Analyst: Target should drop CDs

[Brad]

Perused all the comments and I'm with Catesta. As far as putting albums on the iPhone space is not unlimited so I place very few albums on the iPhone. An option is just to use the iPod but that means fiddling with that while you're driving. Not a great idea.  With a 6 cd changer you can load them before driving so no  messing around needed.

All that being said, I realize some of us are swimming against the tide. 

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Can't say I have (ever restored my phone).  I presume means going back to the original 'fresh from the factory' state.  I'm assuming I'd have to re-download all my apps (write them all down, and search and reinstall all 30 of them).  I assume(?) that would also mean wiping all the photos I have on it (which I really hadn't wanted to do), unless I paid more for iCloud storage.

Oh no! Not at all. Simply backup your phone in iTunes, restore it, and then it will ask if you want to reset it to factory settings, OR restore it from your save. Choose that and it will put everything back on it that you saved...EXCEPT all of the temporary files and bullshit that have been piling up on it. Based on what you are saying, I'm guessing you have anywhere from 3 to 5GB worth of trash on your phone. Possibly more. I restore mine at least twice a year and usually free up a gig or two every time. 

And no, you won't have to write anything down as your apps will all be part of your backup. As will your photos, music, etc...

I really encourage you to do it. If nothing else, it will likely help out the performance issue you mentioned. 

Then you can remain a Luddite, but with a better functioning phone!  

[Rooster_Ties]

1 hour ago, Scott Dolan said:

Oh no! Not at all. Simply backup your phone in iTunes, restore it, and then it will ask if you want to reset it to factory settings, OR restore it from your save. Choose that and it will put everything back on it that you saved...EXCEPT all of the temporary files and bullshit that have been piling up on it. Based on what you are saying, I'm guessing you have anywhere from 3 to 5GB worth of trash on your phone. Possibly more. I restore mine at least twice a year and usually free up a gig or two every time. 

And no, you won't have to write anything down as your apps will all be part of your backup. As will your photos, music, etc...

I really encourage you to do it. If nothing else, it will likely help out the performance issue you mentioned. 

Then you can remain a Luddite, but with a better functioning phone!  

Do I have to upgrade my iCloud storage to back up the phone to iTunes?  (In other words, is that what "backing it up to iTunes" is?  And if so, do I have to pay a monthly fee for the extra storage?)  Have to confess, I never even downloaded iTunes to our new laptop a couple years ago (when we had to get a new one), because I just never got around to it (since I only ever used it to get CD's onto my phone, which wasn't worth the effort if I could only store like 10 albums).  I did half-consider going back to using my old iPod nano, which held like 60-70 albums, and was great!!  But then I thought iTunes would try and synch all those same albums with my phone (which there wasn't space for), and I thought it might be a problem.

I have to confess, I never even put my credit-card into iTunes, and only ever used it to upload CD's (since that was the only way to do it).

[Eric]

11 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

Actually, many new cars do not come with CD players. You can get them as an option, but they aren't standard issue like they once were. 

I can't remember the last time I played a CD in the car ... why?  What a pain in the butt when you can plug in your phone (or use bluetooth).

[Rooster_Ties]

45 minutes ago, Eric said:

I can't remember the last time I played a CD in the car ... why?  What a pain in the butt when you can plug in your phone (or use bluetooth).

How many CD's worth of music do you have on your phone?  Honest question.  That was always my issue, that I could never load even but a tiny fraction of my collection onto my phone.  Even my old iPod nano (which held at least 60-70 albums, maybe 100?) didn't even begin to hold but a fraction of my 3,000+ CD's.  That, and it's a pain in the ass constantly having to upload (and later delete) CD's from iTunes -- in order to change what was on my phone.  A complete switch-out of even 50 albums would take a couple hours (iirc), so I finally said the heck with it.

When I can grab 3-4 CD's off the shelf, and play 'em right in the car, why go through the hassle of the phone?  That's what I did in Kansas City, and I probably listened to 10-20 CD's per week, between the car and playing them at work.

I mean, it would be great to have all my music on my phone, but that wasn't possible (at least when I last bought my phone, which is an iPhone 5, with 16 GB).

[rostasi]

1 hour ago, Eric said:

I can't remember the last time I played a CD in the car ... why?  What a pain in the butt when you can plug in your phone (or use bluetooth).

I'm not sure I understand this. So, my choice is either hook up a phone everytime I get in the car
or just start the car with a CD (or 6) already in it. It's kinda why I went off using an iPod - because
before I went anywhere - even to the corner store - I had to hook something up. It's not that much 
extra (plug it in, put it in some kind of holder so it doesn't go flying off, press buttons to find tunes),
but it's still many stages more than just starting the car which makes the music start automatically.

[JSngry]

Here's a graph about TV watching!

