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I recently read an article about a newly released CD player with amazing design and great features, as if it's sold not only as a musical instrument, but also as decoration. Sometimes I wonder if there is still any point in buying those items given how portable music is nowadays.
Hi It kind of depends on what you have as a music collection. If all you have is downloads then I would probably skip the CD player. However, the better ones do blue ray dvd and can be part of a home theater system. They do cost a bit often though for the really good ones. On the flip side a modest blue ray will do cds and can be bought for under $100. Something to consider though if all you have are downloads....do you have a back up copy of them? If not you can be in a real bind if something happens to the originals. There is controversy over whether or not you own the music or not. If it is lost you may have a difficult time getting any back.
For some cases, illegal downloads can't be helped, so I try to buy the original CD if I can afford them. If I play music at the house while doing something else, having a good quality player is a strong reason to get one. Aesthetic is just additional point, but it doesn't hurt to have.