There’s something to be said for physical media. I’ve found that my music streaming service has on occasion said “unavailable” ..probably due to licensing. Physical Media is King. And I still buy 💿….with a good DAC it makes Red Book Code sound phenomenal.
The only reason I ever "stream" any music is to decide if I want to buy a CD version of the album. Spotify free version does fine for that. I order on line CD's and haven't had any problem getting any albums on CD. I guess to each his own.
I bought 6 cds this year. My reason Most of the Japanese music I listen to I can’t stream (because of they’re copyright laws and record labels ) as well as I collect the ones that mean a lot to me Plus since it’s a couple they’re nice to look at as a decorative and the process of loading them is nice
In terms of unit sales, 14.4million CDs were sold in the UK last year (down 10.5 per cent year-on-year) compared to 5.3million vinyl LPs (up 10.6 per cent).
No, absolutely Not!! Like Steve Guttenberg, I do keep buying CDs along with vinyl. Vinyl being my favourite. I really really like the album format and think both vinyl albums and CDs encourage you to listen to the curated work, rathe than skipping from one artist to the next. I don't stream but I am considering the option of an Innuos though I am seriously interested in getting a Hegel Mohican which is given amazing reviews. Ultimately "it is inevitable you will move away from physical media" is just wrong and resolution to the nth degree is not the most important thing, much like digital camera resolution misses the point with very few people benefiting from 60-100MP. 24MP with the best lenses being more than enough and film being hard to beat.
I still buy CDs, but I don't mind buying digital as long as I can download it. For 99.9% of my playback it's purely digital, often file copies and sometimes streams.
I only buy albums as CD and then rip them for digital use at this point. Addition: I buy the CD for the sake of processing the copy of the music that can never be taken from me i.e. streaming services can shut down or labels can remove music.
My wife's favorite band is Duran Duran. Within the last year, she bought the latest album before it was available. She also bought the CD. I still buy used CD's. It's sad to see the format die.
Although cds are not as popular as they once were, I believe that they might become a trend again in the future like vinyl has, but not as big since vinyls have only became popular with enthusiasts and djs.
I like physical media. You get the artwork, often you get lyrics and interesting liner notes. With a box set you may even get a really nice book full of track info, fun pictures and stories, the history of the band or the recording, poster reproductions, etc. The box set becomes a piece of art in itself, adding great value to the music. Of course, if nothing of this interests you and you just «like the music», by all means.. stream!
Also the day you cannot pay your music subscription for whatever reason. Music is gone. If you have the CDs of your favorite band music is yours forever to keep so think of that. With streaming you don’t own anything.
I still buy CDs of my very favourite albums. Why? If some streaming service goes out of business, or if some record company sues someone resulting in music being taken off-line, I still have access to my favourite albums. Definitely not as convenient as streaming services, but more secure in terms of future music availability.
To me CDs are what vinyl is to some people. It's the nostalgia format with a lot of memories and unfulfilled dreams attached. Tracking down a vintage pressing at a record fair always feels great. Plus I'm expecting power cuts in the coming winter and my vintage discman is ready.
I buy CDs, though I prefer not to. Problem is that most of what I listen to is not on streaming services. I'm talking about those japanese anime openings, anime character songs, soundtracks, drama CDs. Could check Tidal, Qobuz, Spotity; a saddening amount just aren't there. Streaming services have a lot, but they don't have everything.
Sadly that stuff remains hard to get a hold. Only physical imports from specialist sites. Japan needs to step it up, K-pop has an entire physical section in my local electronics store!
Difficult to support some artists with digital downloads only and Spotify etc are no better than pirating. They're good for finding new music. Any direct support to artist that don't work for a label and sells physical albums only shrinks the market. You can also buy an album and gift it or leave it in the wrapping and sell it for twice the amount a a decade later if it's something that's not in print forever.
Three streaming nerds sitting in their ivory tower. I’m glad to hear, coming from your sacred mouths, that “there’s nothing wrong with buying CD’s”. You almost made me feel like I was a lowly hi-fi criminal there for a minute. Put your shovels aside before you heave that last mound of dirt on top of the format. There’s still life under there just like with the vinyl ghost. It’ll come back to haunt you!
