Is the CD Dead

[eltech]

2 hours ago, metal beat said:

 

 

LMFAOF          The exact reason why cassette and CD outsold vinyl - the masses don't give a hoot about sound quality 

 

That's a difficult point to make. I think  MP3 320 sounds miles better than most cassettes. Which was formerly the most popular medium. For most people CD does sound much better than vinyl hence it's uptake, and most people think CD is good enough for them. At one point people did care. They chose CD. These days the average person doesn't have to think about sound quality because they know the CD will have no noise, and sound good. The average person will also use tone controls with impunity to get the sound they like.  My only objection to CD is bad mastering or deteriorating source tapes. When I digitally record vinyl it sounds just like the record. I am perplexed as to how so many CDs sound shite since I am able to do an awesome recording at home on an inexpensive zoom recorder.

 

I did an AB comparison today between Pearl Jam- Ten on CD and original pressing on vinyl. Vinyl won by a long way, but theoretically it shouldn't, so WTF??? Damn mastering strikes again!!!

 

Multiband compressors are used a lot in vinyl mastering. They make sounds pop out and sound really vibrant. I wish CD used the same masters because though the vinyl often has lower dynamic range, the compression makes it sound better than the uncompressed CD. The "magic" is in those nice old analogue multiband compressors. 

Edited March 26, 2017 by eltech

[PleasantSounds]

It's interesting to see that we now have two simultaneous threads, one proposing that CD is dead and the other that vinyl is now mainstream.

 

Wishful thinking?

 

[eltech]

Well actually vinyl is growing in popularity, and CD sales are declining. 

Probably got a bit to do with the internet disrupting the existing supply chains, and the alternative movement of eating whole foods and doing wholesome ye Olde fashioned things like playing a record. If it keeps going this way Vinyl will be mainstream. But mainstream has always been fashion driven!

[davewantsmoore]

36 minutes ago, eltech said:

Actually...They do. I won't say any more.

 

Glad I wasn't the only one to find the comment ironic  (I almost thought it was deliberate to begin with).

[eltech]

VHS is dead! The last factory closed last year. But VHS had awful picture quality. Nobody will ever start making VHS recorders ever again. CD is a good reliable format with no drawbacks as far as physical media goes. I can't see it dying anytime soon

[Citroen]

Can anyone explain the reissue of cassettes then?

[eltech]

Just now, Citroen said:

Can anyone explain the reissue of cassettes then?

Ye Olde thing to do!

[Guest Eggcup The Daft]

3 hours ago, Darren69 said:

I wish blu ray audio had've taken off a bit more, what I have heard is very nice indeed.

The couple I got were terrible. I reckoned I was unlucky, but moved on.

[eltech]

Hipsters are going to start communicating with semaphore, smoke signals and pitman's shorthand soon!

[unclemack]

5 minutes ago, eltech said:

Hipsters are going to start communicating with semaphore, smoke signals and pitman's shorthand soon!

and coffee grounds, no doubt.

 

[Blk plastic]

2 minutes ago, unclemack said:

and coffee grounds, no doubt.

 

Add tattoos to that.

[Guest Eggcup The Daft]

3 hours ago, metal beat said:

 

I was talking about DVD-audio - not video

 

most people would have no idea except that blu ray is a lot harder to copy than DVD's and is more expensive.

Both true, but technically MLP is not an "EPIC FAIL" and is behind one hell of a lot of good sound. Just not DVD-audio, which I suspect failed for packaging reasons (no dual layer) rather than for sound quality or DRM issues. SACDs could be dual layer and that is why they "won" the war to be the preferred, um, struggling alternative disc format.

[rantan]

 

The CD is definitely not dead. It is in decline but from a very dominant market position.

The vinyl record is not dead either and is growing. I personally don't see why some would wish any physical media format to be dead.

I now run both formats and  ( shock, horror ) enjoy both and I hope they both continue long term.

 

Ownership of music on physical media is the really important issue here and we need to stop bickering about which is better by way of subjective assessments. It really doesn't matter outside of one's own system.

 

Large corporations with no interest in sound quality or music would prefer everyone to pay a yearly licence fee to listen to music. it increases their profit margins since they don't actually have to produce a product and they certainly don't want people owning a source of music, so let's stop arguing, get behind ownership of music media and fight against music becoming exclusively available as disposable downloads that are discarded like used tissues when fashion changes.

 

Surely this is far more important than format wars?

[eltech]

11 minutes ago, Blk plastic said:

Add tattoos to that.

It's gotta be a Tribal tattoo!

[rantan]

20 minutes ago, Citroen said:

Can anyone explain the reissue of cassettes then?

 

Yeah. it is a hipster driven thing. Anything retro must be cool right? They even love laminex tables FFS and will pay thousands more for old ,crap houses with 1960's style kitchens ( which I actually recall, but not fondly ) so embracing cassettes is the next step.

I am now awaiting the rebirth of the 8 track cartridge

[Darren69]

8 minutes ago, rantan said:

 

The CD is definitely not dead. It is in decline but from a very dominant market position.

The vinyl record is not dead either and is growing. I personally don't see why some would wish any physical media format to be dead.

I now run both formats and  ( shock, horror ) enjoy both and I hope they both continue long term.

 

Ownership of music on physical media is the really important issue here and we need to stop bickering about which is better by way of subjective assessments. It really doesn't matter outside of one's own system.

