My CD-player stopped working. Does it make sense to invest in a new CD-transport?

ghdprentice

The difference between abandoning your vinyl and CD is that the streaming version of the CD are identical in every way ...

I know that @ghdprentice is a very enthusiastic advocate for streaming, but his statement here is not even remotely true. An LP and CD are often made from different masters, with the LP often getting the higher dynamic range (oddly), presumably because of the environment where the the mastering engineer imagines it will be heard. Streaming services may get a hi-res version, but often it’s been "re-mastered" and dynamically compressed. You don’t have to take my word for it. You can visit the dynamic range database here, or listen for yourself.

I have ripped all of my CDs to SSD and the stored digital copy often sounds better than what Qobuz offers.

Why wouldn’t you want a device capable of playing the thousands of CDs you already own? Same with a TT. People are buying new reel to reels now. 
 

Qobuz is great and all, but take away your wired Internet service and you have a $7000 paperweight. Those of us who started in this hobby pre-2000 are acutely aware of this. I view streaming as an option, but not the only one, or even my preferred one.

@stievus 

My older CD-player stopped working, so I am considering whether I should go now for a new CD transport. Most of the time I stream audio (Qobuz) and I have a many €€€€ streamer and DAC. So no need for a CD transport?

You don’t say how long ago the CDP stopped working or whether you’ve put off replacing it due to the fact that you’ve been satisfied with streaming. 

However, though I haven’t bought a CD for at least 10 years,

Why not? 

Some people say that a CD still sounds better than streaming.

Hold on. Have you been streaming completely different music than what’s in your CD collection? If not, you already have some experience hearing music you like via both platforms. How do YOU think they compare? 

And I have a huge collection (classical, jazz, blues, pop). I was looking at the front loader Teac PD 505t or the newer model PD 507t (about €1000-1300). Does that make sense? Or just forget about CDs and CD-players, keep or rip some for the good memories when buying them, and donate or sell the rest? What do you think?

As @ghdprentice asserts, both can sound good. I suggest you be guided by what you hear, not by others’ opinions. 

@cleeds 

When the master is the same. That was the point of my comparison. Of course if the master is different it will sound different. 
 

I have made many comparisons between red book and streaming with the same master… it is instantly obvious if it is.

Being guided by what you hear is limited by what components and masters you have heard. Which is why one would ask questions of folks that have lots of experience across components, masters, media,  in different systems to understand the underlying realities. 

“The difference between abandoning your vinyl and CD is that the streaming version of the CD are identical in every way”

@cleeds  + 1

The idea that streaming and CD are identical simply isn’t accurate. Both can sound good or bad, but they’re rarely the same unless you know their exact provenance—and even then, differences remain. And if they do sound identical in your system, it may be that your preamp or dac is homogenizing the character of your upstream components (streamer or CD player). 

Having owned a full ARC setup myself—preamp, amp, and DAC—I can definitely understand why @ghdprentice made that comment. 🙂