I guess the charm of physical equipments is more engaging that the digital music we get on streaming services. I loved the episodes done on vinyl records, and I have never owned one. The love for music is what keeps bringing back to this channel for already watched episodes
But if the Evo 150 dies, or Cambridge Audio decide not to continue with the Evo connection, doesn’t that make your Evo CD player with only that one proprietary connection useless?
Yeah, and it pretty much guarantees a fair number of these will hit landfill in fully working condition. I test electrics for a charity (thrift) shop and I've lost count of the number of such orphaned components I've seen rendered useless without their parent system or cables
Agreed. Streaming pays just about nothing. And plenty of new artists put out cd's. If by chance one on Bandcamp doesn't, I'll buy the download wav file and burn my own on a high quality disc. Either way, you are supporting the artist much more than streaming.
Ludicrously overpriced. it’s an off-the-shelf disc mechanism (cost €5 max), stuck inside a case with a PSU and no DAC or display. So maybe €50 tops to make it.
For me, the reason to buy CDs is one of control. I pay my money, I get something, it's mine. I can enjoy that music long after all the streaming services have grown tired of it or have remastered it to sound like "the sound of today". If you only stream, what do you do when the company gets bought out by somebody else and doesn't think your music is important any more? What do you do when the company jacks up prices just because it can? Am I missing something here?
All good points. I’ve continued to buy CDs for similar reasons. I can’t say how many times I’ve opened my iTunes to find things I’ve bought aren’t available. Particularly on soundtracks when the licensing agreements run out. I own a cd and I own that music.
It's just a case of different mindsets and it doesn't mean anyone's wrong. For those who stream they don't care about the concept of 'ownership' of that music. They pay for a service getting them access to more music than they could ever listen to for less than the price of a new CD a month. They see no reason to expect massive price hikes or mass removal of music. If you need to know with certainty that you'll still be able to play x mastering of such and such a song 30 years after you first listened to it then you've clearly made the right decision for you. I grew up with physical music and can't imagine not buying physical music... but if I was a teenager starting out now I think I'd be enjoying streaming and not worrying about how I was going to listen to music decades down the line.
I love CDs too, but e1200 for a transport that only works with the matching streamer?! Can’t imagine they’ll sell many of these. And if you’ve got the CD case in your hand why do you need the art on the screen?
I have a large CD collection (+5000) and I am still much in love with the format. Because of that I have several CD players, plus a couple of transports and dacs. Recently the purchase of a Audiolab 9000CDT stepped up the game considerably. What a wonderful machine! I invite you to try one, John. The Cambridge must be great but only for those who already got or are interested in the partnering amp/dac. The meta data thing is indeed a great thing to have :) Cheers from Portugal :)
No. It's not. It's $1200. If you're going to keep CD alive, you've got to appeal to younger demographics. What CD has going for it is that it's cheap. Cheaper than vinyl, (SOUNDS BETTER THAN VINYL), and compatible with stuff we already own.
At 41 I got my first midi system in '92 and now have over 2000 CDs. I also love streaming. I love hearing a song out and about, finding it on Spotify and adding it to my "listen to this" playlist. The sad thing is, at least 10 of the songs on this playlist are shadowed out, no longer available. This never happens with physical media.
I'm 42 and I have never bought as many CDs in my life as I have today... I use streaming services, I use DACs and DAPs, but as you said, there is no experience like the "ritual" of playing CDs (or vinyls as well)... I'll keep buying them for as long as they exist...
John, I'm like you being of an era where CD playback was our 'vinyl' experience -- that's totally our nostalgic way of consuming music! I still have nearly every CD I ever bought and I spin them on the regular. I appreciate the ethos behind wonderful videos like this. Thanks for keeping CDs shiny, John! 🙌🏻
Nice! I still buy tons of CDs, mainly from Japan. I think the Japanese do a pretty good job of keeping physical media relevant, as many of their releases include bonuses, like blu-rays/DVDs of concerts, that you can't get otherwise. Plus it's a far better way of supporting the bands/artists than streaming will ever be.
I have a CD player that is so old it doesn't have a remote. The ritual of inserting the disk, programming tracks or just listening to the entire disk without skipping, is an experience many youngsters just wouldn't understand. For me it's what makes listening real, like attending a recital.
The thing is about the CD's and streaming is that yes a CD is real "private" and it's the feeling you get with holding a CD in your hand, real media. I noticed that streaming sounds like a good idea but a lot of tracks are not available. Even the sometimes known music could not be found on most streaming platforms.
I hate the idea of a monthly subscription for streaming with no ownership. You could pay for years, then when you stop paying you have no music. It's a con. "But you have so much choice." It may be useful if you're a reviewer, or always looking for new bands, but most people I know listen to the same selection of artists.
Seems more like an optional add-on for the amp, than a standalone transport to me. I think that we will see some very interesting standalone transports and cd players emerge too in the coming years, as CD listening seems to have a rivival like records did earlier.
What is the point of buying a CD to stop internet tracking only for the Evo 150 to go and advertise on the internet what it is and what it is doing and where (via IP) in the guise of pulling down the track detail from a database when all the info is embedded on the CD anyway or in the booklet inside the jewel case.
Thank you for taking the time to discuss CDs, CD/record stores, and CD players. Over the years you’ve inspired me to reinvest in the format, and I have really enjoyed the journey. I have been able to buy a lot more music because of the vast price difference between CDs and records in today’s new and used market. My town, Knoxville, Tenn, has many great little music shops that are practically tripping over CDs. I bought a Marantz Model 30 and 30n combo over a year ago, and CDs sound better than I ever remember as a kid. I think this Cambridge combo would be just as lovely for somebody looking for a fairly complete 2-box matching system like my Marantz. Cheers.
Hi, nice presentation, but what I cannot realize is why in the world should I spend 1200 euro to stream a cd to a dac when I can rip the cd in any pc and put the files ripped in my nas at no cost at all.
