Music lovers have been duped into paying $120 a year for lesser quality music

[N*E*R*D]

The compact disc is still king.

Human beings love convenience more than they care about the quality of the products they consume. I'm no better. I've been a subscriber to Spotify for years and Apple Music most recently. It's perfect for the gym and commutes to work or school. The quality is good enough but really can't touch the almost extinct CD. I ran across my collection of CDs as I was looking in my closet and decided to grab a CD and play in the car to run a few errands.

The CD I chose to play was Chronic 2001. I put in the CD and was floored by how my speakers sounded. I didn't know they sounded this good because I'm constantly streaming music from Spotify or Apple Music. On top of that, I didn't have to turn my volume up to almost max either, and it was bumping hard AF on like 15-20.

This got me thinking about how did we let this superior quality go for lesser quality. To my knowledge, I don't think Bluetooth is capable of giving CD Quality. Even the new Apple Lossless requires you to be hardwired connected with a headphone and DAC.

So I'm to the point where I'm researching Hi-Fi systems for home use as well as upgrading my car speakers. Some may look at it as going backward, but I look at it as a step forward in wanting better-sounding music.

To think you can walk into BestBuy and purchase Vinyl, but not CD is crazy to me. Vinyl doesn't necessarily sound better than CD just different. It's just the fact that human beings see it as cool and nostalgic. CD on the other hand is not seen as being as cool at all.

I see the same thing happening in living rooms. People have ditched home theater for soundbars.

 

[Lil Bape the PostGod]

Spend 120$ on 6-8 cds instead of spending 120$ to listen to whatever your in the mood to listen to in that moment brehs

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

compact disc was never king it was a default winner.

if it's so great then why did vinyl make a resurgence? it's def better than compressed digital formats.

yes bluetooth is not capable of hitting true peak listening quality and i still use wired headphones as a result.

vinyl def sounds better.

 

[ADP]

Feel what youre saying but its a bit of an obsession of mine to highlight the quality of 2001, any other cd you may have used chances are thread doesnt get made

Im from the cd era so theyll always be the sheet to me

 

[Rell Lauren]

No one is selling physical media anymore. The old download sites have been sniped or seized by the Feds. You want an artist's library without having to dig, then Spotify it is.

 

[Keep_It_Hip_Hop_Fam]

CDs get scratches and stop working

 

[RajWatts]

Duped? We used to pay $15-20 a week for a single cd that would end up scratched in less than a year

 

[Sad Bunny]

No one is forcing you to stream.

 

[Ciggavelli]

Get Tidal Hi-Fi or Qobuz then

 

[N*E*R*D]

Spend 120$ on 6-8 C.D.s instead of spending 120$ to listen to whatever you are in the mood to listen to in that moment brehs

There have been times I've been in the mood to listen to something on streaming, and it wasn't available for whatever reason. Example songs are missing from Sean Price's second album Jesus Price Superstar. Even on occasions where I'm surprised something is on streaming as Big K.R.I.T. K.R.I.T. wuz Here. It's missing several songs from the original project, such as "See Me On Top," which is a personal favorite. Luckily I still have my original signed CD from Nature Sounds, and I can blast it to my heart's content. I know I could pull up Dat Piff or YouTube and probably find it, but to hell with that.

This also leads me to another point we are scattered brains when it comes to music. Do people spend time with albums anymore? I mean, listen to record and live with it. No, we play a million different things and never really truly take in albums anymore. I remember playing specific albums for months on end and falling in love with tracks doing so.

 

[N*E*R*D]

compact disc was never king it was a default winner.

if it's so great then why did vinyl make a resurgence? it's def better than compressed digital formats.

yes bluetooth is not capable of hitting true peak listening quality and i still use wired headphones as a result.

vinyl def sounds better.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Vinyl sounding better isn't a fact. I believe it's something new for younger listeners who didn't get a chance to really interact with CDs but want physical media from their favorite artists. It's a different experience that involves the listener more than just merely pressing play. You have to do it with care and keep your records clean etc. I'm not opposed to Vinyl or putting it down. Just giving reasons why I think it made a resurgence. It's even more expensive and less convenient than CDs yet people are buying it. There is a place for physical media and I think it should live on.

 

[N*E*R*D]

Get Tidal Hi-Fi or Qobuz then

I'm aware of that and probably will once I get everything I want for my listening sessions.

 

[N*E*R*D]

Feel what youre saying but its a bit of an obsession of mine to highlight the quality of 2001, any other cd you may have used chances are thread doesnt get made

Im from the cd era so theyll always be the sheet to me

Yeah 2001 sounds good as hell, but I also played my copy of Big K.R.I.T. K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and that shyt thumped hard as well. It's like my sound system was fukking steroids with the CDs and regular as hell with the streaming music. It also comes down to mastering albums that shyt matters a lot.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Vinyl sounding better isn't a fact. I believe it's something new for younger listeners who didn't get a chance to really interact with CDs but want physical media from their favorite artists. It's a different experience that involves the listener more than just merely pressing play. You have to do it with care and keep your records clean etc. I'm not opposed to Vinyl or putting it down. Just giving reasons why I think it made a resurgence. It's even more expensive and less convenient than CDs yet people are buying it. There is a place for physical media and I think it should live on.

People believing Vinly sounds better didn't start with the youngins. I was going to all Vinly parties in the 2000's. People can hear and most importantly feel the difference. Studies done on the best format to preserve music for future generations concluded that Vinly would be used to make what will essentially be vaults of music for future humans.

The nostalgia element came late with the hipsters. For the novelty and the cover art but the quality is why it stayed...

Hell we used to go to parties back in the day and you could tell when the DJ was spinning vinyl from the sound system even when they didn't advertise it. It's something you can feel, especially in the low end. Hence why people say it's sounds warm. Sound is waves.

 

[Rev]

I honestly do miss that CD quality. I was very strict on the audio quality of my downloads back in the 2000s too.

Spotify annoys the hell outta me with that variation of quality nowadays.

But isn't it also attributed to the kinda/sorta lost art of mixing and mastering? A lot of artists just put shyt out with subpar engineering.