Digital Drive

Posted by Thermionic Dude (A) on February 28, 2007 at 13:09:31

I have noticed a dramatic decline in the overall variety of available RedBook CD Players over the past 2-3 years as well as the near-extinction of stand-alone transports. I understand this is largely due to Sony, Phillips, Pioneer, and possibly others discontinuing the manufacture of redbook transport mechanisms (particularly their higher-end versions) as well as the ascendancy of SACD/DVD-A and the ongoing mainstream obsession with HT. My question (which will reveal my ignorance regarding this subject) is what are the barriers to someone developing and manufacturing a high-quality transport mechanism? There appear to be several potential factors, but I don't understand why they could not be overcome. First, customer demand for CD only machines has undoubtedly decreased somewhat, but these forums are full of people who are using DVD players exclusively for CD playback. I know this provides sonic satisfaction for many, however functionality and convenience are compromised by the need to connect to video in order to access any playback functions other than loading the disc and pressing "Play" and it seems pointless (particularly with high-end models) to pay for the video circuitry when it will never be used (it appears at least one company, TEAC, has addressed this and now offers an audio-only version of one of their universal players, at reduced cost); I know I'm not the only one here with this thought process. Also, I understand that actually manufacturing a transport involves significant amounts of machining and "custom" mechanical/optical parts as well as programming of the logic/control circuits, and by necessity this must occur on a reasonably large scale in order for the manufacturer to see a return on its investment and at the same time be affordable to customers; I can imagine this would require a substantial R&D budget to get off the ground, but this does not seem insurmountable to me. It seems to me one solution would be for various high-end companies to pool their resources and start a new company specifically for the purpose of building CD transports (and other difficult-to-source sub-assemblies); with numerous companies investing, economy of scale would permit the construction of such assemblies by a sort of "high-end parts cooperative" at reasonable per-unit cost. This seems to be win-win for all involved. The high-end manufacturers are assured of ongoing availability of quality parts at reasonable cost which will not be the limiting-factor in the overall quality and reliability of the complete unit. We the customers can then feel much more comfortable about spending four figures on a CD player because we don't have to worry about the cheap, plastic Sony/Phillips drive mechanism compromising the otherwise excellent build quality and performance expected of a CD player costing thousands. I can't believe I'm the only person who has thought of this, which leads me to believe there are other factors I am unaware of that preclude this becoming reality. I welcome any response, critique, explanation, or other comment, particularly by a manufacturer or other "insider" and thank you in advance for taking the time to read and respond.