How American TV consumption is changing, in one chart

https://www.axios.com/streaming-subscribers-officially-catches-up-to-paid-tv-2292736310.html

People just less and less into having stuff around. My wife feels their pain. Me, I still got a bootleg copy of the My Name Is Albert Ayler documentary which is otherwise available how?

[gvopedz]

I bought the CD of the Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl and the Norah Jones Day Breaks CD at Target.

[Eric]

2 hours ago, rostasi said:

I'm not sure I understand this. So, my choice is either hook up a phone everytime I get in the car
or just start the car with a CD (or 6) already in it. It's kinda why I went off using an iPod - because
before I went anywhere - even to the corner store - I had to hook something up. It's not that much 
extra (plug it in, put it in some kind of holder so it doesn't go flying off, press buttons to find tunes),
but it's still many stages more than just starting the car which makes the music start automatically.

I see your point.  I have maybe 50-60 albums on my phone, plus a couple of playlists.  I just like having more selection.  Plus, I don't have to mess with the jewel cases and the associated clutter.  It is usually a mix of newer CDs and old favorites - my comfort food CDs.  I have used iTunes for so long it is a breeze to manage what is on my phone.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Eric

[lipi]

Car audio options are definitely a generational and geographical thing.

Geography: I can't remember the last time I saw a new-ish car with a CD player here in Silicon Valley.

Generational: the young'uns (which, shockingly, on this board I might be reckoned to be part of!) don't use CDs. They don't even use downloads that much anymore: streaming is the future. Spotify and similar will always beat the number of tracks you can download on your phone. (Yes, for jazz and classical the streaming services aren't very useful yet.)

Finally, I don't know whether this is generational or geographical, but I don't know anyone who does not plug their phone in when they get in their car. USB to charge and to get GPS navigation playing over the car speakers. (Actually, I lie, I do know people who don't plug in their phones when they get into their cars: Tesla owners, because they use the onboard navigation and music streaming!)

On a technical note: you don't need to plug your phone in in most cars now, anyway: you can just use BlueTooth, and it'll pair as soon as you enter the car. You can use the radio just like you would for a CD--so no extra steps at all. (Arguably fewer, since you don't have to deal with jewel cases and discs.)

[medjuck]

But does that mean you need w-fi in your car? 

[Eric]

2 hours ago, lipi said:

On a technical note: you don't need to plug your phone in in most cars now, anyway: you can just use BlueTooth, and it'll pair as soon as you enter the car. You can use the radio just like you would for a CD--so no extra steps at all. (Arguably fewer, since you don't have to deal with jewel cases and discs.)

Older car here, so no Bluetooth option (but plugging in is easy).  It sure is sweet in my wife's car to use Bluetooth.  I also have Apple Music (previously had Spotify) and so I will sometimes stream.

[medjuck]

4 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Do I have to upgrade my iCloud storage to back up the phone to iTunes?  (In other words, is that what "backing it up to iTunes" is?  And if so, do I have to pay a monthly fee for the extra storage?)  Have to confess, I never even downloaded iTunes to our new laptop a couple years ago (when we had to get a new one), because I just never got around to it (since I only ever used it to get CD's onto my phone, which wasn't worth the effort if I could only store like 10 albums).  I did half-consider going back to using my old iPod nano, which held like 60-70 albums, and was great!!  But then I thought iTunes would try and synch all those same albums with my phone (which there wasn't space for), and I thought it might be a problem.

I have to confess, I never even put my credit-card into iTunes, and only ever used it to upload CD's (since that was the only way to do it).

I [pay 99cents a month for al the storage I need on the cloud. (But I might not be doing it right. )

[JSngry]

I often have consecutive weeks when I drive in my car without my phone, just leave the sucker at hone, so I'm definitely doing it wrong, all of it.

Oh, drove by a Target today, didn't stop, didn't need to. Maybe what they stop carrying doesn't matter as much as what they do carry, I mean, if they have what I want, I'll not even give a casual funk about if they have what I don't want.

[rostasi]

The Lil' Cuties page says that Target carries them.
I've learned rather quickly, to my chagrin, that they
don't know the difference between Lil' Cuties,
Halos, and Clem 'n' Tina's, so I don't go anymore.

[JSngry]

Well, now that they're not going to sell CDs any more, you can go to Kroger, or H-MArt. Daiso for potholders.

Gotta say, though, as much as I like Ike, Tina's best work was done with Clem. Shame that it's not on CD, you could have gotten it at Target. Now you have to order the Lil' Cuties music right from Neil Hefti, he owns the Basie band now.

 

[lipi]

4 hours ago, medjuck said:

But does that mean you need w-fi in your car? 

To stream? No, you use your cellular data plan.

To connect wirelessly to your car audio system? No, not WiFi, but BlueTooth.

