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
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.
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
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.
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 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 :)
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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! 🙌🏻
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…
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'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 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.
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'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.
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.
^^ 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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
It's not even a CD player (no DAC inside). Not even a traditional CD transport with Toslink/Coax/AES/I2S outputs. It can only be used with the EVO 75 and EVO 150. It cannot be used with any other DAC or integrated amp. It's more like a CD-ROM in a fancy case.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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'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.
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
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 👍
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.
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.
Silly idea. Stick to a stand-alone CD player for playing CDs, either with a built-in DAC or as a transport with industry standard digital connection. With the proprietary data connection this "CD player" is completely useless without a partnering Cambridge Audio EVO DAC unit. Think of it as nothing more than a proprietary non-standard external CD ROM reader for the EVO 150, and it seems quite expensive for what is is really, fancy exterior not withstanding...
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.
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.
Seconding the good word on Peter Gabriel's Security; I've got the Geffen target CD, which carries over the master from the original Charisma disc, and the mastering on it is godlike. You can tell that Peter Gabriel was genuinely enthusiastic about digital recording and sought to make the most of it, because it totally eschews the stereotype of '80s digital recordings sounding overly thin. The mixing on it makes great use of highs and lows (the bass on "San Jacinto" and "Shock the Monkey" in particular will dig into your bones), and it's so rich with detail that it's downright hypnotic. It's probably one of the best-sounding "full digital recording" albums I've ever head.
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.
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
This is the reason why I still use my CDs… the moment requires preparation and the experience of listening them is in another level than just streaming 14:38
I get what you are talking about so much! I cannot locate the version I love of my favorite songs on all streaming platforms. Especially my foreign music. It doesn't sound the same when I do actually find it. It just sounds more muddled or less dynamic. Like during the transfer they leveled out the highs and lows. Rarely do I find a great remaster that actually sounds better.
I still have my CDs going all the way back to the 80's. As technology went forward I trans-coded the music to the best available MP3 at the time with consideration to the limitation of storage mediums. Now that we are entering an era where terabytes of solid state storage are available and accessible to the average consumer I think we will return to uncompressed lossless audio. I do agree that the experience of listening to music has been transformed and diluted so much that it does an injustice to the musicians. This leaves to attend a live performance to experience more immersion but a live performances is also lacks acoustic fidelity. I also think that the industry of music has vastly expanded over the four decades which I've experienced. Access to different artists was limited to Radio, MTV and word of mouth back in those days. Now we have the problem of too much choice and we've become subject to analysis paralysis. My question is why didn't DVD audio take off?
Great video as always! The Cambridge Evo products look amazing and I would love a combo like this. Unfortunately the 150 didn't match particularly well with my Klipsch RF7 MKIIIs.
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!
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.
One gripe about this and many CD palyers, the open/close button sits below the CD tray, an annoying placement esoecially at night. Putting the button above the tray would much more ergonimic if that still is a concept we can use in 2013.
Hi ya, with regards to CD, I too agree with you, I use my streamer to listen to music then I go out and by the CD. My streamer has the ability to play and rip CD's to it. Now, my issue is, lovely that the cambridge steamer is, why the heck should we be spending £1200 on a cheap computer cdrom drive stuck in a nice box to have the facility to play CD's when we can do it with a cheap cdrom drive and some streamers have the ability to rip onto an attached storage device and ultimately will sound better, come on cambridge. Doesn't make sense. But great video though, very well executed, thanks.
Hi John, thanks for the great vid - couldn't agree more, this is a clever piece. The joy in this hobby is all about niches and how products fit into our music lives after all......However, for the sake of accuracy, one must point out that if the sun sets at 7.15, the difference between 7 and 7.30 can indeed be night and day. Big love.
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.
I too am becoming frustrated with the proliferation of "remastered" albums on streaming services. It's epidemic across a lot of different genres: vintage electronica, '80s post-punk, '90s alternative... even classic rock. And I agree that some of the songs sound okay individually, but in aggregate the entire album loses something. It's not the way I remember it sounding and thus changes the listening experience.
Thx JD! These new models LOOK very sharp. The Cambridge Audio Evo CD seems to be using a proprietary I2S jack maybe? IAC, it would be cool to compare these new models against some classic units if you can get a-hold of, say, late 80s/early 90s Sony or Philips machines.
Very informative. I hope someone at NAD was watching... I would love to see them produce a CD. transport to compliment the M10 / C700 form factor and like you said just need the one dac.
I refuse to pay money each month when I can buy 3 or 4 second hand cds for the money. Also the streaming services don't have the tracks you want go listen to. Finding tracks is clunky and frustrating.
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!
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.
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...
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.
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....
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 :)
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
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
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
CDs are and still will be king of the audio format! I love my CDs as well!
:^)
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.
1,200 euros for a headless CD player with one button? I hope this isn't the future.
the markup on these must be absolutely fucking unbelievable
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.
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
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.
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! 🙌🏻
Such a great episode! Really enjoyed all the detailed talk about specific CDs and their remasters.
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…
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?
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.
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. 🙂
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 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.
in awe of your music tastes & knowledge .
Long live CD + LPs .
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
And we own CDs. Streaming is no guarantee.
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.
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.
Trying to find old masters is exactly why I am back with playing CD's.
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!
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.
It's not even a CD player (no DAC inside). Not even a traditional CD transport with Toslink/Coax/AES/I2S outputs. It can only be used with the EVO 75 and EVO 150. It cannot be used with any other DAC or integrated amp. It's more like a CD-ROM in a fancy case.
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.
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!
Also, to me, CD's, from a transport to a good DAC sound BETTER than streaming the same content. Long live CD's!
