What is the point of CD rips?

[Lupin]

Regarding hi-res files: I have no desire now to hold a seminar on why they sound better compared to CD, just google for it.

Aah yes everything you find on the internet is true of course. I better look up a quote from Paul from PS Audio, I'm sure he will back up your statement which automatically makes it true...

It's obvious that if you listen to music from a smartphone you won't notice this difference as you won't even notice the difference between a CD and a 128k mp3

Why? It's 2024, DAC/AMP dongles that are audibly transparent are getting increasingly common and prices going down each year.

the real truth comes out on an important sound system.

Ooh yes, the so common subjectivist point that only a system that cost an astronomical amount of money can resolve all the details. As per subjectivist law higher price equals better performance.

 

[Mart68]

Ooh yes, the so common subjectivist point that only a system that coast an astronomical amount of money can resolve all the details. As per subjectivist law higher price equals better performance.

Of course it does, just google for it.

Of all the many confidence tricks perpetrated in this game over the years I'd still put 'hi res' digital as number one.

 

[Lupin]

Of course it does, just google for it.

See point one in my previous post.

 

[AdrianusG]

Regarding buying music today: The 96/24 and DSD flac catalog is now quite well stocked and thinking of spending my money on an outdated 44/16 format makes no sense. It's true: some more underground albums are not released in hi-res and it is obvious that I am forced to buy this music in standard flac or on vinyl (sometimes when buying vinyl, the flac download is included in the price)
Speaking of percentages, my spending budget for music is currently 90% hi-res files, 9% vinyl (used & new), 1% used CD
In short, when I have a choice, I find it much more logical to buy vinyl instead of CDs as a physical media

"I find it much more logical to buy vinyl instead of CDs as a physical media"

for me it's exactly the other way round, you pay more (up to 3 times) for less fidelity and convenience.

Have a nice Easter weekend

 

[Hear Here]

Lost my entire rip collection a few weeks back. Not an enormous collection but probably about 200 CDs. The SD card they were stored on couldn't be rescued and I had no back-up.

Yeah.

Have been playing around with Tidal since then and so far, it seems to suit me just fine. Albums that I can't find on there are very few. Maybe 5% of my collection.

So, my question is: is there even a point in re-ripping my collection that I'm missing? I can't think of one. I mean apart from the few CDs I can't find on Tidal. And indeed, what is even the point of buying CDs at this point, again apart from the rare cases that aren't on Tidal and the like?

I think that those with a sizable CD collection are reluctant to ditch them just because they can all be streamed from Tidal or Qobuz.

We've been bought these CDs with our earned cash and we know that every CD in our collection was bought because we like the music, whereas we don't like all the music offered by Qobuz.

So, if we are browsing for music to listen to (rather than Searching for a particular album), we are better off browsing our own CDs or their ripped files. That's why I often dig into my own collection rather than search for something from Qobuz. I find browsing the best way to find a good evening's listening - and browsing is impossible via Qobuz or Tidal.

With one's own ripped music, it's worth a little effort to refile albums that get mis-placed on our storage drive, or to create main sub-divisions such as Classical, Non-Classical, Jazz, World & Weird, or whatever divisions one may find helpful for future browsing. Dead easy with standard Copy & Paste

 

[recycle]

"I find it much more logical to buy vinyl instead of CDs as a physical media"

for me it's exactly the other way round, you pay more (up to 3 times) for less fidelity and convenience.

Have a nice Easter weekend

Recorded music revenues 2023 (source: RIAA)

It is interesting to note how much the physical support market is growing in recent years and how low CD sales are compared to vinyl.
As far as I'm concerned, vinyl has always been part of my life and I'm fond of it, I got to know CDs as an adult and it's a format that has never involved me so much, also, I consider it now as an outdated digital format: today, when looking for quality then I aim high and choose hi-res files. Listening to vinyl instead is an experience that I can only have in front of a turntable connected to a hi-fi system, in my own home, which is why the attention dedicated to listening will be much greater, the involvement and satisfaction that comes from it will also be greater: playing a record becomes an event. The unexpected rise of vinyl sales It's similar to what happens with slow food: it's a rebellion against the mediocrity of "right here, right now”.
I guess I’m rejecting the culture of convenience: while there are easier ways to get my favorite tunes, I’m realizing that not everything is about ease. For me (and looking at revenues for many of us) it is about slowing down and truly savoring the music.

 

[restorer-john]

Recorded music revenues 2023 (source: RIAA)

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It is interesting to note how much the physical support market is growing in recent years and how low CD sales are compared to vinyl.
As far as I'm concerned, vinyl has always been part of my life and I'm fond of it, I got to know CDs as an adult and it's a format that has never involved me so much, also, I consider it now as an outdated digital format: today, when looking for quality then I aim high and choose hi-res files. Listening to vinyl instead is an experience that I can only have in front of a turntable connected to a hi-fi system, in my own home, which is why the attention dedicated to listening will be much greater, the involvement and satisfaction that comes from it will also be greater: playing a record becomes an event. The unexpected rise of vinyl sales It's similar to what happens with slow food: it's a rebellion against the mediocrity of "right here, right now”.
I guess I’m rejecting the culture of convenience: while there are easier ways to get my favorite tunes, I’m realizing that not everything is about ease. For me (and looking at revenues for many of us) it is about slowing down and truly savoring the music.

