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Is there an end in sight for expensive CD players?

195.8.189.162

Posted by Stingray1972 on March 16, 2007 at 04:27:15

Hi to all at the asylum

Being a long time audio enthusiast/musician, I am now operating as a producer/recording engineer and have a load of new equipment to play with. I use my existing hi-fi gear to complement my recording stuff and have an Audio Note set up which is great for treating the final 2-channel mix using mastering software.
I have been uploading my favourite recordings and analysing them on Wavelab 5 then listening to the uploaded tracks on my laptop through a Tascam soundcard into my Audio Note amp and speakers.
After listening and really enjoying what was coming out of my laptop I decided to test my CD player (Teac VRDS25) against the laptop and soundcard.
I was astonished to notice very little difference in fidelity between the two which begged the question 'how much better can CD get now'?
If a cheap transport through a £110 sound card can be competitive against a CD player in the region of £1000, then for how much longer can these companies successfully market and sell players in this price bracket and possibly beyond?

I was really surprised as 10-15 years ago, there were huge differences between inexpensive and mid to high end offerings - it seems to me like the gap is closing at quite a rate.

Has anyone else experienced similar findings with a laptop and a decent sound card?

Thanks

Dave

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