Because if you already had a large CD collection there's no way you're sitting there ripping 400 CDs, and also you want to see the cover and maybe look at the foldout booklet etc. There's something special about putting on a record, and this goes to CDs also for some. Owning that music is gold. Also the space between swapping CDs and choosing another is like a 'theatrical break'. Apposed to instant no gaps queues and streams. It doesn't compare. A Nas you also have to keep running 24/7 and not every has or cares for this
Well, no need for a NAS (costs), perhaps better sound (as he mentioned), and the whole process of handling a CD (as I like to do). But you can do that cheaper without the whole meta data display.
I really like that you are not just an audiophile but a true music lover… I am sure it would be awesome to sit with you and spin discs… I so miss doing that with my friends back in the States…
I don’t see myself needing anything besides, my OPPO 205, which plays CDs, SACD, DVD-Audio, DSD and other high-resolution files, DVDs, Blu-ray, Blu-ray Audio, CD-R, and recordable DVD-R and not to mention 4K discs, 7.1 output and HDMI input and it happens to sound fantastic as well. i’m good
So this is simply a “proprietary” co-ax connection with an amp that finds the album cover you are holding in your hand. I can see why they sell it but I can’t see why anyone would buy it.
And after the premature death of my Cambridge Audio DAC Magic (which I loved), I have serious concerns as to the longevity and reliability of CA products.
I was wondering why I wasn't listening to music anymore and thought it might be the listening experience of streaming, that it lost an essential magic in the process. Bought a CD player and voila, playing whole albums again, loving music. It helps that CD's sound better.
I'd go with the cheap Blu-Ray player, for 1/5th the price. Output via Coax to my pre-amp's DAC, and the music sounds great. We don't need $1000 CD transports.
I will go on record to say that I’m simple happy to see companies continuing to put out CD players and still innovating in regards to CDs. I truly believe Cds will slowly go through a growth or rebirth period over the next decade.
Sorry John, this fails on what I want from a CD player/transport It needs to be connected to the internet so you’re stuck if it goes down, plus you lose that privacy you mentioned when it downloads the album art and data Whoopie do it displays the album art on a tiny screen 8ft away when I have that in my hand from when I took the disc from the case to play it Totally agree with you on the advantages of cd though and how the mix is really the most important part of a music presentation
I have a dvd player hooked up to my TV with the HDMI cable, and it does exactly the same thing. When you put in a CD, It gives you the album art and song names, among other things, except instead of displaying it on a tiny screen, it displays it on your giant TV screen.
As a Japanese Tea Ceremony practitioner and audiophile, I can really relate to your explanation of why you love playing CDs. If only CD transport/player designers could learn a little from tea ceremony. There is nothing zen about a cheap plastic tray, slot loaders or very light lids that slam shut. One reason why the EVO CD and the Pro-ject CD Box RS2 T might sound the same is that they are using the same mechanism from the same company but just that one is the tray version and the other is the top loader.
I'd rather have a music CD and a movie DVD than a streaming subscription any day. I'm baby boomer and I want to keep my CD/DVDs, the music sound much better.
This is cool but I have a question. How does it function when internet is lost? Recently my internet was down for 2 days when a fiber line was cut. Roon no longer worked because it has to verify my account license and I could not get my Bluesound to re-establish a connection to my NAS folders. I could have tried a few more things to get the Node working but I just grabbed some CDs and chilled.
At €1200, it should include at least one Toslink, digital coax, and/or AES3 output. Some people may want to upgrade other components in their system at some point...
I agree with the whole "the version of the album available on streaming, if it even exists, may be a different mastering / track list than the version I remember and want to listen to." But half the reason why I rip my own CDs to FLAC is to set the metadata to _exactly_ what I want it to be in my collection. If I ever get around to buying a dedicated CD player, I actually don't want it to give me online metadata.
Will or can streaming music service companies add tag/label "master" music album, so subscribers can distinguish them easily ? I remember Apple did a good job with "master" in their album list for users to purchase
since 1983 i have only purchased cds including dvd-a, sacd, and blu ray audio. the only lps i have acquired are for wall art. now is the time to buy used cd's as people are giving them away at donation places and yard sales. last year i got 225 cds for $10. in most instances a 40 year old cd will have stood the test of time over its lp counterpart.
I have a ton of CD/vinyl that are not available on any streaming service I’m aware of. I’ve purchased CD’s since they were first available and I continue to buy them now.
Hi John, if you were able to keep playing your vinyl, but had to choose between also keeping your CDs or your streaming services, which would you go for? Great fun video, and some nice albums and tracks to discover as always, many thanks
Regarding your comments about comparing older version of recordings to newer remastered versions, I agree that the differences can be significant. I am so happy that I have the older versions on CD to listen to.
My main reasons for buying cds or vinyls, in addition to the ones you've said are: I have vinyl from my father and my grandfather (not vinyl but shellac), I refuse to leave my son a playlist. My other reason is something that happened to me the other day, I wanted to listen to a song from the 90s...I couldn't remember the artist or the title, just vaguely the cover...impossible to search on tidal, it only took me a minute to find it among my collection of old cds.
By the way, it's incredible how two people of different ages (I'm older than you) and born in different countries can listen to the same music, mostly electronic and now PG, James (same original editions)...I've seen my cds and vinyls at different times. long many videos of yours which makes me envy you every time you show a rare limited edition...
Yeah, a playlist isn't much of a legacy-I agree, maybe that's just a generational thing though. We grew up with hifi systems not smartphones and earbuds. Also, back in the day music was a destination now it's been reduced to wallpaper.
So this video is a nearly 18 minute ad for a $1200 CD player designed to work with a similarly-expensive amp. But it only ever felt like you were selling me on CDs as a medium (which, believe me, I've been sold on them for 30+ years). At no point did I hear of any killer features that justified spending 100x more than a CD-playing Walkman I could pick up at a thrift shop. One of the joys of CDs vs. tapes or vinyl is that you don't need to be concerned about the quality of the reader - it's incredibly easy to get a 100% perfect signal off any (undamaged) disc. There is no need to spend this kind of money for this function.
