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Are Disc Players Dead?

How important is a disc player anymore? I think that stand alone DAC's have far eclipsed the stand alone disc player in importance over the last 3 years with the rise of server based music.

Only an SACD really needs a disc player anymore. In what instance can you get better sound from a disc player than when you download the music, CD or HiRez, then play it back through a new stand alone DAC with the latest technology?

I really only use my very humble disc player to watch movies that I own now. I download most movies to rent through AppleTV, and if I buy a CD (rare) I download it to the server, where it takes up residence in iTunes for playback in AIFF format.

So, disc players on their deathbed, as DAC move to the top of the digital mountain?

I say yes.
macdadtexas

Showing 3 responses by tomcy6

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tomcy6
2,532 posts
 
Cds still outsell vinyl by about 200 to 1 so I think if you consider vinyl to be alive you would also consider cd to be alive and well.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,532 posts
 
Timrhu,
Macdad is a BIG vinyl fan. I have read many of his posts on the subject. So, knowing that he considers vinyl to be alive, I tried to answer his question about digital discs from that perspective.

That is why I referred to vinyl.

I have nothing against anyone preferring vinyl to digital by the way.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,532 posts
 
Here are some figures for cd and lp sales and shipments for 2010:

According to Nielsen SoundScan, in 2010:

235 million cds were sold (approximately)*
2.8 million lps were sold

*cds were not broken out separately, thus the approximation.

According to the RIAA, in 2010:

226 million cds were shipped
4.0 million lps were shipped

The Beatle's Abbey Road was the biggest selling lp with 35,000 sold. Suburbs by Arcade Fire was a distant second.

Sales of cds are declining, sales of lps and digital downloads are increasing. Disc players will remain an essential item for many audiophiles and casual listeners for a long time to come though.

Someone may even build a disc player that makes cds sound better than vinyl starting a cd revival. Could happen.
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