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Streaming vs traditional

My son is talking about the "lossless" audio one can stream.  I have a good collection of CD's as well as a couple of TT and LP's with more than than I should invested in both.  (some may say too much, some may say not enough)  Anyway, thought I would come to a relative neutral forum to ask for reviews on the streaming audio.  It kinda reminds me of the Bluray and Betamax wars of years past-no standard version/format yet.  I guess it's relatively in it's infancy with lots of software and format devices on the market.  I love the convenience of CD's and the warmth and ambience of analog.  So-what's up with the streamers?
handymann
wspohn's avatar
wspohn
607 posts
 
I ripped my entire (4,000+) CD collection in FLAC and store it on a network server so that it is accessible via software to stream to any system in the house.  I use a separate DA converter (which sounds significantly better than any I've heard in any streaming system - I use Sonos). 

I did some A/B testing between live CD play and ripped flac files run through the same DA conversion and system and we were unable to detect any significant difference.

Streaming amounts to a huge convenience - to be able to access all your music from a laptop or iPad without having to search for a disc.

If your music collection is sizeable, I recommend it.
erik_squires
16,134 posts
 
I could not live without streaming. From being able to listen to great radio stations like Jazz.FM  from all over the world to having all of my music at the touch of a button or browser.

I buy CD's, but I cannot remember the last time I spun one. I don't even have a disk player attached to my DAC.

Tidal is available now on most streamers and has an AMAZING old school catalog. From Chet Baker to Prince, Led Zeppelin, completely worthwhile.

The newest streamers and DAC's have much better clocks than they did 15 years ago. The biggest gripe I have is software and Android compatibility.  For these reasons I am loathe to give up my Logitech Squeezebox Touch as the streaming infrastructure here.

Best,


E
erik_squires
16,134 posts
 
Should also point out, with exceptions like DSD and https://referencerecordings.com/

it is very difficult to get high resolution music files. You are stuck with Redbook.  Truth be told though, modern (< 5 years) DAC's sound phenomenal with Redbook now.

Also, a plug for Blue Coast Records :

http://bluecoastrecords.com/

Best,

Erik
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