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Music server v dedicated CD player

clivem2 said:
They move from albums to to track based listening.
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That's true but when you think about it many of us in the dim and distant past would make our own compilations on cassettes and then more recently on CDRW's.
This just makes it so much easier - I quite often make a playlist on the fly to listen to over a nice evening meal for example.
That said there are certain albums where I wouldn't dream of cherry picking particularly some of the older prog albums.
 
clivem2 said:
For some (many?) streaming changes the way they listen to music. They move from albums to track based listening. I try to avoid this, ie cherry picking instant enjoyment vs a deeper appreciation of a complete work. Streaming though has a strong positive in terms of discovering new music, often based on your preferences.
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Not sure that's true.I think most of the young listen that way anyway, ever since iTunes, Spotify etc. That's the new way of getting into music and cherry picking is OK. Hence playlists, Spotify etc. Like buying and listening to singles really. Older folks like us still listen to albums. I listen to classical so cherry picking is difficult. I listen to full albums on all formats and I presume most do this on here. So this morning I have listened to Burt Bacharach covers followed by Diana Krall Look of Love album. If I venture into the kitchen Ill tend to cherry pick on my Alexa as I'm never really in there for too long. So people who have always listened to full albums and always worked towards a 'deeper appreciation' etc. continue to do this with streaming services. They have not changed the way they listen to music. I like the fact that I have such a vast library to chose from and in classical I can compare recordings easily or sit and listen to Radio 3 Building a Library and play the chosen recording immediately. And all this with a sound that is very good and equitable to my cd and vinyl.
 
Rico said:
Interesting: I've never heard a transport and DAC combo sound anywhere near as good as a great CD player (Linn CD12/Naim CDS3+XPS/Naim CD555)... but I have head network/streaming front-ends that best the CD555.
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I would include 1 box CD players too.
 
We always listen to „Random Album“ and just skip the occasional Album from time to time. Often we are suprised of the music we own, long forgotten stuff comes up, bringing up memories along with it.
We never doug through our CDs or Vinyl like this
 
Del monaco said:
Not sure that's true.I think most of the young listen that way anyway, ever since iTunes, Spotify etc. That's the new way of getting into music and cherry picking is OK. Hence playlists, Spotify etc. Like buying and listening to singles really. Older folks like us still listen to albums. I listen to classical so cherry picking is difficult. I listen to full albums on all formats and I presume most do this on here. So this morning I have listened to Burt Bacharach covers followed by Diana Krall Look of Love album. If I venture into the kitchen Ill tend to cherry pick on my Alexa as I'm never really in there for too long. So people who have always listened to full albums and always worked towards a 'deeper appreciation' etc. continue to do this with streaming services. They have not changed the way they listen to music. I like the fact that I have such a vast library to chose from and in classical I can compare recordings easily or sit and listen to Radio 3 Building a Library and play the chosen recording immediately. And all this with a sound that is very good and equitable to my cd and vinyl.
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Not only do older folks listen to albums, artists also produce albums - yes because this is what the industry demands. I'm not having a dig at streaming - I stream and have a largish collection too. People will do what they want with music selections. It is now so easy to switch to not just the next track on an album but a track on a totally different album - I've seen lots of people do this, I do it myself when I'm in that mood too. This has only been possible since the iTunes era.

I don't believe streaming-based cherry-picking is the same as producing compilation tapes - this required effort and the compilations were usually deliberate choices for a party, holiday or driving music.

My thought is that if this ends up being only way the majority of people listen there will be no more albums in the end, just immediately approachable chart type music but by then we'll have died out (most current PFM members). It's just change and a small one relative to the current change in our lifestyles.
 
Different for Classical but I'd willingly pare down the fodder filling of many albums. Maybe EPs should be more popular. To be fair I have witnessed people switching between tracks on a CD and then Vinyl before. I don't think it's a new phenomenon. And cherry picking doesn't necessarily indicate shallow understanding. I'll occasionally put on a single track to listen to or play to someone as I really like it and want to share it. Kids make up playlists of their favourite artists or tracks and they are albums in themselves.
 
Lifestyle choice, and familiarity with the sound through the whole audio system is important for me.
So personally sound quality and keeping the same CD player, amp and speakers for over two decades has given me high end sound for one major spend, twenty plus years ago.
Consequently its worked out cost effective to have my music in this way. Which is important for me.

A few years ago I was able to have the CD player serviced and upgraded . I found the sound more detailed, but lost something in the delivery. Although it is nice to have HDCD, as I live on a supplemented diet of Grateful dead gigs, and "I'm putting on weight".
I liken this to an old Lp 12 compared to modern Lp12, in sound presentation.

What I appreciate about this concept of audio ownership was I was able to have a very well made product tweaked whilst keeping the main body of the player, ie CDM9 pro transport and the overall build quality of the player the same.
I then purchased the same companies outboad DAC.
Even more detail, but the sound signature of the product is still there, but well fleshed out.
I am also convinced we will continue to extract more information off a CD disk.

I have tried recently to enjoy a music server in an expensive Naim system, whilst it was lovely, it isn't the same sound that I have been able to create at home , in my system .
I'm sure this says more about my preferences on every level, and less about whats best etc.
I didn't like using a tablet either.
However I sometimes look at my shelves of CD'S and say, "I cannot keep purchasing CD's much longer." Well at least until the next live, "Dead gig gets released".
 