The cheapest way to build a collection of lossless FLAC files is buying used CDs on ebay and ripping them with Exact Audio Copy. It's like 3 bucks per CD including shipping, and then when you ripped it, you own a lossless digital file and a backup. Streaming is okay I guess but I like to own stuff, at least some of it, because streaming services can take down artists on a whim, or the artist decides to take down their stuff. Or, they just replace the old master with a "new and improved" master that has a DR of 4 dB instead of 12 dB and it just rapes your ears. I know what I own is what I own and it doesn't change. I don't really need the physical disc though, I just use it as a transport medium for ripping FLAC.
I have been a big collector of CDs all my life, but this yer I have made the jump to 100% streaming. After Apple started to offer lossless reproduction, I digitalized all the CDs I own that they didn't have in the catalog (huge work), and just stopped buying CDs. 100% streaming for me from now on.
I began "ripping" my huge CD collection last year. It's quite a time-consuming task, to put it mildly (considering one needs to proof-listen to every recording).
Streaming only is for dump people who want everything and know nothing.... Remember you can sell cds ,streaming you will pay your bills over and over.... I own 4000 Discs and love them a Lot.
That "ultra nerdy audiophile service" you talk about already exists. It's called Roon. Yeah, you have to rip your own discs if they're not on Tidal or Qubuz, but beyond that you described it EXACTLY. Have all your highest quality editions (of the same album even), presented the way you like, with the DSP settings you like, tweak the details to your heart's content. It's the best. Personally I'll take that over CD's or vinyl any day of the week.
I buy all my music as FLACs and host them on my personal media server and stream them to my mobile devices from there. Aren't I still using "physical media" in a way though? I've just moved from CDs to a RAID. 😂
It seems they talk like people only use one? I use streaming constantly, and i buy the CDs i like. It's not like i buy a Cd not knowing its content. And i like the case, cover, booklet, etc... not only the content. Sound quality is great.
Actually since I started watching your videos (mainly because I’m going to buy a Diana headphones) I started re buying the CDs and Vinyls from my favorite band (RAMMSTEIN). I had a big collection and I still do but they stayed in Mexico now I live in Michigan. And I love to collect them. As a matter of fact I was listening to this video while on my walk and picked up from my mail box my latest CD and Vinyl that I ordered from Amazon. I also bought a portable CD player 😂 and I need a good Vinyl player. Btw speaking of the Diana TC, is that the right fit for the type of music I like? Basically Rammstein music? Also if you can review their last album called Zeit I think you guys will like it 😎
There are audiophiles that claim and new pressings of CDS are also remastered brickwalled garbage, and hunt in second hand stores for cds from the 80s and 90s.
@@hartyewh1 I haven't gone down that rabbit hole, but I know some people who are crazy about vintage metallica albums and claimed there was a silent remaster for newer pressings and they prefer the older cds/vinyl, but a lot of it seems pretty dubious and maybe more about the hunt more than anything else
@@harackmw I believe a lot of remasters are lazy and quick attempts to sell an old product, but the ones that are done with care seem to be fantastic. The flat LP friendly mixes recreated for a modern world and sound reproduction that actually has some dynamics. The difference is huge. I'm not in any way deep into remasters and those two are just two shockers from the last year.
I don't know if there are "silent remasters" - usually they will proudly tell you they remastered the album, and you can hear the difference even on 50 dollar earbuds. Loudness wars mastering with low DR is not some "audiophile voodoo". It is real and everybody can hear it if you point it out to them on a fairly decent system. The problem is though, the better your system, the more annoying these loudness war master are. I know that they remastered Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit and I actually got an original, old 90ies copy from ebay for that reason. The DR on that original album is like 12 or 13, which is unthinkable for rock albums today. But the thing is: if you have a good system, you turn up the volume and that dynamic range becomes a real experience. The loud parts are actually loud and the silent parts are actually silent. And you can hear so much more detail overall.
Records are a pain in the ass. Plus the cost of a decent turntable. Cds are far better in almost every way and you actually own the music. They have far more dynamic range and the engineering is excellent now compared to when they first started in the early 80s. Record LPs are a pain to clean store etc. Cds are much easier to store and if stored correctly and taken care of they last a lifetime. I GOT SOME THAT ARE OVER 33 yrs old and are like the day I got them and play like the day I got them. If you actually want to own your music cd is the very best way.
The answer is a resounding NO, CDsare not dead. They are as much alive as ever. Vinyl isn't really dead, but it has got expensive. Cassettes are still around too.