[StarThrower]

I can't afford to shop at Target.  I go to Walmart when I'm jonesing for the latest Garth Brooks CD.

[rostasi]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

Well, now that they're not going to sell CDs any more, you can go to Kroger, or H-MArt. Daiso for potholders.

Gotta say, though, as much as I like Ike, Tina's best work was done with Clem. Shame that it's not on CD, you could have gotten it at Target. Now you have to order the Lil' Cuties music right from Neil Hefti, he owns the Basie band now.

Oh, man, Hefti's definitely my bag! He's strong, and can carry more than a tune!

Edited March 4, 2017 by rostasi

[mikeweil]

You're a bit late to the game, but better late than never. Modern remastering has improved so much that vintage jazz can indeed sound much better on CD, but that's due to the remastering, not the medium as such. It all depends. I still regret selling some mono LPs that would sound killer with my new mono cartridge. But you're perfectly right, e.g. the Mosaic Ellington sounds so much better than the French CBS LPs ....

What are the young jazz fans listening to? Are they taking attention to detail? Because that's what's lost if the compressed files are not transferred properly. There is great potential to the new media - imagine every bit of music being available for streaming, even the rarest stuff, at your fingertips .... 

14 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Ironically, I find myself playing more CDs than LPs these days ! Having upgraded the CD source, the playback is sometimes comparable to or better than vinyl, something I wouldn't have anticipated 5 years ago. For Mosaics, I'm a pretty happy camper with the CD sets these days.

CDs - the new vinyl ! 

 

[sidewinder]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

You're a bit late to the game, but better late than never. Modern remastering has improved so much that vintage jazz can indeed sound much better on CD, but that's due to the remastering, not the medium as such. It all depends. I still regret selling some mono LPs that would sound killer with my new mono cartridge. But you're perfectly right, e.g. the Mosaic Ellington sounds so much better than the French CBS LPs ....

More a matter of the digital bit of my system finally catching up to a very capable analogue front end, not 'late to the game'.

Given a vintage Blue Note LP in good nick though, it is the LP every time, given a good, well set up deck. Can't beat it ! You are broadly correct in saying that it is the remastering that is critical, especially so on those older recordings.

The way things are going I expect to switch to a capable streamer at some stage but for the moment, more than happy with CD as the main digital source. I hope to be setting up a NAS drive with the core of my collection over the next year as a first step.

Edited March 4, 2017 by sidewinder

[Scott Dolan]

15 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Do I have to upgrade my iCloud storage to back up the phone to iTunes?  (In other words, is that what "backing it up to iTunes" is?  And if so, do I have to pay a monthly fee for the extra storage?)  Have to confess, I never even downloaded iTunes to our new laptop a couple years ago (when we had to get a new one), because I just never got around to it (since I only ever used it to get CD's onto my phone, which wasn't worth the effort if I could only store like 10 albums).  I did half-consider going back to using my old iPod nano, which held like 60-70 albums, and was great!!  But then I thought iTunes would try and synch all those same albums with my phone (which there wasn't space for), and I thought it might be a problem.

I have to confess, I never even put my credit-card into iTunes, and only ever used it to upload CD's (since that was the only way to do it).

No, if you back up your phone in iTunes, you're backing it up to your computer, not to the cloud. You don't have to use the cloud at all. I don't. Not for my phone anyway. 

10 hours ago, medjuck said:

I [pay 99cents a month for al the storage I need on the cloud. (But I might not be doing it right. )

I'd say you're doing it perfectly! 

Edited March 4, 2017 by Scott Dolan

[mikeweil]

1 hour ago, sidewinder said:

More a matter of the digital bit of my system finally catching up to a very capable analogue front end, not 'late to the game'.

Given a vintage Blue Note LP in good nick though, it is the LP every time, given a good, well set up deck. Can't beat it ! You are broadly correct in saying that it is the remastering that is critical, especially so on those older recordings.

The way things are going I expect to switch to a capable streamer at some stage but for the moment, more than happy with CD as the main digital source. I hope to be setting up a NAS drive with the core of my collection over the next year as a first step.

Totally agree with you, except that I would prefer a Contemporary LP engineered by Howard Holzer or Roy Du Nann over any Van Gelder recording.

 

[sidewinder]

All great but agree, sonically the Contemporary stuff can't be beaten.

Re: CDs - its amazing how far they and the playback systems have come. My very first player, a Nakamichi, was fine but sounded noticeably digital and sort of thin. Just listening to Andrew Hill 'Grass Roots' and the sound is near analogue, with a lovely soundstage and clarity. A 'Conn' issue as well, not even one of those latest Japanese offerings - good times. 

Edited March 4, 2017 by sidewinder

[Scott Dolan]

 Near analog? 

CD regression...