Are you still playing CDs after, comp based syst?

I appreciate your response, Mountainsong. The most important thing to remember is that all Consumers are in competition with manufacturers in demanding bigger bang
(Music Sound Quality) for the Buck. We are in constant negotiations over quality. We are playing poker with these manufactures across the table. We show them our hand when we claim "The American Public is not interested in Sound Quality". What are we doing in boosting the competition when we tip our hand? Who does this help, yourself- or the guy across the table? We should be eyeballing him to make sure he doesn't have anything up his sleeve. He is not our friend. He is in this game to win at our expense- spelled out LESS BANG (Sound Quality) FOR THE BUCK! He carries his own six shooters, I don't think he is in any desperate need for our help. We are the Prey in this game, the Predator is NOT going to be our FRIEND! CONVENIENCE is a hook the Predator uses very well to lure its Prey. Try looking in the mirror if you still don't understand who that Prey is. LEVERAGE is our only defense, not empty hopes and promises. Stop shooting Sound Quality (And Yourself) in the foot all of the time. Everyone will be very glad to give you alot less, unless you demand more.
Who are you negotiating with- yourself? Appreciate it if you wouldn't lose! We all lose.

Wow, a lot of thought on this. Pretty intense and cynical....

My two cents, pretty simple: I have CD's and no longer have a CD player. Everything is through my computers music library to PW DAC mkII. Sounds excellent and cd's are going the way of records, 8 track, and VHS. I will keep buying Cd's as my hard copy backup, but will only use them to burn them.

Do respect your two cents, Jeffatus. Everyone thinks that I am cynical. I am trying to uncynicalize Major Labels/ O.S. Manufacturers from a narcistic obsession over profit at the expense of sound quality. That means that they want to take away your option of buying releases on CD, therefore force you to strictly buying your Music via downloads ONLY!!! There are atleast several thousands of CD releases OUT OF PRINT! You cannot buy them on CD, but they are strictly available as downloads ONLY! New Music is starting to not even be released on CD- download ONLY!
Pretty soon the only thing that you will be able to burn a copy of will be a download, unless you are blocked by Copyright Data Management already installed in Microsoft O.S. MUSIC is going the way of CDs, Records, 8 Track, and VHS. You are NOT going to get any improvement in sound quality for PC Audio from Microsoft. That is the end of PC Audio Format- what else is there? Cynical Anti-Audiophile Manufacturers are now in charge of sound quality for PC Audio. There is no sound quality for most downloads when it stands in the way of profit. I am trying to be optomistic about us holding onto atleast one other Format
so that Gamers don't decide that my MP3 Sampling Rate is just too high- and cuts into Computer Manufacturers profit. You want sound quality, you are going to have to fight these bast___s for it. For me, that is being optimistic. Music, and sound quality, IS worth fighting for! What sound quality a majority of American Public is not interested in- IS BEING CYNICAL! I am trying to promote QUALITY over PROFIT. This is something that I am OPTIMISTICALLY trying to do! Yeah, wish me luck!!!

Late to this party...I have a Ayon CD-5s for DAC/Transport; and its clearly better in sonic performance than hi res downloads on my Qsonix 205 server; being run thru the same tubed dac, with balanced digital cable...I enjoy the convience of my server for play lists, and it comes about 85% of the sonic quality; depth, and detail of the Cd direct; but when I have friends over for serious listening sessions; I drop in a CD...
I did hear a fellow 'Goners digital system at home in Malibu; and it made me re-think my server; and perhaps some of my problem lies in my Qsonix, not the server world in general. Not sure I want to convert out of Qsonix into the world of MAC, transport, ipad, and other stuff...but I'm glad I'm not alone in preferring the sonic quality of a good disc spinner vs computer audio...usb vs firewire, expensive dacs and usb cables; upgraded power supplies and tweaks, and which software to use; it makes my head spin, want to get it correct if and when I make the switch...

I currently prefer by a large margin playing cd's or sacd's