@chloevalenzuela7621 Good. Everyone has their own listening preferences. I use both a radio and various online audio and video streaming services. Free and paid ones.
Oh man oh man... you guys are so unbelievably wrong. People are turning their backs on streaming at an unbelievable rate. Covid changed a lot for people including myself. I myself have started buying CDs again. It all comes down to control. People are waking up to all the problems associated with "you will own nothing and be happy."
All physical media is dead or dying. There are a few people that still buy physical media, but let's face it, unless you're buying an old vinyl because the digital masters are crap - like most Dio albums - then there's no real reason to buy any physical media. Even a decade ago, a lot of CD buyers would end up just ripping their own CD's and using the data - because, at the end of the day, that's were the music resides. Even in this comment section, most physical media buyers do so for nostalgia reasons, even when they won't admit it to themselves. When you see stuff like "it's sad to see the format die" you can't really disagree with me. You either love the music or you're in love with the hobby of collection. You can be both, but you really need to be honest with yourself.
Honestly, I haven't bought a CD new or used in in years. I already had a big collection and ripped it to flac. Spotify and other steaming services have made everything way to convenient
I also still buy CDs, over 150 in the last 6 months. I also buy SACDs and vinyl albums.
There’s something to be said for physical media.
I’ve found that my music streaming service has on occasion said “unavailable” ..probably due to licensing.
Physical Media is King.
And I still buy 💿….with a good DAC it makes Red Book Code sound phenomenal.
The only reason I ever "stream" any music is to decide if I want to buy a CD version of the album. Spotify free version does fine for that. I order on line CD's and haven't had any problem getting any albums on CD. I guess to each his own.
The clearest message ever on how stable the availability of music is via streaming is when Spotify removed Keith Don't Go. Keith fucking left.
I bought 6 cds this year. My reason
Most of the Japanese music I listen to I can’t stream (because of they’re copyright laws and record labels ) as well as I collect the ones that mean a lot to me
Plus since it’s a couple they’re nice to look at as a decorative and the process of loading them is nice
Here in the UK. Cd's are so popular and not dying out. The decrease is just a myth made up by the media.
In terms of unit sales, 14.4million CDs were sold in the UK last year (down 10.5 per cent year-on-year) compared to 5.3million vinyl LPs (up 10.6 per cent).
That's why HMV are basically out of business
No, absolutely Not!!
Like Steve Guttenberg,
I do keep buying CDs along with vinyl. Vinyl being my favourite. I really really like the album format and think both vinyl albums and CDs encourage you to listen to the curated work, rathe than skipping from one artist to the next.
I don't stream but I am considering the option of an Innuos though I am seriously interested in getting a Hegel Mohican which is given amazing reviews.
Ultimately "it is inevitable you will move away from physical media" is just wrong and resolution to the nth degree is not the most important thing, much like digital camera resolution misses the point with very few people benefiting from 60-100MP. 24MP with the best lenses being more than enough and film being hard to beat.
CDs are only dead to some. Not to everyone. Well recorded CDs through a quality transport to a great DAC is unbeatable to me. :)
I still buy CDs, but I don't mind buying digital as long as I can download it. For 99.9% of my playback it's purely digital, often file copies and sometimes streams.
I only buy albums as CD and then rip them for digital use at this point.
Addition: I buy the CD for the sake of processing the copy of the music that can never be taken from me i.e. streaming services can shut down or labels can remove music.
CDs are NOT dead ! I buy approx 10-15 each month. Amazon is the best source.
My wife's favorite band is Duran Duran. Within the last year, she bought the latest album before it was available. She also bought the CD. I still buy used CD's. It's sad to see the format die.
Although cds are not as popular as they once were, I believe that they might become a trend again in the future like vinyl has, but not as big since vinyls have only became popular with enthusiasts and djs.
4:33 does anyone recognize the last book in the stack?
the tittle looks like it says "...osing"
edit: it was "The Art of Choosing" by Sheena Iyengar
I like physical media. You get the artwork, often you get lyrics and interesting liner notes. With a box set you may even get a really nice book full of track info, fun pictures and stories, the history of the band or the recording, poster reproductions, etc. The box set becomes a piece of art in itself, adding great value to the music. Of course, if nothing of this interests you and you just «like the music», by all means.. stream!