Sometimes the diff between stream and cd is only a slight diff in gain. I rip my own cd's and stream the flacs from my PC, I like the control I have over the tagging and I too prefer specific albums over what turns up on streaming services, but for me £1,200 is a crazy amount of money, just get a £50 transport and stand the cd up on your amp for the artwork 😉
By buying a nas drive for your home and its own hard drives, and by buying a perpetual software license called plex, it is easier to use your own flac files and, for example, drive in your own car using your apple car player that works through your phone, or wherever you want the music to play.
Eh, call me old-fashioned but I think I'd rather have a CD player that doesn't require an Internet connection for functionality as a CD player. I don't need a screen showing me the cover art.
When this was first announced I thought it might be an option to replace my ageing Marantz CD 12a transport , the drawer of which had failed. The idea that I use it as a modern transport into my still great sounding cd12a dac. As you’ve now explained, it can’t be used with an existing dac, in that there’s no “conventional “ digital out ie coax or toslink. If I’ve understood it correctly, they’ve limited the sales of this cd player to owners of the matching Cambridge amp , as that’s all it’s compatible with ?. Good result in the end, I managed to find someone to service my transport, so a new set of belts and a good helping of skill and experience managed to get it going again. Love the channel , try to never miss an episode 👍
Physical media is great as a storage medium. But with all of them I rip them in high quality and organise them digitally. All the benefits of CD with none of the awkward downsides
Thank you for this video. I also enjoyed your video about your 15 reasons why you still buy CDs. That made me search my 11 years old CD player (Denon DCD-710AE). I connected it with an analog cable to the AUX input of my KEF LS50 Wireless II and listened to my old CDs - and guess what: I loved it. I agree totally that listening to a CD is a different feeling. It became a kind of a ritual to me and made me buy new CDs. So thank you for your contribution.
so we are to believe that the DAC in the EVO 150 produces a different sound when processing the ripped CD from a local server and when streaming the same bits from the CD itself via the EVO CD? that doesn't make any sense. at any rate, great video - these look like really nice components!
Love my Evo 150 & Evo CD transport. Enjoy the convenience of streaming, especially to check out, new to me, tracks and artists. But still enjoy buying and listening to CDs and vinyl for the ownership of the physical format. Love the channel.
About loading a CD (from my memory): “I don’t know why I enjoy this but I know that I do enjoy it.” That is my exact feeling, I just enjoy loading a CD.
A subscription to a streaming service makes you a slave, vulnerable to the vagaries and whims of the providers who only care about stealing your money and couldn’t give two shits about rare or vanishing audio. God bless the “collector” who is the most trustworthy curator of the rare because of his love for it. This is true of any medium. I have many vinyl LPs, for example, which are long out of print and never commercially transferred to CD. Besides the fact that CDs provide incorruptible, permanent ownership of niche music and audio recordings-along with printed cover art and liner notes!-which may be out-of-print or otherwise unavailable on streaming services, CDs offer LOSSLESS AUDIO, outclassing any other audio format. For these reasons, I will always go the CD route whenever possible and cherish and protect my vinyl and CD collections.
Hang on a minute. If the evo 150 is doing all the heavy lifting, then the evo cd is just a dumb transport with a digital out disguised as a stereo mini jack. I'm waiting to get my mind blown as to why it would be $1200 quid !! This is just pure audiophile f*^kery !!!
I'm a bit confused now. In the intro, you mentioned that privacy is one of the advantages of CD over streaming. But with the EVO 150 pulling info from the internet, that privacy isn't guaranteed anymore, or am I mistaken? Anyhow, it's a very interesting concept, if you go for a full overhaul of your system, or you need a new one.
I've gone back to CD's because I can buy a used disc for less than a lossless digital download. I can't get behind the idea of renting music. Also, the ability to find the original mastering is huge for me. 99% of the time, remasters sound worse.
^^ THIS! The stable platter Pioneer Elite players are better than anything made prior or after them. If I want to play a CD, that would be my go-to. These days my entire collection is ripped and served up on a NAS, so the Pioneer Elite CD doesn't see much action. People still listen to streaming services?
I just want a CD player OFFLINE. A thousand bucks for a cd player that needs to log to the internet and also doesn't have any other output lines it's a HARD NOPE!
You're not the target market. It doesn't need to log on to the internet to play CDs. It's designed to compliment the EVO. I'm not sure why people are struggling to grasp this.
I like the concept for the reasons you stated. My only complaint is that this eliminates the possibility of using the transport with any other type of system. I think having both options would be better from both a customer view point and a sales viewpoint.
Great video, the Cambridge isn’t for me but I get and appreciate the idea of a physical piece of media and all that comes with it. The deliberate action of searching for a cd in a shop, the physicality of unpacking and loading, the anticipation of playing something one has been waiting for and the ‘ceremony’ of loading and enjoying the music feels more special. We are lucky to live in an age of streaming, the unbelievable access to such enormous collections of music but it just doesn’t seem as indulgent and satisfying as physical media.
I've bought more CDs in the last five years than i have in my entire life. The most I've paid is $4.00 each. Vinyl prices have become unrealistic, its put on such a strain on my wallet that i have had to give up.
Since buying the Cambridge Audio CXNv2 I've put cd listening on the back burner. Sadly though Tidal has removed certain albums that have completely mucked up particular band specific playlists. Scritti Politti's Songs to Remember is one case. This is a pain in the neck in the car as I only have Android Auto to feed Tidal via my phone. At home thankfully I have the cd.
My SONY BDP-CX7000ES Blu-Ray charger with the capacity of 400 disks from 2010, is capable of retrieving CD, DVD & Blu-Ray disk info from the Internet and then saving it. The info can be displayed as a text or through GUI via HDMI output and then used to initiate disc play. I repeat, this is from 2010 and has capacity of 400 discs. Take that Cambridge Audio!
I'm sure I said this before. But you can pay and pay for a streaming service and tomorrow they can go dark and all that money you gave them is gone. But when I give them all that money when I buy CD's . The store can close and I still have every CD I bought for ever. I did this / I do this. When I bought a vinyl album now a CD. I play the physical album twice once when I get it home then I would listen again when I would copy the vinyl LP I recorded it to a cassette. But now with CD's I listen to them first then again when I rip to a hard drive. But I still have the album if I want to play the physical album / CD or there's a new sound format and I need to re-rip I can just take them off the shelf. I also I don't need music every were I go but with me ripping everything I can have a good chunk. Other wise I can just wait till I get home. I won't fall apart if I can't listen to some bull shit song from these talentless popular acts.
