[Laundrew]

I was recently visiting the Esoteric website and reviewing some product information with respect to the Esoteric K-03 SACD player; a very impressive machine indeed and I certainly look forward to giving it an audition. I could not help but think of my many little rituals [idiosyncrasies] associated with my compact disks before I light the incense, dim the lights and press the play button.

The anticipation starts when I visit a Brick and Mortar music store or begin an online search to add more dark content to my music collection.  I will also admit that I am one to judge a band by its album art at times; ironically, I am rewarded by a very high success rate in locating great music by previously unknown bands. Once at home, the album art is studied in great detail after I have carefully removed the plastic wrapping and insuring that the jewel case was not marred in any way. The corporeal interface with the jewel case is also somewhat comforting; I can feel my purchase and it is real. Next comes the removal of the most horrible, security seals that they place on the edge of the jewel case. For some enigmatic reason, a few manufacturers have employed 3 of these bothersome edge seals; heaven help me.

Next comes the lyrics, I absorb them and try to imagine how the music will enhance the poetry contained within these pages. This is also a great time to see photos of the band, bio’s and other art included. The CD is then carefully placed into the player after ensuring that no damage is present on the CD’s playing surface.

                                              I eagerly anticipate the journey and press the play button.       

I cannot help but wonder if a diminutive, cold sterility will seep into my psychic when most of the music I enjoy will be downloaded from the Internet. Yes, I do understand that we are all in it for the enjoyment of our music, but I believe that we will also lose something in this process; there is so much to be said about actually holding a record or CD in your hand. Perhaps I am old-fashion or even outdated, but I prefer a real book in hand to that of a cold and dead, electronic book tablet. 

While Mrs. Laundrew is leaning towards a BDP and the benefit of having all of her music at her finger tips; I still enjoy the selection process of  “thumbing” through my compact disks and hearing the distinctive “clicks” of the jewel cases interacting with each other.

Be well…   

[konut]

I'm guessing we are the only earthly animal that can associate an aural experience with a visual cues of art and language. Being prisners of habit, repeated expose to pleasurable combinations of senses condition us to reflexive behaviours like Pavlovs' dogs.
       I've noticed that I didn't really conform to, what seems, an almost universal need by most audiophiles for the tactile and visual  stimulation provided by album art and lyric sheets. Instead I tended to focus more on the people around me, the state of my life, and the situations I found myself in when first listening to an album or CD. These cues provide me with the context of whatever is playing.

[Elizabeth]

I do also will sometimes try an artist because of the cover art. And agree usually i enjoy the music.
I am suprised you do not enjoy playing records Laundrew.
They really offer the most in physicality.I really prefer the Lp cover to a little Cd booklet.
The ritual of cleaning an LP, (even if just with a Carbon fiber brush, and setting the Lp on the platter, etc. Then turning it over. Really makes it a more real experience to me.
i usually put five CDs in and just play them. But with Lps, each side is an experience.

[skunark]

Since I have ripped my entire CD collection it has been a little more difficult to walk up a flight of stairs, down the hallway, to the spare room, at the furthest point away from the cd player to search for an album.   Even though the magic has been lost with my CDs, I have found a new love for my records as they have residence in the bookshelf adjacent to my gear.   I will say that fiction is safe but the movies are next to be relocated.   The digital age has already caused several reference and work related books to disappear, but in the end I don't think the magic is lost, just altered. 

Jim

[Laundrew]

'...I am suprised you do not enjoy playing records Laundrew..."

Greetings Elizabeth 

As I am still a newbie in audio, I have being looking into turntables now and then. Personally, I believe that the turntable is the ultimate form of musical enjoyment both in performance and aesthetics. With a TT, you see the living machine in action while it plays your music. In my compact disk player, after the CD is ingested, clamped and the light goes out, you see nothing. I do purchase a LP from time to time in anticipation of one day owing a TT.

Be well…

[werd]

     

I cannot help but wonder if a diminutive, cold sterility will seep into my psychic when most of the music I enjoy will be downloaded from the Internet. Yes, I do understand that we are all in it for the enjoyment of our music, but I believe that we will also lose something in this process; there is so much to be said about actually holding a record or CD in your hand. Perhaps I am old-fashion or even outdated, but I prefer a real book in hand to that of a cold and dead, electronic book tablet. 

While Mrs. Laundrew is leaning towards a BDP and the benefit of having all of her music at her finger tips; I still enjoy the selection process of  “thumbing” through my compact disks and hearing the distinctive “clicks” of the jewel cases interacting with each other.

Be well…   

Nah....  its better

[Napalm]

Werd. Imagine how it will be without cables. When all your components will be streaming their signals via radio waves.

A world without cables! 

[Diamond Dog]

I do also will sometimes try an artist because of the cover art. And agree usually i enjoy the music.
I am suprised you do not enjoy playing records Laundrew.
They really offer the most in physicality.I really prefer the Lp cover to a little Cd booklet.
The ritual of cleaning an LP, (even if just with a Carbon fiber brush, and setting the Lp on the platter, etc. Then turning it over. Really makes it a more real experience to me.
i usually put five CDs in and just play them. But with Lps, each side is an experience.