Whatever works for you is fine.

But beware attempting to influence others who know better.

CD is nowhere near as out-dated as vinyl. LP is truly ancient and deficient in absolutely single every measureable reproduction parameter compared to Compact Disc. The ONLY reason anyone would want vinyl would be a) he/she is a collector, or b) the release was not available on CD or another digital format.
Quality and "aiming high" does not mean "hi-res" anything, especially vinyl records. You are dreaming and have been sold a pup if you believe that.
Playing a record, is indeed a performance. I love vinyl too, have maybe 30 turntables or more- it's a lovely, but flawed format. Wonderful and amazing for what it is, but it's a bit like watching the paralympics.
LP is hardly convenient compared to digital or Compact Disc. One deteriorates from the very first time you play it. It's fragile, easily damaged and can be put away perfectly silent, only to come out of its sleeve a few years later sounding like popcorn.
CD is a physical format and one that will outlast vinyl, simply because there were so many billions of them pressed, many of which are which are still around, able to be played with absolutely no deterioration whatsoever.

 

[Snarfie]

Lost my entire rip collection a few weeks back. Not an enormous collection but probably about 200 CDs. The SD card they were stored on couldn't be rescued and I had no back-up.

Yeah.

Have been playing around with Tidal since then and so far, it seems to suit me just fine. Albums that I can't find on there are very few. Maybe 5% of my collection.
So, my question is: is there even a point in re-ripping my collection that I'm missing? I can't think of one. I mean apart from the few CDs I can't find on Tidal. And indeed, what is even the point of buying CDs at this point, again apart from the rare cases that aren't on Tidal and the like?

First thing i did when ripping around 500 cd's is buying an 3TB backup HDD.
I have a 2TB SSD in my laptop which contains far more than 500 cd's. It is solid state by far better imo than any cd drive at any price. Also 100% independent from streaming services as Tidal etc. Further more the HDD is coupled to a Raspberry PI (don't have to start up my laptop anymore) working as a server got now House wide up too 3TB high high resolution files/sound using my Sony 1000XM serie headphone using Wavelet for correction file an ldac codec. Quite happy with the system. No data lose issues. An more important no future subscription cost regarding any streaming service.

 

[Vacceo]

I like a certain amount of lesser known bands (Extreme Metal is what it is) and I like them to keep publishing music. At this time and age, it´s super easy to buy a CD from the band itself and have it shipped at your home. Thus, you´re supporting their work and contributing to them making more music. Since I drive quite a lot, I also listen to music in the car and at home. That´s why ripping CD´s get me both the support of the music creators I enjoy and the convenience of driving around listening to them.

 

[Peterinvan]

When the time comes to downsize to a 1,000 sq ft condo, there is no space to store your CD collection. Take time to make good quality rips…. Then keep one folder of CDs for the car and donate the rest to Goodwill.

Practice the old habits of three generation backups. I also do an offsite backup annually.

BTW you can also backup your Tidal playlists using Soundiz.

 

[recycle]

Whatever works for you is fine.

But beware attempting to influence others who know better.

CD is nowhere near as out-dated as vinyl. LP is truly ancient and deficient in absolutely single every measureable reproduction parameter compared to Compact Disc. The ONLY reason anyone would want vinyl would be a) he/she is a collector, or b) the release was not available on CD or another digital format.
Quality and "aiming high" does not mean "hi-res" anything, especially vinyl records. You are dreaming and have been sold a pup if you believe that.
Playing a record, is indeed a performance. I love vinyl too, have maybe 30 turntables or more- it's a lovely, but flawed format. Wonderful and amazing for what it is, but it's a bit like watching the paralympics.
LP is hardly convenient compared to digital or Compact Disc. One deteriorates from the very first time you play it. It's fragile, easily damaged and can be put away perfectly silent, only to come out of its sleeve a few years later sounding like popcorn.
CD is a physical format and one that will outlast vinyl, simply because there were so many billions of them pressed, many of which are which are still around, able to be played with absolutely no deterioration whatsoever.

I've never said that vinyl sounds better than CD or anything about convenience, the point is that vinyl has a charm that CD doesn't have, if you look at the sales revenue you'll realize that I'm not the only one who thinks so, your statement “CD is a physical format that will outlast vinyl” is contradicted by reality.
It's a fact: we are living the 192/24 Flac and DSD era, the 44/16 CD belongs to the past, it has become an obsolete format.

 

[Chrispy]

I've never said that vinyl sounds better than CD or anything about convenience, the point is that vinyl has a charm that CD doesn't have, if you look at the sales revenue you'll realize that I'm not the only one who thinks so, your statement “CD is a physical format that will outlast vinyl” is contradicted by reality.
It's a fact: we are living the 192/24 Flac and DSD era, the 44/16 CD belongs to the past, it has become an obsolete format.

The 192/24 and DSD era? Vinyl charm? Someone's been drinking audio coolaid?

