable as far as storage space and finding a specific album goes.

Relying solely on some rental service for music? No. I don't like that idea at all and will never go down that route,

 

[David Harper]

I can understand buying the CD and copying to a server for convenience. Especially if you have thousands of CDs. But I don't. My collection grows, but slowly, and is still perfectly manageable as far as storage space and finding a specific album goes.

Relying solely on some rental service for music? No. I don't like that idea at all and will never go down that route,

me either. Also I don't want anything "in the cloud". I did copy a few hundred songs from CD to a server (lowly IPOD) for listening in my car. But it's too much of a hassle because of the way I do it. Using I-tunes on my laptop with the CD in it.

 

[Mart68]

The Op is right though, old CD players are expensive, but only if they are desirable models, They are actually going up in price.

I bought a second hand Sony XB790QS about ten years ago for £50. Came out of a recording studio. Really all the player you will ever need, exquisite sound. I'd still be using it if it hadn't, after thousands of hour of use, developed a problem with the drawer mech. The cheapest I see them now is £300.

I see turntables that you literally could not give away 20 years ago selling now for over £100 on ebay. Maybe all the also-ran CD players will go up in value like that given a bit of time. I doubt it though.

 

[mhardy6647]

I see turntables that you literally could not give away 20 years ago selling now for over £100 on ebay. Maybe all the also-ran CD players will go up in value like that given a bit of time. I doubt it though.

Yup. Thus Rule Number One of collecting/scrounging/hoarding:

Keep what others throw away, and throw away what others keep.

 

[David Harper]

I've got an OPPO 203 and I looked on EBAY people are selling them used for between one and two thousand $.
I'm tempted to try but I'm not sure I'm willing to part with it. And a bran-new one is going for $3,500 !!!!

 

[Robin L]

There's multi-format digital disc players that turn up in thrift stores for small money. Got a Sony Blu-Ray player with stereo analog out, coax for digital along with HDMI. Plays SACD, CD and the DVD layer that's standard [not DVD-A, but these players also play the audio from the regular DVD layer] along with DVD and BluRay video. The one I got most recently was $7 from a thrift store with a remote from Amazon that cost about twice that. I already had two more multi-format Sony disc players, one a hefty DVD/SACD/CD player, the other nearly identical to my other [slim and small] Blu-Ray player. Both from thrift stores, both under $30 a pop. Right now, I'm not using any of them. That's because my discs are mostly in storage and I've become accustomed to streaming and playing music off of flash drives and Micro-SD, a more elegant solution for me in a tiny space. I suspect there will always be something to play CDs on, the number of disc players being dumped to thrift stores is nearly overwhelming right now and the turntable revival indicates that if the demand for CDs goes back up, the new, improved and more expensive players will follow.

 

[Mart68]

CD players will probably always be available, I think it is new releases coming out on CD that will dry up.

Vinyl records are probably one of the few products that have gone through the sales bell-curve and started selling in higher numbers again. I just can't see that happening with CD.

 

[Rip City Dave]

I still have my ADCOM GCD575 CD player. One thing I like and never see anymore is that it you can access all functions from the front panel buttons. Remote not necessary! It also has a variable output so you can drive an amplifier directly. It's built like tank and has served me well. Alas, the laser is starting to glitch and needs to be replaced.

I also have a first generation Micro Seiki CDM1. The first gen players are sought after as collectibles.

 

[clearnfc]

I just saw this thread and since when CDs are obsolete??? CDs are still in production and in use today since their invention, so how can they be called obsolete??

Items that could be considered obsolete are probably laser disc, maybe VHS tapes as well since both media and equipment are no longer prosuced

 

[EJ3]

I just saw this thread and since when CDs are obsolete??? CDs are still in production and in use today since their invention, so how can they be called obsolete??

Items that could be considered obsolete are probably laser disc, maybe VHS tapes as well since both media and equipment are no longer prosuced

Laser Disc: true but VHS? not quite yet (although I am not sure why not yet).


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Over the years, the VHS video recorders have evolved, offering functions and recording qualities that were until a few years ago unthinkable.

The manufacturers also took the liberty of offering devices called “all-in-one,” which means that in addition to recording on normal VHS cassettes, they also offered other options, including digital recording on DVD or CD.

It is not impossible to find different models that allow you to perform different operations with technical characteristics that make them current, even though the VHS technology is very dated.

The faithful of the VHS recording can buy a video recorder appointed only for this operation, which, paradoxically, currently costs more than a few years ago.

The paradox is that with fewer and fewer models available, today, proportionately, you pay more to buy one than 20 years ago, if you are looking for a good quality device. A new one should have the possibility to transfer from tape to digital.

In this way, you will have a flexible enough tool to use for a few more years before the definitive advent of the new high-definition technology of media centers, which should retire this type of device forever.

 

[DACsNoMore]

This is a nice topic about master tapes from which Vinyl is made. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/are-there-any-good-remasters.18653/
When vinyl records are made they used the LP cutting masters which were marked "master" and the true 2-track mixdown masters were marked "do not use" these are the thrue masters with all transients an full dynamic sound which Vinyl in most cases is not able to reproduce. Steven Wilson is known for looking for true master tapes thats one of the reasons his re-masters sounds most of the time much better than the original vinyl records (master).

I have no idea where folks are getting those "masters" reels, but the best SQ I have experienced was DSD transfers from "master" reels. Yes, there is a tiny bit of noise, but dynamics, transients, micro-reverb and harmonics are superior to CD. I also have a few cassette tapes with CD transfers made in early 90s, although made on HQ Metal Type (IV) with Dolby C and those do rival SACD recently remastered (not dynamically). Yes, early CD releases with early high-end CD player could deliver great SQ, but I have no recollection of details of those recordings source, except they sound great over 30 years later, so it was good reward for rebuilding my tape deck, lol. Unfortunately, studios do not release best SQ CDs any more (probably due to online sharing), except a smooth jazz artists and classics. Hi-Res streaming is not an answer either - those hi-res are using lossless encoding indeed, not of the "master", it is whatever left after removing a lot of sound details to "optimize" (read as reduce) bitrates for streaming. SACD/DSD the best we have at the moment that is portable and affordable, when available.

 

[mhardy6647]

Early generation tapes aren't incredibly hard to find, but they have become... not inexpensive.
There are safety copies of masters, e.g., but the best source is probably the copies sent to pressing plants. There were lots of these produced, e.g., for world-wide hit albums.

I don't remember what this tape actually was... possibly a Steely Dan record.
EDIT: Heh... yes. Pretzel Logic. ABCD-808. Plus, it's written on the top right of the label.

 

[pablolie]

Why is a 60s' Shelby worth how many million bucks? I actually get that more than the CD player revival.

 

[EJ3]

Why is a 60s' Shelby worth how many million bucks? I actually get that more than the CD player revival.

I'd rather have an original Shelby

(or a Donzi Shelby boat) than the original CD player, too.

 

[coonmanx]

Two things:
1) CDs are not obsolete at all. I buy new ones all of the time.
2) Older CD players can be had for dirt cheap.

 

[Putter]

Two things:
1) CDs are not obsolete at all. I buy new ones all of the time.
2) Older CD players can be had for dirt cheap.

To which I would add older CD's can be had dirt cheap and typically have better dynamic range than most 'remastered' CD's albeit without added tracks.

 

[Snoopy]

To which I would add older CD's can be had dirt cheap and typically have better dynamic range than most 'remastered' CD's albeit without added tracks.

I buy old CD releases all the time (and original LP releases). Sometimes it’s ridiculous when the new 30-50th anniversary hires remaster has a DR of 5-7 and the very earliest CD releases are a 11-15.