hi-fi+ Global Network Magazine

To get at least three completely different opinions on something, ask two audiophiles. In every aspect of audio performance, there’s always someone ready and willing to take the contrarian view, and argue it at length. We’ve had audio enthusiasts fight over the superiority of tubes over solid-state, LP vs CD, CD vs SACD, horns vs panels vs convenctional box loudspeakers, and so on. There are those for whom the last 60 years of audio have become progressively worse, and there are those who think we are living in an ever-improving Golden Age of audio.

Arguably the most productive of these pitched battles is the ‘what’s next’ discussion in digital audio. Interestingly, it’s rarely about ‘what’s next’ and more about ‘whatever happened to...’ With the rise of downloaded and then streamed music, most people moved away from physical digital formats. The arguments over what should I do to replace CD helped start the vinyl revival and the tape revival long before many people had put away their CDs. Even saying ‘put away their CDs’ invites angst, as some still think music streaming is just a fad and the future of digital was, is, and always will be CD-shaped.

If you are still collecting CDs today, maybe it’s time to think about that last, best player... before it’s too late. CD’s time is not up yet, but the clock is ticking.