Home  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

Enjoy the Music.com

Issue 114    August 2014
These Are Interesting Times
Editorial By Alan Sircom

 

Hi-Fi+ Issue 114 August 2014  The sense of inevitability is palpable. On the one hand, we are beginning to see albums appearing (especially in the classical world) that are only issued as downloads. On the other, there are inklings of the start of a move back to physical disc playing. Whether either or both of these events is the start of a trend remains to be seen, but what's clear is music replay still lives in 'interesting' times.

This dichotomy can be resolved by converting the downloaded recording to a format your disc player can support, and burning the music files to CD-R. Intellectually, this offers good and bad. It removes the computer to a place beyond the audio system (which appeals to some) and keeps the music collection in disc form (which appeals to others). However, the potential longevity of CD-R is called into question, both in terms of the life-expectancy of an individual burned CD-R, and just how long this will continue to be supported by a computer industry that is seemingly intent on consigning magneto-optical disc to the Great Parts Bin in the Sky. It also feels like a stop-gap solution, somehow.

I suspect this is why we are still seeing a few 'tweener' products that support disc and download with equal aplomb, such as the Cocktail Audio X30 and in particularly the Cyrus Lyric 09 reviewed in this issue. The latter takes an 'it's all good' approach to music replay (with the exception of DSD), where the sound quality is of a good and consistent quality, regardless whether the music comes from a disc played through its transport mechanism, or via a downloaded file played through either its direct or networked connections.

This will resolve itself in time, and I fear that resolution will leave those seeking physical disc replay hard done by. Unlike vinyl, the infrastructure of CD disc manufacture and replay cannot be replicated ad hoc; something as fundamental as the laser eye demands economies of scale, and isn't the sort of thing that can be fabricated in a machine shop. There are already manufacturers with stock-piles of discontinued CD transports for their current players, because those classic 'mechs' cannot be improved upon with the limited pool of 2014's OEM devices.

I have said this before, but it's worth reiterating: I take a pragmatic line here. Even if you have no interest in playing computer audio-based music now, keep your options open and start ripping discs to computer. That way, if the future does end up entirely disc-less, you are not left locked out of your own collection. Fortunately, it seems that day is a little further in the future than it first seemed.

 


Alan Sircom, Editor Hi-Fi+

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.