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Anyone gone back to CD from streaming?

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. 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.
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Agree 100%. My problem with streaming is manyfold:

Firstly, I have a political problem with it, which Tony has talked about here. I don't like not building and not owning my collection. I like the concept and idea of a collection. It's highly personal, highly individualized objectivized representation of ourselves. It's a process of self-discovery. Streaming eliminates that in favour of quick consumption. Also, we have absolutely no real control over format, access and duration of service through time with streaming. You don't really have anything and it can all disappear tomorrow. I don't like that. It fascinates me how easily people give away control just for a little convenience.

Secondly, I like physicality of a format. It also communicates meaning, and is complementary to music. It enhances music. I can't get excited about an interface on a screen.

I like investing in and building a collection. It makes me think about what i really want and what i really like.

I also like the ritual and intention behind playing a record. It's mindful. I like being present when I listen to music and I like concept of an album. Streaming can be used in such a way, but it's not a medium that encourages or supports this approach well. Streaming seems like much better suited for background music, which is how I don't like interacting with music.

Thr only streaming I do is local streaming from my FLACs on my PCs hdd.
 
It depends on what you mean by streaming.

I've ripped all my CDs to FLAC and stream them from a NAS. So I'm streaming CDs. I still buy CDs from time to time too, but they just get ripped, never played.
 
popol_vuh said:
Agree 100%. My problem with streaming is manyfold:

Firstly, I have a political problem with it, which Tony has talked about here. I don't like not building and not owning my collection. I like the concept and idea of a collection. It's highly personal, highly individualized objectivized representation of ourselves. It's a process of self-discovery. Streaming eliminates that in favour of quick consumption. Also, we have absolutely no real control over format, access and duration of service through time with streaming. You don't really have anything and it can all disappear tomorrow. I don't like that. It fascinates me how easily people give away control just for a little convenience.

Secondly, I like physicality of a format. It also communicates meaning, and is complementary to music. It enhances music. I can't get excited about an interface on a screen.

I like investing in and building a collection. It makes me think about what i really want and what i really like.

I also like the ritual and intention behind playing a record. It's mindful. I like being present when I listen to music and I like concept of an album. Streaming can be used in such a way, but it's not a medium that encourages or supports this approach well. Streaming seems like much better suited for background music, which is how I don't like interacting with music.

Thr only streaming I do is local streaming from my FLACs on my PCs hdd.
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It is possible to own and collect, but still be streaming - you just stream from a local copy rather than a streaming service, which seems to be part of the mix you're using.
 
I ripped my CDs about 10 years ago or so, but the drive failed a few years back, and I couldnt face repeating the job. I stream a lot, have a subscription to Spotify mostly for my children, but I use it at times, and Amazon HD. I have used Quoboz and Tidal too. If you don't already have a collection of CDs or vinyl, and you're not into collecting, I'd never advise anyone to do anything other than stream. The quality can be very very good, and for a few quid per month you have access to a vast amount of music.

Downside is I tend to listen to too much of the same stuff and it is too easy to skip to your favourite tracks. I find it much harder to hear new music now but do try to listen to the likes of Mark Riley and others on Radio 6 from time to time, which works.

I'm not sure I ever loved CDs though, may be I should dig out my old Naim CD player from under the bed and give it a whirl. I do have a 1000 or so LPs, but rarely buy any new vinyl either these days.

I do think there is something singularly lovely about being able to look at the music you loved so much you went out and bought.
 
Rediscovered my CD collection (+2500 CDs) last year when we moved to the South into a bigger home. Since the move most of the serious listening was done using CDs (approx. 75-80%). Streaming, vinyl (have a collection of approx. 1000 LPs) and ripped CDs account for the rest.

For casual listening and to discover new music I use streaming (Apple Music). Still buy CDs, LPs or downloads. The latter preferably over Bandcamp.
 
