CD Player/Transport Reviews

Appreciate the CD vs streaming comparisons and music recommendations. As one who listens to both formats, I question the necessity of a stand alone CD player. I purchased my first DAC in 2010. At the time I was in the market for a new CD player. The player I owned (McIntosh MCD201) had required two factory repairs for a faulty transport and I sold it. A salesperson talked me out of buying another CD player because it puts the owner at the mercy of the transport. I could relate. How many DVD players are out there? I spin CDs in an early 2000s Pioneer DV-353 feeding a Moon 280D through the entry level Transparent cable with wonderful results. If the Pioneer cacks out, I can replace it for little cost. Just sayin'.

I suppose I'll rip my CD's to a server or migrate to more streaming one day. But for now, I really enjoy combing the library (LP's & CD's), looking for the perfect piece of music, loading it up and enjoying it and the booklet notes all over again.
It's a participation sport and I like as much participation as possible.

Should we not expect SOTA in a $2000 player if a $500 Project S2 DAC can be class A? I hope I am not being unfair?

quitted streaming. I don't need all this "new music" readily available at my hand. I like certain things and these things are eventually few. CDs and LPs - even PC disks for that matter - sound physically better for reasons uknown. After all they give me the feeling of earthly longtime friends, not bodyless facebook acolytes. Just me I suppose.

Excellent article- KM.
The CD is NOT dead. Far from it in 2022.

I tried a lot of CD-Players. Playing digital over longer time fatigues always, compared to analog. Several years I went back to my Sony CDP-01 from 1983. There are differences compared to modern players. Some in better direction (directness, midrange), other in worse direction (treble - what's on the disc, without improving).

After years of searching, I finally found a digital solution that is a delightful, non-fatiguing way to listen to my CD's. Frankly, I never thought I'd enjoy them so much and I don't feel like I'm settling when I choose a CD over an LP anymore (though I still buy and love records to be sure). My find? An MHDT Orchid DAC. No doubt there are others out there of a similar design approach that give similar sonic results. Absolutely worth seeking out IMHO.

Pro-Ject S2 DAC's Something excellent I afford.

When the CD was introduced an album cost $7 and a CD cost $15. Now a vinyl album is over $20 and a CD is still $15 or less. I will never go back to the hassle of cleaning discs and styli, replacing styli, and having the hassle of setting up a turntable with all the gauges and protractors, not to mention having to worry about isolation and storing all those huge discs. It's not worth all the cost and headaches for the arguably better sound of analog. I'm happy with my CDs and the gear I use to play them. They sound just fine to me, and I have no interest in paying a monthly fee to a streaming service to hear music I already own. The hipsters will soon tire of the vinyl fad and move on to the next fad to impress their shallow friends.

A lot of marketing BS by Cyrus. Can't take the product seriously after such aggressive marketing based on misleading, borderline false information. "the company believes that CDs sound better than the same music does when it's streamed" - there's no technical reason why this should be the case when streaming lossless formats.