I second that! Still using classic iPods for all my audio needs. Perfectly imperfect little devices. All about the content, the portability, and the intimacy of a device unconnected to the internet. Darko, what are your thoughts?
Great review! CD's still sound the best, streaming as great..but not there yet in sound quality. I did a side by side comparison same album, same volume CD vs streaming Qobuz - which I like.. but still heard and noticed the difference quickly.
Maybe I am not quite getting the benefit of this player? So, it's only Fully Functional when hooked up with a proprietary cable to two models of a Cambridge Audio integrated amp? And this is to get a display of the Album's Cover Art from the Internet? Shouldn't you already have the Cover Art and Liner Notes in your hand that you used to open the Jewel Box that your CD came in? Just asking for a friend.
On my setup, sound quality is far superior with CDs compared to streaming. I have a NAD cd-player with an optical cable into my denon receiver, and I compare that to tidal playing through the heos app which integrated into the denon receiver. Should be on equal terms there, using the same DAC, but still, CDs sound far superior. Is it just me? Or is the streaming not on equal connection terms here?
I also enjoy playing my cd collection with good hi fi. No one can charge me every time I play a disc, love it. I notice the sound right away is more accurate with CD than streaming. I own so so many cds so it makes a lot of sense to play them. I use a Cambridge audio CXC transport fed into a pretty good preamp. Great video!
"The computational muscle of the streaming amp...." is being used here to give an approximation of the material you already have included with the CD itself, yeah? This seems a little strange. I also wonder how much better - if at all - does the music sound coming from the $1200.00 Cambridge CD transport through the $3000.00 EVO amp compared to a $50.00 DVD player going into the same amp?
Interesting, and I'm sure you are right about this being the future. However, I love CDs so much, and one of the main things that appeals to me is that there is no reliance upon the internet; playing a CD to me is a mechanical experience. I noticed the typical very slight pause after you pressed the controls on the unit, which says to me "streaming", unfortunately... I know it makes little sense, but a CD player does stuff as you press the switch... also, and probably the main thing apart from sound quality, is that playing a CD forces me to hold the case in my hand and study the printed material to get my info! So I'm not interested in this development as such but nonetheless a fascinating feature, thanks
Another fantastic chat John, and it does look like Cambridge Audio are onto something. It would be great to see more pairings like this, where the transport just supplies the code and the streamer supplies everything else. Fingers crossed anyway!
I too can't understand why this should be a closed system ONLY. I wouldn't invest in it knowing that the only way I could use it would be with the Cambridge integrated. A little more flexibility offering a digital output also that would work on a high quality DAC would make the cost a little more palatable.
OK the big question I have with this, is that it goes to the internet to download track/artist info. So if at a particular time/place I do not have internet, or, if I've made a self recorded/compilation CD?
Not the information it downloads and displays, obviously... You need the information on local storage for that - like files ripped to computer hard drive with the album art added at the time of ripping (typically automatic with many ripping apps). ;)
Super video as always! I buy into CD playback as I still like having a 'collection' - part of my identity since my teens - and like the EVO CD's addition of digital cover art to enhance the physical music media playback.. can the EVO Amp pipe said cover art to a bigger screen, I wonder? Thanks for all your excellent work! James
Does anyone else watch these just for the music recommendations? I can't afford any of the equipment but I can buy the odd CD every month 😂
Me too! John is my main source of new and old music!
I guess the charm of physical equipments is more engaging that the digital music we get on streaming services. I loved the episodes done on vinyl records, and I have never owned one. The love for music is what keeps bringing back to this channel for already watched episodes
Actually yes! Though i did buy a set of KEF LSX’s after seeing them here
I can afford the equipment but have never been convinced it's worth the money.
I didn’t listen to any of the stuff JD does, but now I’m hooked!
But if the Evo 150 dies, or Cambridge Audio decide not to continue with the Evo connection, doesn’t that make your Evo CD player with only that one proprietary connection useless?
Yeah, and it pretty much guarantees a fair number of these will hit landfill in fully working condition. I test electrics for a charity (thrift) shop and I've lost count of the number of such orphaned components I've seen rendered useless without their parent system or cables
So, it goes to the internet to access the track info. In other words it can still monitor what you're looking for...
Best reason to buy CDs? To support the artists, since most streaming services hardly gives any revenue to smaller artists.
Most of the artists that need supporting don’t make CDs anymore 😢
Agreed! And the 2nd best reason is that I listen to CDs in my car’s CD player!
Agreed. Streaming pays just about nothing. And plenty of new artists put out cd's. If by chance one on Bandcamp doesn't, I'll buy the download wav file and burn my own on a high quality disc. Either way, you are supporting the artist much more than streaming.
Ludicrously overpriced. it’s an off-the-shelf disc mechanism (cost €5 max), stuck inside a case with a PSU and no DAC or display. So maybe €50 tops to make it.
Thanks - way more succinct than I'd have been! :)
For me, the reason to buy CDs is one of control. I pay my money, I get something, it's mine. I can enjoy that music long after all the streaming services have grown tired of it or have remastered it to sound like "the sound of today". If you only stream, what do you do when the company gets bought out by somebody else and doesn't think your music is important any more? What do you do when the company jacks up prices just because it can? Am I missing something here?
All good points. I’ve continued to buy CDs for similar reasons. I can’t say how many times I’ve opened my iTunes to find things I’ve bought aren’t available. Particularly on soundtracks when the licensing agreements run out. I own a cd and I own that music.
Nope, agree!
You are not missing anything~
Good point. The CDs are mine and I retain control, not to mention I prefer CD sound. I'm keeping my CDs.
It's just a case of different mindsets and it doesn't mean anyone's wrong. For those who stream they don't care about the concept of 'ownership' of that music. They pay for a service getting them access to more music than they could ever listen to for less than the price of a new CD a month. They see no reason to expect massive price hikes or mass removal of music. If you need to know with certainty that you'll still be able to play x mastering of such and such a song 30 years after you first listened to it then you've clearly made the right decision for you.