Funny how ritual infuses even the most mundane aspects of our everyday lives with meaning whether it be the way we order our morning routine or how we approach the food on our plates or the tactile and visual rituals involved in listening to our favorite music.So much ritual for modern people who consider themselves so removed from the heavily-ritualized societies which preceded us.
I've gone through vinyl, tapes and CD's as formats came and went - soon I'll be forced into digital downloads as the CD format slips away. Each format has its ritualistic touchstones that become a part of the listening experience - the cleaning of the vinyl before use is a great example with the whole tubes thing as another.. You sacrificed the beauty and information-carrying capabilities of the LP sleeve to get the convenience and portability of the tapes and eventually cds which also added digital sound quality . I loved album artwork but because of my nature I loathed the popping, clicking, warping and scratching of LPs so I gravitated to CD quite readily. I had to trade off the LP jackets for the crappy, hard-to-read CD inserts to get the convenience and cleaner sound of CD but I do miss 'em... I think losing the ritual involved in listening to music in the way in which we've become acccustomed is one of the main causes of the reluctance we feel to give up a format. Its an anchor for us. Laundrew's mention of the transitioning for readers from the ancient ritual of book-reading to electronic tablets is an epic example of this collision between time-honoured ritual and technological "advancement" where the ritual has developed and strengthened for centuries, let alone the comparatively short time we've had with various audio formats.

D.D.   

[niels]

Once you get your MBP, rip your music, and play it back you will get over it. I stored my music on the computer 4 years ago, put the cd`s in boxes in the basement and havent looked back once.
A tip, get an Apple Mini as your new cd player/storage device, and plug it into your dac, dont use wireless.
And indeed, get a turntable....

[Stu Pitt]

I used to think I'd miss the tactile experience of CDs.  After ripping my entire collection and using an Apple TV gen 1, I don't miss it.  I have my CDs stored in an easily accessible place in the front of the basement where I can pull them out any time.  Honestly haven't done that yet.

However, I still buy CDs.  I still enjoy looking for them or going to the store on Tuesday for the new release.  I still enjoy opening it up and going through the notes and other goodies.   I don't have the patience to wait to get it home to listen to it on the main system, so I immediately play it in my car.  It's about the music afterall, not about hearing it on the best system possible the first time I hear it.

With all that's been said, I highly doubt CDs are going anywhere anytime soon.  Granted, stores that carry them are fewer and fewer, and the ones that do have less and less.  The only thing that'll change for a long time is where we buy them from.  Too many people have CD or other disc players.  Too many musicians are truly artists who actually care about the whole product and not just the sound.  There's a reason why the albums have titles, the cover art, and the liner notes.

Maybe in the future this stuff will only be available directly from the artists. Not sure.  But I highly doubt physical media will be totally obsolete within my lifetime.  I'm 34, so hopefully I've got a good amount of time left. 

[PRELUDE]

About 2 years ago I had a co worker came to my house to listen to my system and the first thing he asked me was,where is you music rack? I gave him a smile and pointed one of the bed rooms at the end of the living room and told him,they all there.He goes like this,why you do not put them here beside your system?I told him no space for it and showed him the room.No more question.
Right now I have about close to 4000 cd's and I am buying from 10 to 25 every month so the number is geting larger.He told me that I am crazy and if he was me, he would put them in the hard drive and sell all the cds.
So, you can call me crazy if it makes you happy but remember that for me your ipod is nothing but the best radio.By saying this I do not mean the quality but it plays everything that I want to listen to when I am faraway.

[Laundrew]

So, you can call me crazy if it makes you happy but remember that for me your ipod is nothing but the best radio.By saying this I do not mean the quality but it plays everything that I want to listen to when I am faraway.

So true PRELUDE 

Mrs Laundrew purchased a new iPod for me at Christmas. I used to have a 8GB Nano but it died when I dropped it one day. The new iPod can hold 160GB and I have over 20GB of my Gothic music loaded up in it. My iPod gets used during my daily commute to work and as my Corolla only has a cassette tape deck/radio, I have to use a cassette interface.

But you are right, it’s the best Gothic radio station around 

Be well…

[Napalm]

. My iPod gets used during my daily commute to work and as my Corolla only has a cassette tape deck/radio, I have to use a cassette interface.

C'mon. Check the thrift shops around, you may score a good double-tape deck for something like $15. You won't believe how good a well recorded tape can sound (when compared to radio).

Nap.

[Laundrew]

C'mon. Check the thrift shops around, you may score a good double-tape deck for something like $15. You won't believe how good a well recorded tape can sound (when compared to radio).

Nap.

Modify my 1999 soon to be 400,000 km Corolla    Are you insane Nap - this would definitely decrease its over all value if it is no longer original. keep this up and I will expect that you will start purchasing very expensive audio cables and upgrade your SACD player.

 

Be well...

[Napalm]

Modify my 1999 soon to be 400,000 km Corolla    Are you insane Nap - this would definitely decrease its over all value if it is no longer original. keep this up and I will expect that you will start purchasing very expensive audio cables and upgrade your SACD player.

 

Be well...

I'm suggesting that you get one of those tape decks for *home* use like in recording your favorite CDs on cassette tapes then using the tapes in the car. They sound way better than the adapter.

Nap.

[skunark]

If your car has CD-changer controls you can add an adapter to connect iPod (30-pin connector and charges) or other MP3 players (RCA).  For the iPod connection, the cd changer controls will control it.   USA*SPEC is one brand that supports the '99 corolla for around ~150.  No modifications necessary, just installation and routing of a cable.  This would probably double the value of your car.

[Laundrew]

This would probably double the value of your car.

Double? I was thinking it would most likely triple its value 

Be well....