Evolution of the DVD Player taking over for CD's?

[hershon]

Can anyone give me any background of how and when DVD players started to replace CD players & some timeframes. Specifically, I know originally CD players sounded better than DVD players but that gradually (?) and eventually changed. I wonder if anyone can provide some background on the subject. From there, I think Universal players are replacing DVD players.

[Wireworm5]

Well for me it was about 3 years ago when I realized that my multi-player cd sounded like crap. When evaluating what to replace it with I was really impressed by the very low distortion specs on the dvd player I was considering. You know an averaged price dvd player has to have pretty good specs just for playing movies. Secondly it played wma and mp3 discs and cd-r and dvd movies,all essential features knowadays. The only drawback to dvd players was the relatively slow disc change compared to the multi disc cd changer. But I could live with that. Univeral dvd players is the way to go for me. Eventually when HD movies hit the market I'll probably want one and the model I choose will have to be able to play all formats

[hershon]

The way I heard it was that originally CD's played in the DVD players were inferior to CD players but at some point of time that changed. I guess I'm curious what brought that all about and when.

Well for me it was about 3 years ago when I realized that my multi-player cd sounded like crap. When evaluating what to replace it with I was really impressed by the very low distortion specs on the dvd player I was considering. You know an averaged price dvd player has to have pretty good specs just for playing movies. Secondly it played wma and mp3 discs and cd-r and dvd movies,all essential features knowadays. The only drawback to dvd players was the relatively slow disc change compared to the multi disc cd changer. But I could live with that. Univeral dvd players is the way to go for me. Eventually when HD movies hit the market I'll probably want one and the model I choose will have to be able to play all formats

[shokhead]

From the get go. My first DVD player replaced my cd player and i never looked back. I think as peple started buying DVD players and found there cd's sounded just as good,they dumped there cd players and that was it.

[N. Abstentia]

Agreed. The day DVD players came out they sounded just as good (if not better) than similar CD players.

[musicman1999]

i must disagree.
i have a fine sounding dvd player (cambridge audio 540d) but it does not hold a candle to my arcam cd73t cd player.the arcam kills it in every respect,as it should,it cost twice as much.
your statment might be true at very low price points however,as there probably is little difference in $100-150.00 players but better things are out there,the cambridge audio 540c for example is a nice little cd player that can be had for around $450 canadian.
thanks

[hershon]

i must disagree.
i have a fine sounding dvd player (cambridge audio 540d) but it does not hold a candle to my arcam cd73t cd player.the arcam kills it in every respect,as it should,it cost twice as much.
your statment might be true at very low price points however,as there probably is little difference in $100-150.00 players but better things are out there,the cambridge audio 540c for example is a nice little cd player that can be had for around $450 canadian.
thanks

Funny aside to this. I'm not trying to disagree with your statement but I bought at the same time as my Harmon Kardon 31 DVD player, the Cambridge Audio 540C CD player as well & for my personal tastes there were hardly any differences in the sound quality (the Cambridge Audio sounded better with analog cables & the HK with fiber optics cable), if anything I slightly preferred the HK because the sound sounded slightly richer and more natural and not quite in my face. My friend Paul PCI heard the same thing on my Denon system but when he borrowed the Cambridge Audio player he thought the sound was better on it then his DVD player but overall not worth paying an additional $350 for (difference in price between the CD & DVD players). I subsequently sold it on Ebay at all of a $40 loss.