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Anyone gone back to CD from streaming?

As 90% of my listening is in the car (25K miles per year for work) and my KEF Muo in the kitchen, then Spotify has been an absolute boon for me. I’m always looking for new stuff to try and enjoy many of their recommendations.

We have 2500 CDs which are now in the garage, will probably get an Innous device later in the year, was going to use a laptop but Mrs BB wants something ‘easier’.

I’m really a vinyl lover but get so little time to sit down and just listen.

Cheers BB
 
I ripped my CD collection to lossless and sold my disc spinners in 2006. I am increasingly using Spotify premium for more digital listening. Having said that, I have been considering getting a transport for occasional use.
 
I split pretty evenly between vinyl, CD and streaming. I have all 3 in "my room" but the rest of the house has streaming which Mrs kjb prefers.

If I really like a record and stream it more than 5 times I tend to then get it on vinyl or CD but I am increasingly using streaming to revisit records from the past that I never got round to buying or didn't have the money to buy - I was a single parent with 3 kids for a decade through the 90s/ early 2000s, living on a teacher's salary, so they were quite lean years for record buying and there are quite a few gaps in my collection.

Like others I'm wired for music coming in a physical format and enjoy the "tea ceremony" of choosing a record from the shelf, putting it on, sitting down, reading the sleeve or insert, and playing it start to finish. I find I flit more when I'm streaming and jump from record to record , artist to artist in an almost stream of consciousness type of way. The only time I do this with records or CDs is when I get new kit and want to see what different things sound like. I cant see myself changing from this blend of listening in the near future.
 
Tony L said:
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.
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The entire ECM catalogue, including a fair number of hi res versions, is available through Qobuz, along with a lot of other fine jazz, classical and rock music. It costs about 50p a day.
 
AndyU said:
The entire ECM catalogue, including a fair number of hi res versions, is available through Qobuz, along with a lot of other fine jazz, classical and rock music. It costs about 50p a day.
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The point I was making is one day it was there for streaming, the next day it wasn’t. Like it or not this is the reality with streaming as corporate licensing agreements frequently have time limits or change for other reasons.
 
Tony L said:
The point I was making is one day it was there for streaming, the next day it wasn’t. Like it or not this is the reality with streaming as corporate licensing agreements frequently have time limits or change for other reasons.
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This is pretty much why I am totally against that type of streaming. It's all very well selling your CDs and records because it's available to stream somewhere but you've got no control what so ever over when it's going to be there or if it get's taken down.

I'm planning to upgrade to probably a transport and DAC where 99% of my listening will still be CDs and the rest just songs I've ripped or downloaded to my laptop.
 
This is why I still listen to all formats so I can fill those gaps if I wish to. Streaming still competes sound wise though.
 
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I tried streaming and such, but couldn't be doing with it and have stuck with CDs/LPs. I may give it another go, if only because I'm running out of shelf space.
 
Sloop John B said:
Crass is using disability to signify a preference.

I’m presuming it’s just a thoughtless comment with no intent to offend but disabilities are no joke and those suffering them have a hard enough time at the best of times.

Soo disabled is just so offensive, substitute lesbian or gay or black and see how it sounds.

.sjb
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I disagree with you. I am ‘officially’ disabled and have a badge and everything.

I also have crutches to mobilise, and suffer every day with issues related to my disabilities.

Being disabled allows me to make such a comment, especially the brain damage.

If my disabilities meant that I couldn’t change a record or insert a c.d into the player, then I would use streaming services.

I was speaking my truth.





A bit sad that I have to justify my comment, yet another irony.
 
I’ve finally added a streaming solution I‘m happy with (RPi 4, digi hat feeding SPDIf into vintage Micromega Duo DAC) - sound not as good (for me…) as CD/Vinyl, but entirely acceptable. But only listen to radio paradise through it currently - is it worth me trialing a streaming service? Do they equal/better radio paradise quality?
 
The Aqua optologic dac is connected to both an Auralic streamer and cd transport. If I align a track and stream it then switch to the cd input there’s a definite difference. It’s not vast but it’s there. Cd is more immediate but both cd and streaming depends more on the quality of the recording.
For me best sq is cd - ripped cd - streamer in that order. Actually vinyl is best….
 
Still not heard a streamer/server that delivers all the subtlety and engagement of CD. I wonder if people who report that their listening habits have changed to a ‘grazing’ style in some way reflects that they aren’t as engaged, either?

That aside, I’m not signing up for a streaming service until I know the artists get a decent income from it.
 
I graze on pc, that's why I added a transport it was affecting my habits and enjoyment. When i play a cd I might listen 2-3 times, I never do that streaming
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
Still not heard a streamer/server that delivers all the subtlety and engagement of CD. I wonder if people who report that their listening habits have changed to a ‘grazing’ style in some way reflects that they aren’t as engaged, either?

That aside, I’m not signing up for a streaming service until I know the artists get a decent income from it.
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I’ve heard many that do. People graze because they can.
 
Big Tabs said:
I disagree with you. I am ‘officially’ disabled and have a badge and everything.

I also have crutches to mobilise, and suffer every day with issues related to my disabilities.

Being disabled allows me to make such a comment, especially the brain damage.

If my disabilities meant that I couldn’t change a record or insert a c.d into the player, then I would use streaming services.

I was speaking my truth.





A bit sad that I have to justify my comment, yet another irony.
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I apologise, I extrapolated your comments in error. I’m sorry that I offended you.
.sjb
 
The only advantage of a streaming service, for me, would be the ability to try new stuff before I buy, or to listen to stuff that isn’t released in physical formats.

I heard a high end streamer into the DAC of a high end CD player recently. It wasn’t even close. Ripped CDs stored on the server were better, but the CD was still well ahead in terms of subtlety, engagement and communication of the performance.
 
I listem cd’s and vinyl, but I enjoy streaming since I bought my Bluesound. Last night I saw that Billie Eilish hás a new album, and with Spotify the album is available right now.It is great, you can hear the album and save some money.
 
I stream local files into my main system. Usually album listening. SB Touch on battery power and connected via optical, works for me. I buy downloads and CDs, both end up on my local server in the study. No desire to return to CDP.

I use internet streaming for discovery and casual listening, using the speakers in my monitor/TV! Grazing occurs there.
 
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