Like example The Beach Boys released a box set called Sail On Sailor 1972 it’s a 6 CD set I’m getting it for Christmas
Also the day you cannot pay your music subscription for whatever reason. Music is gone.
If you have the CDs of your favorite band music is yours forever to keep so think of that. With streaming you don’t own anything.
I still buy CDs of my very favourite albums. Why? If some streaming service goes out of business, or if some record company sues someone resulting in music being taken off-line, I still have access to my favourite albums. Definitely not as convenient as streaming services, but more secure in terms of future music availability.
I believe people buy CDs for sound quality. They claim that streamers don't sound as good as similarly-priced CD transport.
this is very true
To me CDs are what vinyl is to some people. It's the nostalgia format with a lot of memories and unfulfilled dreams attached. Tracking down a vintage pressing at a record fair always feels great. Plus I'm expecting power cuts in the coming winter and my vintage discman is ready.
I buy CDs, though I prefer not to. Problem is that most of what I listen to is not on streaming services. I'm talking about those japanese anime openings, anime character songs, soundtracks, drama CDs. Could check Tidal, Qobuz, Spotity; a saddening amount just aren't there.
Streaming services have a lot, but they don't have everything.
Sadly that stuff remains hard to get a hold. Only physical imports from specialist sites. Japan needs to step it up, K-pop has an entire physical section in my local electronics store!
The streaming services will have to pry my microSD cards of flac and cds out of my cold. dead. hands.
Difficult to support some artists with digital downloads only and Spotify etc are no better than pirating. They're good for finding new music. Any direct support to artist that don't work for a label and sells physical albums only shrinks the market. You can also buy an album and gift it or leave it in the wrapping and sell it for twice the amount a a decade later if it's something that's not in print forever.
Thanks for tackling this issue but I'm curious to know what each of you have as your main audio systems. Please be specific, if possible.
Three streaming nerds sitting in their ivory tower. I’m glad to hear, coming from your sacred mouths, that “there’s nothing wrong with buying CD’s”. You almost made me feel like I was a lowly hi-fi criminal there for a minute. Put your shovels aside before you heave that last mound of dirt on top of the format. There’s still life under there just like with the vinyl ghost. It’ll come back to haunt you!
Lots of public libraries still have CD sections, and they even get new albums in. Best part is......IT'S ALL FREE TO BORROW!!!
The cheapest way to build a collection of lossless FLAC files is buying used CDs on ebay and ripping them with Exact Audio Copy. It's like 3 bucks per CD including shipping, and then when you ripped it, you own a lossless digital file and a backup.
Streaming is okay I guess but I like to own stuff, at least some of it, because streaming services can take down artists on a whim, or the artist decides to take down their stuff. Or, they just replace the old master with a "new and improved" master that has a DR of 4 dB instead of 12 dB and it just rapes your ears.
I know what I own is what I own and it doesn't change. I don't really need the physical disc though, I just use it as a transport medium for ripping FLAC.
I have been a big collector of CDs all my life, but this yer I have made the jump to 100% streaming. After Apple started to offer lossless reproduction, I digitalized all the CDs I own that they didn't have in the catalog (huge work), and just stopped buying CDs. 100% streaming for me from now on.
I began "ripping" my huge CD collection last year. It's quite a time-consuming task, to put it mildly (considering one needs to proof-listen to every recording).
I still purchase a few CDs per year for the merchandise it comes with
But I use Qobuz for higher res playback, never the CDs
Love you guys! Xx
Streaming only is for dump people who want everything and know nothing....
Remember you can sell cds ,streaming you will pay your bills over and over....
I own 4000 Discs and love them a Lot.
That "ultra nerdy audiophile service" you talk about already exists. It's called Roon. Yeah, you have to rip your own discs if they're not on Tidal or Qubuz, but beyond that you described it EXACTLY. Have all your highest quality editions (of the same album even), presented the way you like, with the DSP settings you like, tweak the details to your heart's content. It's the best. Personally I'll take that over CD's or vinyl any day of the week.
Next video: "is Flac Dead?"
Nope. Bought a CD in a record store day before yesterday.
I buy all my music as FLACs and host them on my personal media server and stream them to my mobile devices from there. Aren't I still using "physical media" in a way though? I've just moved from CDs to a RAID. 😂
It seems they talk like people only use one? I use streaming constantly, and i buy the CDs i like. It's not like i buy a Cd not knowing its content. And i like the case, cover, booklet, etc... not only the content. Sound quality is great.
