CD player or DAC ?

[sylnau]

CD player or DAC ?
MP3, WAV?

What are you using?

My CD player is about to die and I'm not sure if I should get another CD player or a DAC and convert everything to WAV.

[Disarm D'arcy]

Don't you have a computer with a CD player? You can rip 'em with iTunes or something else.

That's what I've been doing for 10 years now. Recently converted most of my library from MP3 to AAC though. Half the file size, same listening quality.

[sylnau]

Yes I have a computer with a CD player.
But MP3 or AAC will be less quality. Wav would probably be the best but would be huge files.

Do you feel it limited to have to use your computer to play music? It has to be there all the time.

A good DAC will cost the same as a good CD player.

[spacelordmother]

FLAC are full resolution but half the size as WAV - might need a special dealio to play them on the go though?

I haven't played a CD in over 5 years.

[Disarm D'arcy]

Do you feel it limited to have to use your computer to play music? It has to be there all the time.

Nope. Computer is on most of the time when I am home and it's connected to my soundcard and monitors so it's a great listening setup.

Keeping all my music on the computer, I can sync music to my iPhone which is my on the go music player: in the car, in the library, working, walking...

I understand the CD or vinyl paradigm, even the .wav / flac / MP3 debate. But to me there's no going back. I like music too much not to have it be the soundtrack to my boring life, albeit in AAC format, like I can have it now by keeping a 1000 songs on my iPhone, and pretty much 10 times that on my computer hard drive...

[sylnau]

FLAC are full resolution but half the size as WAV - might need a special dealio to play them on the go though?

I haven't played a CD in over 5 years.

I guess you still have to purchase CD anyway... since itune and all just have cheap format?

School me a bit on that.

[D.o.S.]

FLAC are full resolution but half the size as WAV - might need a special dealio to play them on the go though?

I haven't played a CD in over 5 years.

Flac files work on iPods, for anyone that's curious.

[spacelordmother]

FLAC are full resolution but half the size as WAV - might need a special dealio to play them on the go though?

I haven't played a CD in over 5 years.

I guess you still have to purchase CD anyway... since itune and all just have cheap format?

School me a bit on that.

ICK iTunes no never! Such a bloated, horrible program.

I buy most stuff on bandcamp and they typically offer several different formats. Still, my ears are dumb and I can totally get down on 192kbs or just youtoobs.

[casecandy]

FLAC are full resolution but half the size as WAV - might need a special dealio to play them on the go though?

I haven't played a CD in over 5 years.

Flac files work on iPods, for anyone that's curious.

Do you have to jailbreak?

[D.o.S.]

Nope. At least not on my Classic, which is the newest Ipod I own.

[casecandy]

Nope. At least not on my Classic, which is the newest Ipod I own.

IMO Classic is the only iPod really worth owning.
Mine's in great shape but I think when (God forbid) it craps out, I'll buy a Pono (assuming a price drop in the next few years)
Not because I buy the snake oil about audio quality, because it's 190 odd gigs with SD card
ANYWAY, never got FLAC to play on it...

Re: the OP of this thread, I am, like... not an audiophile. I wish I had the money to buy high-end shit. I recently drooled over Verellen's tube pre-amp, for example. Alas, I play vinyl on a Crosley Spinnerette from Third Man Records. It sucks. I play CDs in my Blu Ray player on a decent pair of Logitechs. I have my iPod Classic and a pair of 1st Gen Beats Studios which I love. I frequently rip CDs to my Mac with XLD. If I'm gonna put them up on What.cd or Waffles.fm, I'll rip them to perfect FLAC, but for my own purposes V0 is fine. And I have the Classic set to convert everything to 256 AAC once it's on there

I use iTunes religiously. It's all organized down to genres, album artists, groupings, all album art... it's a thing of beauty. Obnoxious, obsessive beauty LOL... IRL I have about 100 LPs and 300 CDs all in alphabetical order

I considered buying a Dragonfly DAC but... TBH... I wouldn't hear the difference At least I don't think I would. Maybe I'd be surprised.

[Blackened Soul]

I haven't owned a CD player in over ten years, good DV/blueray players on average have better converters plus it's just one extra thing the have... I use my computer or pod to play stuff that isn't on those record things, so everything goes out [and in] a apogee duet

[casecandy]

apogee duet

Thinking of buying one. I have the Apogee MiC and Jam 96K. The MiC is awesome. I use it plugged direct into my Macbook Pro. I hate the Jam. It's so gated... I hate it, TBH. Gonna sell it.