The bigger culprits in the besmirching of the CD’s reputation were those youĬouldn’t see: Low quality digital audio converters (DACs) with underpoweredĬhipsets, mass-produced connectors in the signal path, and chassis made fromĬheap materials. The establishment of the so-called CD-quality digital audio specification of 16īits and 44.1 kilohertz have something to do with the reduction in quality?Īudiophiles would say yes, and they have a point. The CD could and will conceivably last forever. Quality if not handled properly, and the cassette? Well, the cassette was still the cassette,ĭegrading in quality with every single play. Hit. The rub was that over time the LP would degrade in Convenience carried the day, but sound quality took a Warmth and the brittleness of the sound was obvious if you compared the sameĪlbum in the two formats. There was definitely a tradeoff in audio quality from LPs to CDs. You couldīuy CD players for a song in the grocery store. Manufacturers rushed their designs for CD players to the marketplace. TheĬonvenience and ease of handling was a huge timesaver. Introduced, you recall well the tremendous impact that new format had. If you were a music-buying consumer when CDs were This doesn’t change the fact that music fansĬontinue to buy CDs to the tune of nearly 50 million units per year (46.6

Lead on sales against the Compact Disc for the first time in 30 years. LP’s have made a huge comeback and in 2021 finally regained the The resurgence of vinyl and the latest high-resolution online music streaming

That mean that the CD format is dead? After all, the buzz is much more about You’re of a certain age or younger, it’s likely that you’ve never held a CD (Compactĭisc, to the youngsters) in your hands, and probably even more likely that you don't have a CD player in your home.

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