Youngsters these days.


My 24 year old grandson finished his tour in the service recently and has been staying with us for the past several months. He got himself a good job, to help out and take care of himself, while deciding what to do in the future - back to school, etc.
After he got a few good pay checks, I joking suggested he buy his Pa a new CD player. If looks could kill. "Why would you want a new CD player?" He asked. I told him "just to upgrade the one I have". "No one buys CD players anymore" he exclaimed. "Then what's your Idea of fine Audio, a WalkMan?" I asked. "WOW! There's not even any such thing as a WalkMan any more" he said. To which I replied, "Ya there is, we have a guy on our forum who swears by em". He just rolled his eyes and said "No - Streaming! Using an iPhone or iPad you can get a streaming package and get all the music you want". "Why would I want to do That?" I asked "I have hundreds of great LPs and CDs, that I'm perfectly happy with." To that he replied "OK Boomer".  I guess that meant he knew I was right.
Why is it that youngsters just don't understand the love that some of us old folks have for our old LPs and CDs and we  have no interest in paying for another monthly service, to listen to all the music we already have?
jhills
@stevencason
Maybe he thinks if you want a new CD player you should buy it. When I help my family I never ask for anything in return.

No, pretty sure he knew I was kidding about the buying part. His response was more about why anyone would want or use CDs anymore and why even the need for a large audio system.

We get along great, but don’t always see things the same.....Jim
I love to stream music, it has opened my ears to a variety of music that I did not know existed. It’s also a great way to de-clutter your life. Living in apartment makes you realize how much space LPs and CDs take. Take the plunge, you might enjoy it. The "Boomer " comment was condescending and disrespectful in my opinion.
Ok Boomer.  Basically, you are being called a stick in the mud.  

There is absolutely nothing wrong with new technology.  Without technological advances we would be in the dark ages.  however, that does not mean that some are actually better than what was used previously. 

The "market" drives much.  Companies, dealers, etc. try hard to separate you from your money.  and if new technologies are a way to do that, then they are fine with it.

I've compared streaming services to playing CD's through my transport and DAC combination and guess what?  The CD's sound better.  Remember, the streamer is also going through the same DAC.  So the comparison was simple, Streamer vs CD Transport.  

I also own a music server/streamer.  I've taken the time to rip all of my CDs to the hard drive on my music server and although my music server rips "bit perfect", the CD/DAC combination still sounds better than my music server/DAC combination.

not jaw dropping differences, but they are there.  

Now take a well recorded LP vs CD/DAC combination and the LP analog system is simply better.

What I'm trying to say is what is the goal here?  is it to sit and listen to music? or to listen to music as background music while doing something else?

Remember, many people don't appreciate listening to music as much as you do.  So they don't even understand the whole music thing in the first place.

You are basically speaking a totally different language to them that they would never understand.  Unless they took the time to try.

Add to that the justification of the costs of your equipment and yes, they think you are crazy in the first place.

My youngest daughter is a dancer.  She is thirty now and has danced since she was four.  Ballet, jazz, modern, etc.  mostly ballet.  She grew up listening and dancing to outstanding music and appreciates it greatly. She even has an analog system.

When my oldest daughter went to college, she came back a jazz fan.  imagine that.  

It comes down to where people are in their lives and what is important to them and what isn't important to them.

Music and listening to music is important to me.  it is a major stress relief and an enjoyment.  I grew up playing classical violin, sax, clarinet, oboe, etc. good music is important to me, such that if it doesn't sound real, then it drives me out of the room.  So, great equipment is necessary for accurate reproduction.

This is definitely not the case for many other people and there is nothing wrong with their priorities either.

The key is, do they hear a noticeable and appreciable difference when listening to music on your system vs how they typically listen?  if the answer is yes, then it comes down to justifying the expense and time to invest in the system you have vs what they have.

in closing, technology advances or we stay stagnate.  45s, 78s, LPs, 8-tracks, cassette tape (and the noise reduction technology), DATs, CDs, MP3, USB drives, music servers, streamers and dont' forget the advent of remote controls.

But, if the sound quality is not to my expectations, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon anytime soon.

enjoy
Assorted comments:

Give my music to my kids? All. of the stuff I've enjoyed is on a few portable SSDs if they are ever curious. They don't want it. They like what they like, as does EVERYONE. They don't want any of our photos either. We screenshot Snapchats of the grandkids. YRMV

FM tuner? Multiplex noise and commercials, pledge drives and bad news. Been done with that since the 20th century ended. The college stations I WAS tuning in sound better on Tune In. I avoid it in the car, bring my own music on all trips, rentals included. ISKC Blues Cafe is my idea of radio.

Streaming? Love it. The future is here. CD's CAN sound minutely better. Only for megabux in direct comparison. At least HQ streaming allows you to hear the quality of the "discovered" recordings so that you can acquire them if so inclined, files OR physical, whatever floats your dinghy. The biggest problem is maintaining the "handshake" with routers and modem. You can download any trax for when the the internet's down. In that case I'm calling for a bill credit before it comes back. I can usually restore (reboot) the "handshake" as fast as hanging a tape, dropping a needle or powering up a CDP.
Besides, at least 1 out of 3 of my streamers is probably still comnected. I think that a streamer/player with a remote will always play local, no network needed. (If one existed with i2s out I still have room...) Portable SSDs work much better for me than my NAS. Especially in a network snafu circumstance.
I can stream anything to a portable anywhere on my property, bypassing the phone streaming app.

Rent, own?
My kids value space, I value stuff.
I have the portable DVD player and Fender amp they were going to toss out. Probably be better off with someone that could use them. I use battery speakers for portable and flash drives for movies when out.
Tablets on airplanes (if ever again.)
Like George Harrison wrote about value.

Boomer?
Name calling only reflects poorly on the caller. EXCEPT for family.
Besides, if you're <60 you barely qualify for that term.

Vinyl?
The SQ depletes with each play.
It CAN sound better than the CD (for a finite time), often not. Dependant on the mastering (Doug Sax is gone) Today's best engineers like Cookie M. don't do vinyl. ...
Seems like a a rich snobs medium. And I just bought a new phono preamp to enjoy my old records. Never buying any more LPs.
jhills, take that whippersnapper behind the woodshed. Afterward, tell him, "now clean those records"!