I grew up with physical music and can't imagine not buying physical music... but if I was a teenager starting out now I think I'd be enjoying streaming and not worrying about how I was going to listen to music decades down the line.
How can EVO-CD qualify as future-fi if it has just a single connection that may be only fully supported by Cambridge audio systems?
I love CDs too, but e1200 for a transport that only works with the matching streamer?! Can’t imagine they’ll sell many of these. And if you’ve got the CD case in your hand why do you need the art on the screen?
Agree, at least give it a USB, optical, coax or HDMI.
This Screams closed eco system
I have a large CD collection (+5000) and I am still much in love with the format. Because of that I have several CD players, plus a couple of transports and dacs.
Recently the purchase of a Audiolab 9000CDT stepped up the game considerably. What a wonderful machine! I invite you to try one, John.
The Cambridge must be great but only for those who already got or are interested in the partnering amp/dac.
The meta data thing is indeed a great thing to have :)
Cheers from Portugal :)
No. It's not. It's $1200. If you're going to keep CD alive, you've got to appeal to younger demographics. What CD has going for it is that it's cheap. Cheaper than vinyl, (SOUNDS BETTER THAN VINYL), and compatible with stuff we already own.
At 41 I got my first midi system in '92 and now have over 2000 CDs. I also love streaming. I love hearing a song out and about, finding it on Spotify and adding it to my "listen to this" playlist. The sad thing is, at least 10 of the songs on this playlist are shadowed out, no longer available. This never happens with physical media.
I'm 42 and I have never bought as many CDs in my life as I have today...
I use streaming services, I use DACs and DAPs, but as you said, there is no experience like the "ritual" of playing CDs (or vinyls as well)... I'll keep buying them for as long as they exist...
I am with you John, I still love CD's! Not gonna give them up.
They don't let you down...
Never gonna let them down …..
@@CraigK80 never gonna run around....
CDs are a nostalgic pleasure. Spinning them on a $20 BluRay player straight into a DAC is the real future-fi.
If it does so little work, why the 1200 price tag?
1,200 euros for a headless CD player with one button? I hope this isn't the future.
I do not see much point in handing over $1,200 for a device that is basically only spinning the disc and sending info over a cheap cable.
Fair point about the price of this device !
Price is arbitrary and only reflect what people are willing to pay. You won’t find anything similar
My cd player cost 12.00$
I am a big fan of physical media and it's a good time to buy CDS, DVDs and blurays. People basically throwing them away
Well, that's the price for "AuDiOpHiLe gEaR" 😂😂😂
John, I'm like you being of an era where CD playback was our 'vinyl' experience -- that's totally our nostalgic way of consuming music!
I still have nearly every CD I ever bought and I spin them on the regular. I appreciate the ethos behind wonderful videos like this. Thanks for keeping CDs shiny, John! 🙌🏻
Nice! I still buy tons of CDs, mainly from Japan. I think the Japanese do a pretty good job of keeping physical media relevant, as many of their releases include bonuses, like blu-rays/DVDs of concerts, that you can't get otherwise. Plus it's a far better way of supporting the bands/artists than streaming will ever be.
where do you buy from japan? i got some japanese cds on the way right now and the shipping is NOT kind
I have a CD player that is so old it doesn't have a remote. The ritual of inserting the disk, programming tracks or just listening to the entire disk without skipping, is an experience many youngsters just wouldn't understand. For me it's what makes listening real, like attending a recital.
I fully agree. Streaming is like going to a movie theater with multiple rooms, open doors and no seats.
The thing is about the CD's and streaming is that yes a CD is real "private" and it's the feeling you get with holding a CD in your hand, real media. I noticed that streaming sounds like a good idea but a lot of tracks are not available. Even the sometimes known music could not be found on most streaming platforms.
Streaming is a terrible thing! Me hates it me does! Ripped files and physical media _ROCKS!!!_
Streaming is fine for jogging or in the car though.
I hate the idea of a monthly subscription for streaming with no ownership. You could pay for years, then when you stop paying you have no music. It's a con.
"But you have so much choice."
It may be useful if you're a reviewer, or always looking for new bands, but most people I know listen to the same selection of artists.
the markup on these must be absolutely fucking unbelievable
An expensive transport with a proprietary connection that only works with one type of amp? I sincerely hope this is not the future of CD players.
Seems more like an optional add-on for the amp, than a standalone transport to me. I think that we will see some very interesting standalone transports and cd players emerge too in the coming years, as CD listening seems to have a rivival like records did earlier.
Good point
in awe of your music tastes & knowledge .
Long live CD + LPs .
Totally into the tea ceremony of CDs!
Me to. I even blow the dust from the playing surface with a rubber pair before inserting it in the player. 🙂
What is the point of buying a CD to stop internet tracking only for the Evo 150 to go and advertise on the internet what it is and what it is doing and where (via IP) in the guise of pulling down the track detail from a database when all the info is embedded on the CD anyway or in the booklet inside the jewel case.
I love CD's, I mean really love them. Did I mention how much I love CD's. Great video as always. You create fantastic, informative videos.
Thank you for taking the time to discuss CDs, CD/record stores, and CD players. Over the years you’ve inspired me to reinvest in the format, and I have really enjoyed the journey. I have been able to buy a lot more music because of the vast price difference between CDs and records in today’s new and used market. My town, Knoxville, Tenn, has many great little music shops that are practically tripping over CDs. I bought a Marantz Model 30 and 30n combo over a year ago, and CDs sound better than I ever remember as a kid. I think this Cambridge combo would be just as lovely for somebody looking for a fairly complete 2-box matching system like my Marantz. Cheers.
Hi, nice presentation, but what I cannot realize is why in the world should I spend 1200 euro to stream a cd to a dac when I can rip the cd in any pc and put the files ripped in my nas at no cost at all.
