Are you still playing CDs after, comp based syst?

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

"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"

You can still keep the Qsonix and get better SQ from it. I have been adding reclockers to customers Qsonix for years. Originally I added the Pace-Car, but that required mods to the Qsonix output board.

Now, I have the Synchro-Mesh to lower jitter of the Qsonix. No mods needed. May be all you need:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/empirical4/1.html

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

My new Marantz SA8004 sacd player/DAC has a USB input. So for the hell of it I ripped some cd's (WAV lossless)unto my laptop on Windows media Player. Hmm, easier than other programs I tried to rip cd's to. The album picture and songs are there. So I listen to my computer on my big rig. I tried a song each from about 10 ripped cd's. I'm using a really cheap USB cable I got for $1 at a thrift store. One end plugs into the computer the other end into my cd player/dac. It sounds really good. Before this I thought computer audio was so tough. Not. So, my computer laptop using WMP is now a music server. It seems to be everything I will need. My selections from my library are only limited by how many of my cd's I rip. I will transfer everything to a backup hard drive. I have about 60 cd's on here so far. I can play any tune from them with one click. I can also make a playlist, quickly from the cd's. Can anyone tell me why I would want to buy an expensive music server or even use another program to hold my library? For computer music this seems to be all I need except I ordered a lower cost Audioquest USB cable. In a short time listening, it seems to sound at least as good as spinning discs without having to get up and and find them. If I can easily do this anyone can. Nice discovery after all the computer audio horror stories I've heard about.