Any conversation about CDs is a good one. Own the code!
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" 😂😂😂
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.
If it does so little work, why the 1200 price tag?
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.
:^)
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Cool video and new info about equipment
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
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'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
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
Love when you talk CDs, John. Always fun and educational. I’ve been dying to get that massive attack boxset. You scored big time. ❤
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 👍
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 !
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.
Silly idea. Stick to a stand-alone CD player for playing CDs, either with a built-in DAC or as a transport with industry standard digital connection. With the proprietary data connection this "CD player" is completely useless without a partnering Cambridge Audio EVO DAC unit. Think of it as nothing more than a proprietary non-standard external CD ROM reader for the EVO 150, and it seems quite expensive for what is is really, fancy exterior not withstanding...
You had me at: Orbital, Cambridge lost me at: proprietary connection.
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.
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.
Seconding the good word on Peter Gabriel's Security; I've got the Geffen target CD, which carries over the master from the original Charisma disc, and the mastering on it is godlike. You can tell that Peter Gabriel was genuinely enthusiastic about digital recording and sought to make the most of it, because it totally eschews the stereotype of '80s digital recordings sounding overly thin. The mixing on it makes great use of highs and lows (the bass on "San Jacinto" and "Shock the Monkey" in particular will dig into your bones), and it's so rich with detail that it's downright hypnotic. It's probably one of the best-sounding "full digital recording" albums I've ever head.
The thing that I can't bear about streaming is advertising ads. And I won't pay for this. I prefer spend my money on a CD.
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.
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
Just had a look at the Evo CD player. For that price I'd want universal disc support including SACD and Blu Ray Audio. I'll stick with my Oppo.
The CD is best physical music format period.
This is the reason why I still use my CDs… the moment requires preparation and the experience of listening them is in another level than just streaming 14:38
I get what you are talking about so much! I cannot locate the version I love of my favorite songs on all streaming platforms. Especially my foreign music. It doesn't sound the same when I do actually find it. It just sounds more muddled or less dynamic. Like during the transfer they leveled out the highs and lows. Rarely do I find a great remaster that actually sounds better.
Way cooler man than I could ever become. Awesome setup and place. Killer looking shops. Lisbon and Berlin; over the top.
I still have my CDs going all the way back to the 80's. As technology went forward I trans-coded the music to the best available MP3 at the time with consideration to the limitation of storage mediums. Now that we are entering an era where terabytes of solid state storage are available and accessible to the average consumer I think we will return to uncompressed lossless audio.
I do agree that the experience of listening to music has been transformed and diluted so much that it does an injustice to the musicians. This leaves to attend a live performance to experience more immersion but a live performances is also lacks acoustic fidelity.
I also think that the industry of music has vastly expanded over the four decades which I've experienced. Access to different artists was limited to Radio, MTV and word of mouth back in those days. Now we have the problem of too much choice and we've become subject to analysis paralysis.
My question is why didn't DVD audio take off?
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.
Great video as always! The Cambridge Evo products look amazing and I would love a combo like this. Unfortunately the 150 didn't match particularly well with my Klipsch RF7 MKIIIs.
Superb review John, your love of listening and playing music shines through. Oh, by the way, awesome glasses! What are the frames?
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 !
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.
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.
Always happy to see some of your PSB collection---I just got the Smash white vinyl special edition boxed set. I'm considering the CD box set too. :)
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.
CD is here to stay!!
Excellent video. Great cd player. And thank you for reaffirming my love for my cd collection. Physical media will never die for some of us.
One gripe about this and many CD palyers, the open/close button sits below the CD tray, an annoying placement esoecially at night. Putting the button above the tray would much more ergonimic if that still is a concept we can use in 2013.
As a lifelong lover of vinyl I am happy to say that CD is the greatest format ever created.
Hi ya, with regards to CD, I too agree with you, I use my streamer to listen to music then I go out and by the CD. My streamer has the ability to play and rip CD's to it. Now, my issue is, lovely that the cambridge steamer is, why the heck should we be spending £1200 on a cheap computer cdrom drive stuck in a nice box to have the facility to play CD's when we can do it with a cheap cdrom drive and some streamers have the ability to rip onto an attached storage device and ultimately will sound better, come on cambridge. Doesn't make sense. But great video though, very well executed, 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.
👍☕️🍕
Hi John, thanks for the great vid - couldn't agree more, this is a clever piece. The joy in this hobby is all about niches and how products fit into our music lives after all......However, for the sake of accuracy, one must point out that if the sun sets at 7.15, the difference between 7 and 7.30 can indeed be night and day. Big love.
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.
I too am becoming frustrated with the proliferation of "remastered" albums on streaming services. It's epidemic across a lot of different genres: vintage electronica, '80s post-punk, '90s alternative... even classic rock. And I agree that some of the songs sound okay individually, but in aggregate the entire album loses something. It's not the way I remember it sounding and thus changes the listening experience.
Thx JD! These new models LOOK very sharp. The
Cambridge Audio Evo CD seems to be using a proprietary I2S jack maybe? IAC, it would be cool to compare these new models against some classic units if you can get a-hold of, say, late 80s/early 90s Sony or Philips machines.
Very informative. I hope someone at NAD was watching... I would love to see them produce a CD. transport to compliment the M10 / C700 form factor and like you said just need the one dac.
I love my CD's, always will, you can keep streaming.
I refuse to pay money each month when I can buy 3 or 4 second hand cds for the money. Also the streaming services don't have the tracks you want go listen to. Finding tracks is clunky and frustrating.
Congrats. Nice CD finds 👍
I'm not even that much of an audiophile, but I enjoy your presenting style and the video editing :)