I'm kinda peeved I can only like this comment once! :)
Because if you already had a large CD collection there's no way you're sitting there ripping 400 CDs, and also you want to see the cover and maybe look at the foldout booklet etc. There's something special about putting on a record, and this goes to CDs also for some. Owning that music is gold. Also the space between swapping CDs and choosing another is like a 'theatrical break'. Apposed to instant no gaps queues and streams. It doesn't compare. A Nas you also have to keep running 24/7 and not every has or cares for this
Well, no need for a NAS (costs), perhaps better sound (as he mentioned), and the whole process of handling a CD (as I like to do). But you can do that cheaper without the whole meta data display.
I really like that you are not just an audiophile but a true music lover… I am sure it would be awesome to sit with you and spin discs… I so miss doing that with my friends back in the States…
I don’t see myself needing anything besides, my OPPO 205, which plays CDs, SACD, DVD-Audio, DSD and other high-resolution files, DVDs, Blu-ray, Blu-ray Audio, CD-R, and recordable DVD-R and not to mention 4K discs, 7.1 output and HDMI input and it happens to sound fantastic as well. i’m good
So this is simply a “proprietary” co-ax connection with an amp that finds the album cover you are holding in your hand. I can see why they sell it but I can’t see why anyone would buy it.
It also negates the privacy argument. The amp almost certainly hits up the Internet and gets the info from some CD database.
especially for 1200
And after the premature death of my Cambridge Audio DAC Magic (which I loved), I have serious concerns as to the longevity and reliability of CA products.
I was just going to ask if another CD player could function with the DAC? Is that for sure a proprietary connector?
I was wondering why I wasn't listening to music anymore and thought it might be the listening experience of streaming, that it lost an essential magic in the process. Bought a CD player and voila, playing whole albums again, loving music. It helps that CD's sound better.
Sounds so good...
I'd go with the cheap Blu-Ray player, for 1/5th the price. Output via Coax to my pre-amp's DAC, and the music sounds great. We don't need $1000 CD transports.
I will go on record to say that I’m simple happy to see companies continuing to put out CD players and still innovating in regards to CDs. I truly believe Cds will slowly go through a growth or rebirth period over the next decade.
Sorry John, this fails on what I want from a CD player/transport
It needs to be connected to the internet so you’re stuck if it goes down, plus you lose that privacy you mentioned when it downloads the album art and data
Whoopie do it displays the album art on a tiny screen 8ft away when I have that in my hand from when I took the disc from the case to play it
Totally agree with you on the advantages of cd though and how the mix is really the most important part of a music presentation
I have a dvd player hooked up to my TV with the HDMI cable, and it does exactly the same thing. When you put in a CD, It gives you the album art and song names, among other things, except instead of displaying it on a tiny screen, it displays it on your giant TV screen.
Such a great episode! Really enjoyed all the detailed talk about specific CDs and their remasters.
Trying to find old masters is exactly why I am back with playing CD's.
As a Japanese Tea Ceremony practitioner and audiophile, I can really relate to your explanation of why you love playing CDs. If only CD transport/player designers could learn a little from tea ceremony. There is nothing zen about a cheap plastic tray, slot loaders or very light lids that slam shut. One reason why the EVO CD and the Pro-ject CD Box RS2 T might sound the same is that they are using the same mechanism from the same company but just that one is the tray version and the other is the top loader.
I'd rather have a music CD and a movie DVD than a streaming subscription any day. I'm baby boomer and I want to keep my CD/DVDs, the music sound much better.
Any conversation about CDs is a good one. Own the code!
This is cool but I have a question. How does it function when internet is lost? Recently my internet was down for 2 days when a fiber line was cut. Roon no longer worked because it has to verify my account license and I could not get my Bluesound to re-establish a connection to my NAS folders. I could have tried a few more things to get the Node working but I just grabbed some CDs and chilled.
Physical media ftw!
1,000$+ for a cd player is just crazy, no matter how good is.
It's just a cd player!
You're probably right, you really need to get up to a $2000 cd player or better to hear how exceptional cd can sound.
Especially considering how minimalist this unit is.
@@mikeclark7429 And if you get a 10 000 dollar player, any music, even trashy one, will be honey to you ears.
Also, to me, CD's, from a transport to a good DAC sound BETTER than streaming the same content. Long live CD's!
At €1200, it should include at least one Toslink, digital coax, and/or AES3 output. Some people may want to upgrade other components in their system at some point...
This is a fair point!
Seems like transport controls would also be necessary additions then. Just the 1-button as-is.
I agree with the whole "the version of the album available on streaming, if it even exists, may be a different mastering / track list than the version I remember and want to listen to." But half the reason why I rip my own CDs to FLAC is to set the metadata to _exactly_ what I want it to be in my collection. If I ever get around to buying a dedicated CD player, I actually don't want it to give me online metadata.
Will or can streaming music service companies add tag/label "master" music album, so subscribers can distinguish them easily ?
I remember Apple did a good job with "master" in their album list for users to purchase
since 1983 i have only purchased cds including dvd-a, sacd, and blu ray audio. the only lps i have acquired are for wall art. now is the time to buy used cd's as people are giving them away at donation places and yard sales. last year i got 225 cds for $10. in most instances a 40 year old cd will have stood the test of time over its lp counterpart.
I have a ton of CD/vinyl that are not available on any streaming service I’m aware of. I’ve purchased CD’s since they were first available and I continue to buy them now.
You had me at: Orbital, Cambridge lost me at: proprietary connection.
Hi John, if you were able to keep playing your vinyl, but had to choose between also keeping your CDs or your streaming services, which would you go for? Great fun video, and some nice albums and tracks to discover as always, many thanks
Regarding your comments about comparing older version of recordings to newer remastered versions, I agree that the differences can be significant. I am so happy that I have the older versions on CD to listen to.
My main reasons for buying cds or vinyls, in addition to the ones you've said are: I have vinyl from my father and my grandfather (not vinyl but shellac), I refuse to leave my son a playlist. My other reason is something that happened to me the other day, I wanted to listen to a song from the 90s...I couldn't remember the artist or the title, just vaguely the cover...impossible to search on tidal, it only took me a minute to find it among my collection of old cds.
By the way, it's incredible how two people of different ages (I'm older than you) and born in different countries can listen to the same music, mostly electronic and now PG, James (same original editions)...I've seen my cds and vinyls at different times. long many videos of yours which makes me envy you every time you show a rare limited edition...
