Anyone gone back to CD from streaming?
- Thread starter JTC
- Start date
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I started streaming years ago using Airfoil, the Dac from a Pioneer CD recorder and Spotify. But I continued with CD and vinyl.They all have their qualities and flaws.
Tony L
Administrator
I tried Spotify ages ago but swiftly realised it wasn’t for me as soon as the whole ECM catalogue wasn’t there one day. From then on I realised all of them are at the whim of corporate decisions and can’t be relied upon to deliver the music you want to hear when you want to hear it, let alone the specific mastering etc. I’m sure I’ll end up with streaming in old age when I’m not capable/arsed to play a record or CD, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, but no way am I ready yet. Being honest I enjoy the actual collecting aspect way too much too.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
You grumpy old git
earlofsodbury
Wastrel.
I've come full circle since discovering MP3 ca. 2003 and setting-up a computer-based system - seemed like The Future at the time - but over the years plenty of music was either not available online, or too low-res to be of interest, so CDs kept on arriving and I've never been without a CDP or CDT.
I've never made the transition to smartphone culture - too invasive for my liking - and the internet bandwidth in this part of the country is dial-up-dismal, so in recent times the extent of my streaming has been from Laptop to DAC via USB cable. It's fine, but I've found I miss the self-contained nature of proper albums, much as has always been true of vinyl, so I've slid back to CD more-and-more.
A nail in streaming's coffin has been a recent purchase of a basic, elderly 20-bit Audio Note DAC which I've been tweaking internally - it sounds absolutely sublime, tonally rich, deep bass, sweet, extended treble, holographic staging - add your own audiophool hyperbole to taste, it's great, I love it, but it has just one S/PDIF input - something I'll change when I cut a new rear panel, but I'll not bother with USB, much-less bluetooth.
I've got about 2000 CDs, and 1000 LPs, many of which are distinctly underplayed, so I'll not want for diversity, but will miss new releases, so perhaps an USB to S/PDIF adaptor will be needed yet...
Flipside of this is the persistence of suitable laser drives to read optical discs - they're not like phono carts that can be knitted by bearded gurus in microscope-equipped lairs and garden dens... Perhaps I'm old enough that I may not live to see this become an issue!
I've never made the transition to smartphone culture - too invasive for my liking - and the internet bandwidth in this part of the country is dial-up-dismal, so in recent times the extent of my streaming has been from Laptop to DAC via USB cable. It's fine, but I've found I miss the self-contained nature of proper albums, much as has always been true of vinyl, so I've slid back to CD more-and-more.
A nail in streaming's coffin has been a recent purchase of a basic, elderly 20-bit Audio Note DAC which I've been tweaking internally - it sounds absolutely sublime, tonally rich, deep bass, sweet, extended treble, holographic staging - add your own audiophool hyperbole to taste, it's great, I love it, but it has just one S/PDIF input - something I'll change when I cut a new rear panel, but I'll not bother with USB, much-less bluetooth.
I've got about 2000 CDs, and 1000 LPs, many of which are distinctly underplayed, so I'll not want for diversity, but will miss new releases, so perhaps an USB to S/PDIF adaptor will be needed yet...
Flipside of this is the persistence of suitable laser drives to read optical discs - they're not like phono carts that can be knitted by bearded gurus in microscope-equipped lairs and garden dens... Perhaps I'm old enough that I may not live to see this become an issue!
Most of our casual/background listening is streaming via Amazon Music and Amazon Echo devices. Also when out and about I've used Spotify>Tidal>Amazon HD.
I stopped streaming the ripped stuff from the NAS to the hifi some time ago. Can't quite put my finger on why, but like a number of other luddites here I need that physical engagement with the media (flicking through a rack, pulling a few records out, picking one and putting it on) to actually get drive the engagement with listening to the music. I actually found I was listening to less when streaming despite the efficiency/convenience.
So the last couple of years I've been mainly listing to records on the hifi. But interestingly over recent weeks have started to think about getting the boxes of cds out of storage (4 years?)and making accessible again.... no idea what's triggered it!
Rob
I stopped streaming the ripped stuff from the NAS to the hifi some time ago. Can't quite put my finger on why, but like a number of other luddites here I need that physical engagement with the media (flicking through a rack, pulling a few records out, picking one and putting it on) to actually get drive the engagement with listening to the music. I actually found I was listening to less when streaming despite the efficiency/convenience.
So the last couple of years I've been mainly listing to records on the hifi. But interestingly over recent weeks have started to think about getting the boxes of cds out of storage (4 years?)and making accessible again.... no idea what's triggered it!