 

Large corporations with no interest in sound quality or music would prefer everyone to pay a yearly licence fee to listen to music. it increases their profit margins since they don't actually have to produce a product and they certainly don't want people owning a source of music, so let's stop arguing, get behind ownership of music media and fight against music becoming exclusively available as disposable downloads that are discarded like used tissues when fashion changes.

 

Surely this is far more important than format wars?

 

Such an obvious post that only an idiot would argue with, yet we continue to do so whilst big business does whatever it needs to, to extract maximum bucks from trends.

 

I shall vote with my wallet and continue to order CD's.

[eltech]

7 minutes ago, rantan said:

 

The CD is definitely not dead. It is in decline but from a very dominant market position.

The vinyl record is not dead either and is growing. I personally don't see why some would wish any physical media format to be dead.

I now run both formats and  ( shock, horror ) enjoy both and I hope they both continue long term.

 

Ownership of music on physical media is the really important issue here and we need to stop bickering about which is better by way of subjective assessments. It really doesn't matter outside of one's own system.

 

Large corporations with no interest in sound quality or music would prefer everyone to pay a yearly licence fee to listen to music. it increases their profit margins since they don't actually have to produce a product and they certainly don't want people owning a source of music, so let's stop arguing, get behind ownership of music media and fight against music becoming exclusively available as disposable downloads that are discarded like used tissues when fashion changes.

 

Surely this is far more important than format wars?

 

I agree with everything you wrote. I couldn't have said it better.

[Guest Eggcup The Daft]

5 minutes ago, rantan said:

 

Yeah. it is a hipster driven thing. Anything retro must be cool right? They even love laminex tables FFS and will pay thousands more for old ,crap houses with 1960's style kitchens ( which I actually recall, but not fondly ) so embracing cassettes is the next step.

I am now awaiting the rebirth of the 8 track cartridge

That's already going on in the UK, apparently, Strange because they weren't taken up there the first time around...

[eltech]

I think I might learn the tape head lapping trade. Looking like a good career move. Might have to grow a beard though....hmm.

Edited March 26, 2017 by eltech

[Gremrock]

Cd is certainly not dead, and the main source of music around here. I also have a fairly extensive Vinyl collection which I will continue to expand, and generally prefer the sound of. But CD is certainly easier for more folks. 

 

Also well said @rantan far too often something is discontinued from range due to lack of popular interest. This is okay I guess with an out of press LP or cd, after all you can go and chase it down second hand. Or you already own a copy. But what do you do when you can no longer stream 3 of your favourite albums just because they've been removed to make room for something new you couldn't care less for?

[oneneo]

I love CDs!  Let's make CD great again!

 

 

 

[zenikoy]

If CD is dead, can we go back to 35 to 40 minute albums please? Suits my attention span

 

The padded out 60+ minute rock album was a side effect of CDs. Certainly some could have done with some quality control editing.

 

Now with streaming or endless queuing of files, there is no need to deliver the maximum "value" that can fit on the physical format. 

[georgehifi]

Is the CD Dead

Started by The Bluesman, March 5

 

I strongly believe not, as if you use this site, it's always the earliest releases that have the least compression, and obtainable used also on eBay. And most of what's available for down load is the later "louder" but more compressed versions.

Just put in your artist and album above and get the version with the most green boxes, click on the one you want and get the Cat No. and search the web for it. 

http://dr.loudness-war.info/

 

 

Here is a classic example of Supertramp's Brother where you bound. The 1985 version is the one to get.

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Supertramp&album=Brother+where+you+bound

 

Again Supertramp "Even in the quietest moments" the early ones are the ones to get.

 http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Supertramp&album=Even+in+the+quietest+moments

 

Ben Harper "Welcome to the Cruel World" The latest 24/192 download one is the worst.

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Ben+Harper&album=Welcome+to+the+Cruel+World

 

SO NO!!!! I hope CD's aren't  dead yet!!!

 

Cheers George

Edited March 27, 2017 by georgehifi

[SAVI Systems]

 
Now compare that downloaded/streamed/burnt CD to a retail CD and see if you can detect a preference for the retail cd, I have every time, in that the retail cd is more relaxed to listing to, and the downloaded/burnt one is for a better word "highlighted/whiter" like way too much sharpness on a flat screen TV.
 
Cheers George 

I have experienced the same, that was until I used a program called CD ARCHITECT (it is a professional cd authoring piece of software) amd found that the cds burnt at no faster than 8x speed maintain the sound of the original pressed cd. Every other piece of software I have used seems to have the issue you mentioned.

[SAVI Systems]

Great to know, but what is the reason for the better sound?
 
is MQA using subjectively percieved better mastering of favorite albums?
If the compressed MQA format uses this mastering then surely the same mastering can be used for an uncompressed file. In which case, there should be no audible difference when played back on the same equipment. Right or wrong?
 
 
 
 

Part of MQA spec is knowing exactly which ADC and DAC were used in the Audio chain AT STUDIO level when the recording/mastering was done, and compensating for any phase/time domain errors introduced by the hardware used.
This makes perfect sense as to why MQA could sound the best, as it effectively compensates for errors introduced by the hardware used by the studio.
This is also why MQA needs strong support from the record labels, as they may need access to the specific hardware used to measure and compensate for the errors it introduced...