Yeah, a playlist isn't much of a legacy-I agree, maybe that's just a generational thing though. We grew up with hifi systems not smartphones and earbuds. Also, back in the day music was a destination now it's been reduced to wallpaper.
So this video is a nearly 18 minute ad for a $1200 CD player designed to work with a similarly-expensive amp. But it only ever felt like you were selling me on CDs as a medium (which, believe me, I've been sold on them for 30+ years). At no point did I hear of any killer features that justified spending 100x more than a CD-playing Walkman I could pick up at a thrift shop.
One of the joys of CDs vs. tapes or vinyl is that you don't need to be concerned about the quality of the reader - it's incredibly easy to get a 100% perfect signal off any (undamaged) disc. There is no need to spend this kind of money for this function.
Sometimes the diff between stream and cd is only a slight diff in gain.
I rip my own cd's and stream the flacs from my PC, I like the control I have over the tagging and I too prefer specific albums over what turns up on streaming services, but for me £1,200 is a crazy amount of money, just get a £50 transport and stand the cd up on your amp for the artwork 😉
By buying a nas drive for your home and its own hard drives, and by buying a perpetual software license called plex, it is easier to use your own flac files and, for example, drive in your own car using your apple car player that works through your phone, or wherever you want the music to play.
Eh, call me old-fashioned but I think I'd rather have a CD player that doesn't require an Internet connection for functionality as a CD player. I don't need a screen showing me the cover art.
Exactly. The cover art is literally at your fingertips.
Obviously you don`t need a screen to show you the cover art when you have the cover art right in your hand. That`s how stupid this whole concept is.
Great review. Loved it. Thanks so much. Very interested to try this CA combo.
When this was first announced I thought it might be an option to replace my ageing Marantz CD 12a transport , the drawer of which had failed. The idea that I use it as a modern transport into my still great sounding cd12a dac. As you’ve now explained, it can’t be used with an existing dac, in that there’s no “conventional “ digital out ie coax or toslink. If I’ve understood it correctly, they’ve limited the sales of this cd player to owners of the matching Cambridge amp , as that’s all it’s compatible with ?. Good result in the end, I managed to find someone to service my transport, so a new set of belts and a good helping of skill and experience managed to get it going again. Love the channel , try to never miss an episode 👍
CDs are and still will be king of the audio format! I love my CDs as well!
:^)
Physical media is great as a storage medium. But with all of them I rip them in high quality and organise them digitally. All the benefits of CD with none of the awkward downsides
Thank you for this video. I also enjoyed your video about your 15 reasons why you still buy CDs. That made me search my 11 years old CD player (Denon DCD-710AE). I connected it with an analog cable to the AUX input of my KEF LS50 Wireless II and listened to my old CDs - and guess what: I loved it. I agree totally that listening to a CD is a different feeling. It became a kind of a ritual to me and made me buy new CDs. So thank you for your contribution.
so we are to believe that the DAC in the EVO 150 produces a different sound when processing the ripped CD from a local server and when streaming the same bits from the CD itself via the EVO CD? that doesn't make any sense. at any rate, great video - these look like really nice components!
Indeed. I would like someone to explain how that can be possible.
Love my Evo 150 & Evo CD transport. Enjoy the convenience of streaming, especially to check out, new to me, tracks and artists. But still enjoy buying and listening to CDs and vinyl for the ownership of the physical format. Love the channel.
About loading a CD (from my memory): “I don’t know why I enjoy this but I know that I do enjoy it.” That is my exact feeling, I just enjoy loading a CD.
:^)
A subscription to a streaming service makes you a slave, vulnerable to the vagaries and whims of the providers who only care about stealing your money and couldn’t give two shits about rare or vanishing audio. God bless the “collector” who is the most trustworthy curator of the rare because of his love for it. This is true of any medium. I have many vinyl LPs, for example, which are long out of print and never commercially transferred to CD. Besides the fact that CDs provide incorruptible, permanent ownership of niche music and audio recordings-along with printed cover art and liner notes!-which may be out-of-print or otherwise unavailable on streaming services, CDs offer LOSSLESS AUDIO, outclassing any other audio format. For these reasons, I will always go the CD route whenever possible and cherish and protect my vinyl and CD collections.
Hang on a minute. If the evo 150 is doing all the heavy lifting, then the evo cd is just a dumb transport with a digital out disguised as a stereo mini jack. I'm waiting to get my mind blown as to why it would be $1200 quid !! This is just pure audiophile f*^kery !!!
I'm a bit confused now. In the intro, you mentioned that privacy is one of the advantages of CD over streaming. But with the EVO 150 pulling info from the internet, that privacy isn't guaranteed anymore, or am I mistaken? Anyhow, it's a very interesting concept, if you go for a full overhaul of your system, or you need a new one.
I've gone back to CD's because I can buy a used disc for less than a lossless digital download. I can't get behind the idea of renting music. Also, the ability to find the original mastering is huge for me. 99% of the time, remasters sound worse.
Sony wins on cds
Ill stick to a secondhand pioneer from the 90ties, thanks.
^^ THIS! The stable platter Pioneer Elite players are better than anything made prior or after them. If I want to play a CD, that would be my go-to. These days my entire collection is ripped and served up on a NAS, so the Pioneer Elite CD doesn't see much action. People still listen to streaming services?
CD is here to stay!!
I'm not even that much of an audiophile, but I enjoy your presenting style and the video editing :)
As a lifelong lover of vinyl I am happy to say that CD is the greatest format ever created.
Have you listened uncompressed LPCM audio from music Blu-rays?
My old Technics 5 disc player with remote & old CDs still work for me
Seems Cambridge really did their market research. The EVO CD really works brilliantly with the EVO 150.
Skip
The only research they did was how to make the max profit from the min outlay !
I just want a CD player OFFLINE. A thousand bucks for a cd player that needs to log to the internet and also doesn't have any other output lines it's a HARD NOPE!
You're not the target market. It doesn't need to log on to the internet to play CDs. It's designed to compliment the EVO. I'm not sure why people are struggling to grasp this.