Rob
notevenclose
pfm Member
Not full-blown streaming as such but certainly from files as a primary source. Spent a decade fannying about with early USB-SP/DIF adapters, Squeezebox, Mac minis, one with external PSU that cost more than the Mac it was powering, and finally a first generation Melco. The latter was probably the best sound I've had to date from a file-based source, but still falls short of physical media, specifically in my case a CEC CDP, which is simply more 'there.'
Ironically the rot set in playing a variety of hi-res files sourced (downloaded) from Qobuz and HD tracks which I slowly realised just weren't as involving as RedBook CD. Go figure.
I still have a Mac mini in the system, using Audirvana and some pretty serious cabling. Sounds okay, pretty good actually, but these days it only gets used once in a blue moon, either for background music or occasionally an album which is only available as a download, typically bought from BandCamp.
Such streaming devices as I have heard — mostly older Naim models and the early Auralic kit — have thus far failed to get me even slightly moist. I hear good things about streamers from the likes of APL and Taiko from people whose ears and opinions I respect, but Jesus, look at the prices.
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
10 years ago I moved to Berlin and ripped about a thousand CDs before I went, so I would have stuff to listen to until all my records and CDs were shipped out (about 7000 CDs and 2000 records). In the end, my daughter was conceived and we moved back to the UK a year after leaving. No streaming after that. A year ago I took out a Tidal subscription, since it allows my daughter to discover music she likes, but I rarely use it myself except to decide whether or not a particular album is worth buying.
robs
should know how this works by no
Can't remember when I last played a CD..but many years ago. Got a squeezebox (SB3), ripped all my CDs and that was that. Must have been well over 10 years ago...
Have a couple of SBTouch's now, but listen most of the day in the office to Radio Paradise.
Have had subscriptions to Spotify, Amazon and Tidal (think I still have the latter) but never use them..
Have a couple of SBTouch's now, but listen most of the day in the office to Radio Paradise.
Have had subscriptions to Spotify, Amazon and Tidal (think I still have the latter) but never use them..
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I just need engagement with the music. The stream is often good enough to achieve this. If one gets caught up in the particular recording etc.( and I do get this) there’s a danger that the ‘collecting’ is more important than the music. Good quality streams stopped being background years ago.
the caretaker
pfm Member
Hearing so much music I never heard before on qobuz...so I listen to it..no time for cd listening.
I do quite miss my walkman and minidisc players. But really the only thing I'm missing is the age I was then!
Dave H.
Revolutionary relativist
Switched to streaming (as in local hard drive, not relying on streaming services, though I use those too for discovery etc) a few years ago.
In the course of auditioning DAC-ish gear lately, I had one of the new Marantz CD + network players here for a while, and played some CDs from my recently ripped pile just to try it out.
Tactility, less choice paralysis, more inclined to play an album without flitting…
I could definitely see the argument for moving back.
My place is too small now to house the old collection (which is in storage), and I’ve probably spent too much on downloads for it to ever make sense to switch back. But all things being equal, I’d be tempted.
In the course of auditioning DAC-ish gear lately, I had one of the new Marantz CD + network players here for a while, and played some CDs from my recently ripped pile just to try it out.
Tactility, less choice paralysis, more inclined to play an album without flitting…
I could definitely see the argument for moving back.
My place is too small now to house the old collection (which is in storage), and I’ve probably spent too much on downloads for it to ever make sense to switch back. But all things being equal, I’d be tempted.
slavedata
pfm Member
Ripped lots of CDs, with new DAC quality now is indistinguishable from Vinyl. I'll stick to my own music have not yet subscribed to any streaming service. I can try new music on Youtube or Bandcamp or recommendations from friends. With all the concerns about MQA I have even less wish to subscribe to anything. I do download the occasional High Res product, currently looking at the Native DSD site for true high res products.
Marchbanks
Hat and Beard member
Like Dave***t I listened to most of my music from an HDD for years. Then I bought a vintage Sony (CDP555) and decided I liked listening to CDs again. I still use Spotify regularly in order to hear things I read about at a moment’s notice, but if I really like them I buy the CD.
Stuart Frazer
pfm Member
I bought a Naim NAIT 3 and CD 3.5 some months ago to reminisce a system I enjoyed on demonstration when I was just getting into serious audio equipment. They can be bettered, but this combo is all I really need to listen to the music and forget about the HiFi. I'm finding it hard to let them go.