Actually since I started watching your videos (mainly because I’m going to buy a Diana headphones) I started re buying the CDs and Vinyls from my favorite band (RAMMSTEIN). I had a big collection and I still do but they stayed in Mexico now I live in Michigan. And I love to collect them.
As a matter of fact I was listening to this video while on my walk and picked up from my mail box my latest CD and Vinyl that I ordered from Amazon.
I also bought a portable CD player 😂 and I need a good Vinyl player.
Btw speaking of the Diana TC, is that the right fit for the type of music I like? Basically Rammstein music?
Also if you can review their last album called Zeit I think you guys will like it 😎
Rammstein always have amazing sound production. Those CDs sound great. Excellent choice.
Is video games cds dead
There are audiophiles that claim and new pressings of CDS are also remastered brickwalled garbage, and hunt in second hand stores for cds from the 80s and 90s.
They should compare the pre- and post-remastered Toto and Marillion records. The old mixes, though lovely, are just garbage in comparison.
@@hartyewh1 I haven't gone down that rabbit hole, but I know some people who are crazy about vintage metallica albums and claimed there was a silent remaster for newer pressings and they prefer the older cds/vinyl, but a lot of it seems pretty dubious and maybe more about the hunt more than anything else
@@harackmw I believe a lot of remasters are lazy and quick attempts to sell an old product, but the ones that are done with care seem to be fantastic. The flat LP friendly mixes recreated for a modern world and sound reproduction that actually has some dynamics. The difference is huge. I'm not in any way deep into remasters and those two are just two shockers from the last year.
I don't know if there are "silent remasters" - usually they will proudly tell you they remastered the album, and you can hear the difference even on 50 dollar earbuds. Loudness wars mastering with low DR is not some "audiophile voodoo". It is real and everybody can hear it if you point it out to them on a fairly decent system.
The problem is though, the better your system, the more annoying these loudness war master are.
I know that they remastered Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit and I actually got an original, old 90ies copy from ebay for that reason. The DR on that original album is like 12 or 13, which is unthinkable for rock albums today. But the thing is: if you have a good system, you turn up the volume and that dynamic range becomes a real experience. The loud parts are actually loud and the silent parts are actually silent. And you can hear so much more detail overall.
Records are a pain in the ass. Plus the cost of a decent turntable. Cds are far better in almost every way and you actually own the music. They have far more dynamic range and the engineering is excellent now compared to when they first started in the early 80s. Record LPs are a pain to clean store etc. Cds are much easier to store and if stored correctly and taken care of they last a lifetime. I GOT SOME THAT ARE OVER 33 yrs old and are like the day I got them and play like the day I got them. If you actually want to own your music cd is the very best way.
The answer is a resounding NO, CDsare not dead. They are as much alive as ever. Vinyl isn't really dead, but it has got expensive. Cassettes are still around too.
Cds are dead for me!
@chloevalenzuela7621 Cds are not dead for the world but it is for me. Never going back to them ever again.
@chloevalenzuela7621 Good. Everyone has their own listening preferences. I use both a radio and various online audio and video streaming services. Free and paid ones.
Oh man oh man... you guys are so unbelievably wrong. People are turning their backs on streaming at an unbelievable rate. Covid changed a lot for people including myself. I myself have started buying CDs again. It all comes down to control. People are waking up to all the problems associated with "you will own nothing and be happy."
Yes.
I buy and rip myself. Streaming sucks imho. I even ditched the computer and network. Play off an sd card now
All physical media is dead or dying. There are a few people that still buy physical media, but let's face it, unless you're buying an old vinyl because the digital masters are crap - like most Dio albums - then there's no real reason to buy any physical media. Even a decade ago, a lot of CD buyers would end up just ripping their own CD's and using the data - because, at the end of the day, that's were the music resides. Even in this comment section, most physical media buyers do so for nostalgia reasons, even when they won't admit it to themselves. When you see stuff like "it's sad to see the format die" you can't really disagree with me. You either love the music or you're in love with the hobby of collection. You can be both, but you really need to be honest with yourself.
Honestly, I haven't bought a CD new or used in in years. I already had a big collection and ripped it to flac. Spotify and other steaming services have made everything way to convenient