First there is the production of the music. If a CD is well produced then a decent player or transport with Dac if that's your thing will give a good account of the CD. Like you point out the problem with extracting the breath of the player or the individual harmonics of a string is that it can change what you here and not necessarily for the better therefore losing something. I tried a transport and dac recently with a lovely Rachmaninov and though it appeared to present more detail, the odd amplified woodwind sound and a cough in the audience, it lost the flow or momentum of the music and its focus on midrange in the recording began to trip the music. It's subjective. of course. Others like a hyper detailed sound but it brings a coolness and detachment for me and takes me away form the emotions of the music. It's like conductors who play with the tempi of music and end up creating a juddering piece that used to move you. Like comparing Mravinsky's 'Pathetique' to Bernstein's. Some conductors just get it right. Id rather have a player that does this than go on a continuous quest for more detail extraction. Musical integrity over Sound I suppose.
 
leroyd said:
I to purchased the Marantz 63 KI SE when it first came to market. It was serious shillings for me at the time, costing more than what I had paid for my S/H Linn sondek TT. I remember being so disapointed with the performance of that player.
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Snap, I also purchased a CD63 KI SE that many were raving about tat the time. I found it a joy paired with an Audiolab 8000 pre/power duo and some Mission 7-something floorstanders.

I also found it relatively smooth to listen to. The 'relative' bit being in A/B comparison with the MF XRay CD Player that it supplanted, which was harsh and shrill and tiring. I never got on with in that system. For some reason I still have the XRay, but let the CD63 go..

My reflectively humble SBT and Benchmark set up gives me far more pleasure these days. Far from track-hopping, what do I love is the ability to build a playlist, as you listen, and from many sources (NAS, Qobuz, Spotty) - across the genres and easily. All from a 10" screen on my lap, or a plethora of other input devices.
 
adamdea said:
That's exactly what a playlist is.
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The point is the effort required behind a compilation tape is orders of magnitude greater so it didn't happen so often whereas cherry-picking via streaming takes place daily for many. That's the difference.
 
clivem2 said:
The point is the effort required behind a compilation tape is orders of magnitude greater so it didn't happen so often whereas cherry-picking via streaming takes place daily for many. That's the difference.
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If your point is that putting together a playlist is easier and quicker than recording a compilation tape then, well, yes. But a playlist can very well be a deliberate choice for party, holiday and driving music, and can be created with exquisite care. It can (infinitely more easily) have a collaborative element too. And of course the distribution is easier.

I am not talking here about any old sequence of what someone happens to listen to.
 
adamdea said:
If your point is that putting together a playlist is easier and quicker than recording a compilation tape then, well, yes. But a playlist can very well be a deliberate choice for party, holiday and driving music, and can be created with exquisite care. It can (infinitely more easily) have a collaborative element too. And of course the distribution is easier.

I am not talking here about any old sequence of what someone happens to listen to.
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My original point was around cherry-picking as a way of listening. Playlists got introduced along they way but that wasn't the original intent.
 
Yes. But actually the same points apply to generalised observation about cherry-picking (which is of course essential if you want to pick cherries)
Streaming does change the way people listen but it isn't all one way. It's much easier in file based audio to listen to complete operas or works which don't fit onto one side, or which are sometimes split across cds on boxed sets. Aside from classical music I also have friends who distribute dj sets via internet streams and playlists, which i regard as creative and useful and which can of course create a completely new sort of "live" event.

Many people have commented that computer audio makes them more restless, but not everyone as a problem with it. On the whole i find the technology liberating not confining, and as far as I am aware, people do still make albums. The point might also be made that the album as the unit of "work of art" is not something which has been wholly dominant in the history of music, even during the period of recorded music.
 
I'd intended this theme as a comment of streaming rather than a criticism. I suppose we can think of radio as cherry-picking too as this delivers the DJ's playlist.

clivem2 said:
For some (many?) streaming changes the way they listen to music. They move from albums to track based listening. I try to avoid this, ie cherry picking instant enjoyment vs a deeper appreciation of a complete work. Streaming though has a strong positive in terms of discovering new music, often based on your preferences.
Click to expand...

I recognise the restlessness that can come from streaming so I actively manage how I listen at times - this is down to an awareness of the impact streaming can have but it's a personal decision how you want to approach your listening experience. For sure I benefit from the freedom streaming gives.
 
Del monaco said:
Musical integrity over Sound I suppose.
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Yes, preserving the integrity of the music and the integrity of the overall sound .
I learnt through my upgrading over the years, it wasn't necessarily better, perhaps different and sometimes not as engaging/enjoyable.
I am careful not to make those changes nowadays and equally as tight! When I listen to a product I am listening to how it might or might not fit into my current system's sonic delivery.
I never much cared for change anyway, "except in my pocket". In fact I am more likely to buy a modern Lp12 than a streamer or music server.
I'll be like one of those guys who can't move around his house for black and silver plastic things with dulled and frayed coverings all over the floor. Crawling through gaps to reach for the kettle.
 
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I recognise the restlessness that can come from streaming so I actively manage how I listen at times - this is down to an awareness of the impact streaming can have but it's a personal decision how you want to approach your listening experience. For sure I benefit from the freedom streaming gives.
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I agree that there are pitfalls. and that one has to manage one's listening. But for some reason this whole trend of thought brings to mind the dicussion (possibly in Nick Hornby's Hi fidelity) of whether cds have obscured the cirtical importance of the "beginning of side 2" track
 
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