Countryman said:
I was a devout CD and vinyl user until two weeks ago when I picked up a Yamaha WXAD 10 and now stream through that. Good points and bad……
Good: whole world of music at your fingers for instant listening; pretty much cd quality with Tidal HiFi, took 500+ compact discs out of the house so more space
Bad: I’ve slipped into bad listening habits, almost like ‘grazing’; I don’t feel I own the music, I’m just leasing it; I can only listen to what streaming services choose to provide; took 500+ compact discs out of the house, I told my wife it was like putting my life in storage.
I think my cd collection will return…
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Enjoy all that you have available to you…and yes bring those CD’s back in. Today I have enjoyed LP’s, CD’s and streamed radio from my Bluesound Node. Life has never been better for the music lover. Embrace it all!
 
ArtK said:
Enjoy all that you have available to you…and yes bring those CD’s back in. Today I have enjoyed LP’s, CD’s and streamed radio from my Bluesound Node. Life has never been better for the music lover. Embrace it all!
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Thank you. Indeed I do. I have my - ever increasing - vinyl collection. I’ve kept my best-loved CDs in the house to listen to and streaming is always there when I need it. Who knows, I might get my old tape deck out at some point ;)
 
I was mainly CD based (and DCC) for along time. I kept a TT because I liked it, and liked playing the odd LP, especially things from the pre CD era. About 12-15 years ago I ripped everything on CD my wife and I had to FLAC and ran squeeze box Duets for the smaller systems while the main one used a CDT playing the actual disks. It sounded better. Much better.
Now my primary listening is done running these files (and more files now obviously) from PC using Media Monkey running ASIO drivers into a reclocker then a DAC. I've found this essential using USB as a source. This is now my highest quality source, and sounds better than the PC applications for streaming services that run through Windows core mixer.
The Main system will also run with these FLAC files, running from a Nova Fidelity unit, again through a separate DAC, probably with another reclocker.

I still tend to buy CDs and then rip them if they're not available as wav or FLAC downloads.
 
Does the reclocker do SRC too?

I have hacked LMS to do SoX bitshift-upsampling-VC-dither before sending over optical to my Touch. My DAC is internally 24 bit so it all fits well.
 
darrenyeats said:
Does the reclocker do SRC too?

I have hacked LMS to do SoX bitshift-upsampling-VC-dither before sending over optical to my Touch.
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I use a Mutec MC3+ USB, and yes it can do SRC as I understand it, although I run everything at it's native rate. It's the removal of the jitter that's important, especially over USB.
 
Demonstrably putting my money where my mouth is....I bought a new (used) cd player today. Densen B400XS which I've always fancied trying as I had their B400 for quite a few years.
 
I’ve recently invested in a handful of discs spinners. One SACD player, and four CD players. This is partly the hifi collector urge at play, but also partly because I too find myself grazing on streaming / ripped CD.

I now listen to whole CDs, and am more likely to give a new CD a second and third spin when returning to a session. I do still stream quite a lot, and primarily still use it to find the new stuff which I’ll then buy on disc.
 
Well, I just ripped my new John McLaughlin CD that took two weeks to get here, went to play it in Roon, and what do you know, there is now a Qobuz version and in better than CD quality! So a complete waste of time and money. €20 less to spend on John McLaughlin gigs.
 
AndyU said:
Well, I just ripped my new John McLaughlin CD that took two weeks to get here, went to play it in Roon, and what do you know, there is now a Qobuz version and in better than CD quality! So a complete waste of time and money. €20 less to spend on John McLaughlin gigs.
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Have you compared them? I don’t think it’s a given that the Qobuz version will be better SQ.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
Have you compared them? I don’t think it’s a given that the Qobuz version will be better SQ.
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Who cares? I was half way through the rip when I discovered the Qobuz one, I switched, can’t say I noticed anything either way. It isn’t a very well produced album - made in lockdown, lots of mixing. But Qobuz is generally tremendous quality, with many current classical releases in better than CD quality, and they sound great. And it is far easier to build a useful, rich and rewarding library with software like Roon and Qobuz than it is with CDs and shelves.
 
I’ve always hated CD. Horrid plastic casing and info so small. With streaming I’ve the option of the amount of data I’m prepared to pay for and it’s ease of reading. So it makes more sense as a partner to my vinyl collection which is a pleasure to handle and I can read comfortably. Prosaic but true.
 
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