It just seems that you're convinced that there's no improvement possible in the digital domain and CDs, at least in terms of the format itself.

Dave:

Apart from mixing all fruit (digital domain) and pears (CDs), your
statement has some merit. Digital domains may always be improved using
higher sampling rates, for instance. But given a _specific_ digital
medium, there are absolute limits both on the recording and playback
sides. Only so much information may be encoded in that format. As long
as the reproducer is capable of decoding that information *fully*, then
it is at the limits of the medium. Period. The End. So, we may improve
the domain, but once a specific fruit is picked, it becomes limited.

After that, choices in CD players become one of extraneous parameters
from its capabilities to decode. The quality of the transport, ease of
use, appearance, convenience factors, disc handling, longevity and so
forth. One might choose the $29 CD player, and purchase 3/year as they
wear out. Or, one may choose the $800+ player that is well-and-truly
expected to last a lifetime. Or anything in between. But the brute fact
of the matter is that there is an absolute ceiling on the quality of
sound they may produce. In today's world, that is fully achieved by a
few $$ worth of chips. The rest is sheet-metal, buttons and lights.

But, a useful, obvious but oft-forgotten concept to hold in one's mind
when dealing with any medium, digital or otherwise is GIGO.... Garbage
In, Garbage Out. No medium is capable of 'improving' a bad recording.
And in no case does adding or subtracting artifacts constitute an
improvement. Accordingly, attention and efforts should be on improving
the recording process where there is opportunity as the playback
process (in the case of CDs) is settled-technology. Despite fond wishes
to the contrary.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA