[Arcamera]

I'm a newbie to a lot of the current music storage/medium and delivery technology, so what follows might sound distressingly uninformed, sorry. But perspectives/info would be appreciated:
 
My main music medium is compact disc. I never did the separates thing-- just got the best CD player I could afford, which is currently an Arcam CD73. Does anyone else here still use an integrated CD player? It seems like most folks here are dedicated separates enthusiasts. Is a separate DAC that much of an improvement over a good all-in-one DAC/transport? If so, and assuming some people still play CDs, what do folks use as a transport? A PC?
 
Do people think alternate music mediums are sonically superior to the CD format? (Leaving out vinyl for the moment--I enjoy my Rega P3 by the way).
 
Sorry for these naive questions-- I have a lot to learn about current music formats. For better or worse I have resisted the iPod approach and constructing a system from my PC. But if there are good sonic and functionality reasons, I'm open...
 
 

 

[sterling1]

I use my Panasonic BD-80 Blu-ray player to play CD's. And, sometimes, I use my Sony DVP-S9000ES SACD player to play CD's. It's either one of those, or listen from the CD drive on my laptop. I think universal players will rule soon but not for long. Still, for those with CD libraries, the universal player will have a future I'm sure.

 

[dura]

I find my Rega DAC+Squeezebox Touch sound better then the already very good Rega Apollo CD player, while I roughly paid the same amount for both combo's (the Apollo has been substantially lowered in price though lately).
And the concenience is so very much better that I now regard putting on CDs and listening per album instead of per artist or playlist as a big step backwards (the Apollo's ergonomics didn't help much either).

 

[project86]

Despite music servers and computer playback being extremely popular, I think you'd be surprised how many people are still just using a CD player. That number will probably continue to diminish as time goes on though.
 
Since a CD player is really just a transport and DAC built into the same case, there's really nothing wrong with going that route. It's just that DAC technology is constantly improving, so buying an outboard DAC arguably makes more sense. You keep the same transport, or computer, or music server, and just upgrade the DAC when you want to. 
 
One thing that does surprise me is the relative rarity of CD players with digital inputs. NAD, Cambridge, Musical Fidelity, and a few others make them, but most new players still do NOT have that function. It seems like a trivial thing to add since the DAC is already in place. I see it as a missed opportunity. 

 

[soundboy]

I just purchased the new Onkyo C-7030 single disc CD player but I haven't use it yet.  Yes, I still use either a CD player or an "universal" player for my discs.  I suppose having over 500 SACDs makes getting a SACD-capable player "a must", but I am going to have dedicated player for each format.
 
No downloads for me.

 

[sterling1]

I don't make any rules for myself about what media delivers my music. I've got a system that allows for playback of Compact Cassette, CD, SACD, vinyl, computer audio, DAT, and Blu-ray.  Today, I'm attracted to iTunes, but, I still buy CD's too. Mostly, my non-existent budget for music determines how I can get the tunes I'm attracted to into my music library.

 

[triiiangle]

Yes, I still use a Rega Jupiter bought used in 2005.  Amazing player.

 

[fateicon]

Like I was saying in another thread, I still prefer the Arcam 73 over every setup I encountered at Can Jam or in a hifi store. I tried the RS-1 and HF2 on a lot of them and heard some other phones in multiple places too. I doubt I'll be changing anything in my setup. Maybe try to find a better solid state amp that I could take with me on trips, but that's about it. 

 

[zotjen]

I still use a CD player. Personally, I don't see the need for a DAC as long as you have a quality CD player.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Me too. I mostly use a Marantz SA8001 I bought a few years back. Works great and its measurements are still impeccable. I have to have it because I've got a ton of SACDs.

I also have a nice DVD-A player, and am not a die-hard for any particular format. I also have a cassette deck, HD radio, FM receiver, AM/shortwave receiver, DAC, and a turntable. I've flirted with reel, but would like to have a dedicated 78 table (Rega makes a nice one) and have plans for a DIY cylinder player. I don't know if I'd ever get around to building one, but it would be fun to rip some cylinders and make them available. (Copyrights are over for them now.)

 

[priest]

I use the Sony SCD-XA5400ES, which sounds simply stunning to me and is probably my favorite piece of audio equipment. I also use it as a transport to feed standalone DACs. But my favorite configuration is probably just using the Sony and a headphone amp.

 

[Audio-Omega]

I have been using Sony SCD-XA3000ES in the last few years.  The next upgrade will be another CD player, it might be another Sony, probably the XA-5400ES.  I bought my first SACD yesterday.  

 

[Buyer no 1]

Occasionally I still use my rather old SAT CDFIX cd-player, but mostly the PC is the source. The PC + DAC solution allows for hi-rez files, which is not an option with a cd-player. (Not that I have a lot hi-rez music, though

)
 
And then there's the matter of convenience - I must admit, that having the entire music collection only a click away is quite addictive