@@stevecurrey people are struggling to grasp why a dumb cd transport would be 1200 quid !
I like the concept for the reasons you stated. My only complaint is that this eliminates the possibility of using the transport with any other type of system. I think having both options would be better from both a customer view point and a sales viewpoint.
Great video, the Cambridge isn’t for me but I get and appreciate the idea of a physical piece of media and all that comes with it. The deliberate action of searching for a cd in a shop, the physicality of unpacking and loading, the anticipation of playing something one has been waiting for and the ‘ceremony’ of loading and enjoying the music feels more special. We are lucky to live in an age of streaming, the unbelievable access to such enormous collections of music but it just doesn’t seem as indulgent and satisfying as physical media.
I've bought more CDs in the last five years than i have in my entire life. The most I've paid is $4.00 each. Vinyl prices have become unrealistic, its put on such a strain on my wallet that i have had to give up.
Since buying the Cambridge Audio CXNv2 I've put cd listening on the back burner. Sadly though Tidal has removed certain albums that have completely mucked up particular band specific playlists. Scritti Politti's Songs to Remember is one case. This is a pain in the neck in the car as I only have Android Auto to feed Tidal via my phone. At home thankfully I have the cd.
My SONY BDP-CX7000ES Blu-Ray charger with the capacity of 400 disks from 2010, is capable of retrieving CD, DVD & Blu-Ray disk info from the Internet and then saving it. The info can be displayed as a text or through GUI via HDMI output and then used to initiate disc play. I repeat, this is from 2010 and has capacity of 400 discs. Take that Cambridge Audio!
I'm sure I said this before. But you can pay and pay for a streaming service and tomorrow they can go dark and all that money you gave them is gone. But when I give them all that money when I buy CD's . The store can close and I still have every CD I bought for ever. I did this / I do this. When I bought a vinyl album now a CD. I play the physical album twice once when I get it home then I would listen again when I would copy the vinyl LP I recorded it to a cassette. But now with CD's I listen to them first then again when I rip to a hard drive. But I still have the album if I want to play the physical album / CD or there's a new sound format and I need to re-rip I can just take them off the shelf. I also I don't need music every were I go but with me ripping everything I can have a good chunk. Other wise I can just wait till I get home. I won't fall apart if I can't listen to some bull shit song from these talentless popular acts.
It would be interesting for your take on classic iPods, since you reviewed the new walkman
I second that! Still using classic iPods for all my audio needs. Perfectly imperfect little devices. All about the content, the portability, and the intimacy of a device unconnected to the internet. Darko, what are your thoughts?
It can even play ALAC-files.
Great review! CD's still sound the best, streaming as great..but not there yet in sound quality. I did a side by side comparison same album, same volume CD vs streaming Qobuz - which I like.. but still heard and noticed the difference quickly.
Maybe I am not quite getting the benefit of this player? So, it's only Fully Functional when hooked up with a proprietary cable to two models of a Cambridge Audio integrated amp? And this is to get a display of the Album's Cover Art from the Internet? Shouldn't you already have the Cover Art and Liner Notes in your hand that you used to open the Jewel Box that your CD came in? Just asking for a friend.
On my setup, sound quality is far superior with CDs compared to streaming. I have a NAD cd-player with an optical cable into my denon receiver, and I compare that to tidal playing through the heos app which integrated into the denon receiver. Should be on equal terms there, using the same DAC, but still, CDs sound far superior. Is it just me? Or is the streaming not on equal connection terms here?
And we own CDs. Streaming is no guarantee.
I also enjoy playing my cd collection with good hi fi. No one can charge me every time I play a disc, love it. I notice the sound right away is more accurate with CD than streaming. I own so so many cds so it makes a lot of sense to play them. I use a Cambridge audio CXC transport fed into a pretty good preamp. Great video!
"The computational muscle of the streaming amp...." is being used here to give an approximation of the material you already have included with the CD itself, yeah? This seems a little strange. I also wonder how much better - if at all - does the music sound coming from the $1200.00 Cambridge CD transport through the $3000.00 EVO amp compared to a $50.00 DVD player going into the same amp?
Great video, I still have lots of time for the compact disc. Ownership is key for me, I often feel streaming is akin to leasing a data file.
Why do you need album art when you have the CD right in front of you?
Cool video and new info about equipment
Interesting, and I'm sure you are right about this being the future. However, I love CDs so much, and one of the main things that appeals to me is that there is no reliance upon the internet; playing a CD to me is a mechanical experience. I noticed the typical very slight pause after you pressed the controls on the unit, which says to me "streaming", unfortunately... I know it makes little sense, but a CD player does stuff as you press the switch... also, and probably the main thing apart from sound quality, is that playing a CD forces me to hold the case in my hand and study the printed material to get my info! So I'm not interested in this development as such but nonetheless a fascinating feature, thanks
Greetings from Toronto ☕️
I’m still rocking my 90’s era Denin 3520 💿 player ..it’s on its 3rd external
DAC 🤣
Great and informative video.
👍☕️🍕
I love my CD's, always will, you can keep streaming.
Another fantastic chat John, and it does look like Cambridge Audio are onto something. It would be great to see more pairings like this, where the transport just supplies the code and the streamer supplies everything else. Fingers crossed anyway!
I too can't understand why this should be a closed system ONLY. I wouldn't invest in it knowing that the only way I could use it would be with the Cambridge integrated. A little more flexibility offering a digital output also that would work on a high quality DAC would make the cost a little more palatable.
OK the big question I have with this, is that it goes to the internet to download track/artist info. So if at a particular time/place I do not have internet, or, if I've made a self recorded/compilation CD?
Does it still work if your internet goes down?
That is a really good question but should only concern the tracks info and cover art
Not the information it downloads and displays, obviously... You need the information on local storage for that - like files ripped to computer hard drive with the album art added at the time of ripping (typically automatic with many ripping apps). ;)
Super video as always! I buy into CD playback as I still like having a 'collection' - part of my identity since my teens - and like the EVO CD's addition of digital cover art to enhance the physical music media playback.. can the EVO Amp pipe said cover art to a bigger screen, I wonder? Thanks for all your excellent work! James