 

[Snoopy]

I've never said that vinyl sounds better than CD or anything about convenience, the point is that vinyl has a charm that CD doesn't have, if you look at the sales revenue you'll realize that I'm not the only one who thinks so, your statement “CD is a physical format that will outlast vinyl” is contradicted by reality.
It's a fact: we are living the 192/24 Flac and DSD era, the 44/16 CD belongs to the past, it has become an obsolete format.

Depends.. like everything… I purchased lots of Japanese CDs (old and new reissues) that are only available on physical media .. but those CDs (60/70s jazz mostly) are recorded and mastered so well, I possibly can’t imagine that someone would ever need more than that.

But I also purchase all other kind of digital media and downloads in pcm , DSD and Vinyl as well.

Some of the CDs are really beautifully done with the print on the disc that looks like a LP, nice covers and very good booklets. But I never look at that stuff , I don’t display it either. I rip them and they go in a kallax unit

Roon was really a game changer for me.
We are currently very lucky with all the physical media available and as well digital files and streaming.

 

[radix]

So is there a technical publication that shows an advantage to ripping a 44.1k/16 CD at higher SR or bit depth? I have a large library that was ripped in MP3 (from long ago when storage was expensive, 44.1kHz VBR) and a smaller library I did in FLAC 44.1k/16 (more recently when storage is cheap). I don't understand why one would rip into a different SR or bit depth -- you would just be making stuff up and changing the data then committing that to your forever format.

Then there's the question of re-sampling during playback. I once had a Topping DX3+ that would pop when changing sampling rates, so I told it to always resample to 48/16. But again, I don't see the point of resampling to a higher SR or bit depth. The DAC is going to convert to whatever bit depth it wants for the chip and DSP anyway.

As for physical formats, CD's are kind of pointless to me now. I have some that I cannot replace, but they are ripped and I don't handle them any more. If I want a physical format so I can listen to music without an app (which is really nice now and then), I go with nostalgic LPs. I guess I like to flip through albums and handle the media and get up and flip sides as a ritual. It has nothing to do with sound quality being better, just different and pleasant in my brain.

I've never touched a DSD.

 

[Dismayed]

I ripped my collection when streaming services were still pretty lame. Now I listen to Tidal instead.

 

[AnalogSteph]

When the time comes to downsize to a 1,000 sq ft condo, there is no space to store your CD collection.

?!

1000 sq ft translates to 92.9 m²... around these parts that would be considered adequate for a family of 4. I live in one little more than half the size, and the largest part of my CD collection, about 550, is occupying most of half a cabinet - a mere fraction of my total storage space. Granted, not all of them are terribly accessible like that as they are double-stacked (and some more shelves had to be added in DIY manner to make good use of all the height), but I have them all ripped anyway, so it's not a big deal. Turns out, CD aren't that big after all.

Proper space management goes a long way.

 

[recycle]

So is there a technical publication that shows an advantage to ripping a 44.1k/16 CD at higher SR or bit depth? I have a large library that was ripped in MP3 (from long ago when storage was expensive, 44.1kHz VBR) and a smaller library I did in FLAC 44.1k/16 (more recently when storage is cheap). I don't understand why one would rip into a different SR or bit depth -- you would just be making stuff up and changing the data then committing that to your forever format.

Then there's the question of re-sampling during playback. I once had a Topping DX3+ that would pop when changing sampling rates, so I told it to always resample to 48/16. But again, I don't see the point of resampling to a higher SR or bit depth. The DAC is going to convert to whatever bit depth it wants for the chip and DSP anyway.

As for physical formats, CD's are kind of pointless to me now. I have some that I cannot replace, but they are ripped and I don't handle them any more. If I want a physical format so I can listen to music without an app (which is really nice now and then), I go with nostalgic LPs. I guess I like to flip through albums and handle the media and get up and flip sides as a ritual. It has nothing to do with sound quality being better, just different and pleasant in my brain.

I've never touched a DSD.

Upscaling a 44/16 CD rip has no effect on the sound, it will just fill your HDD faster

 

[krabapple]

The case for collecting, ripping and storing CDs is a hard one to make in 2024, especially for people who don't have a large collection and are still discovering and evolving in their musical tastes.

For some of us who made the transistion to Compact Disc in the 1980s, when we were younger audiophiles, those physical collections of now rare and original CD pressings are pretty much impossible to replace and represent the authoritative digital versions.

Hardly impossible IME. There's the site called Discogs....

 

[krabapple]

Yes, if the difference is detectable to you and significant, then this is an argument for buying select CDs or LPs.
But now that master quality streaming is becoming more common, perhaps this argument, too will fade over time. We shall see!

"master quality streaming" doesn't mean shit; it's a marketing slogan

The quality of the mastering is mainly what matters.

If this isn't clear to you, then I understand why the idea of re-ripping your CDs is such a hurdle.

 

[krabapple]

Regarding buying music today: The 96/24 and DSD flac catalog is now quite well stocked and thinking of spending my money on an outdated 44/16 format makes no sense.

Neither of those things (96/24 or DSD) mean the music will sound better.