News: Linn verdict: CD is dead

High-end audio company Linn has officially declared the CD format dead.

At the end of the year the Scottish company will discontinue its legendary CD players to concentrate on its DS streaming players.

“We introduced our streaming players two years ago and thought they would be slow to take off,” says Gilad Tiefenbrun, Linn’s managing director in an interview with the Guardian. “But sales of CD players have declined 40 percent year-on-year, while streaming players now make up 30 percent of our total business. It’s unprecedented growth.”

Streaming players like Linn’s DS lack the moving parts that act as sonic spoilers in CD players, and recording CDs to hard drive and streaming through a DS improved the sound.

* More info on Linn DS streamers available at www.linn.co.nz or check out www.linn.co.uk where there’s a raging debate on the death of CD on the Linn forum, and a live Q&A with Gilad Tiefenbrun today (GMT) at 5pm.