Is using streaming services worthy of an audiophile?


I read that a lot of people on this forum use Tidal etc. Is this ok from audiophile perspective? I mean, do people who use such services actually know what quality is streamed? Don’t you lose all control over your music when you surrender to streaming services?
defiantboomerang
Yes, only the audiophiles who want access to massive quantities of music of all varieties, though.
I've been Tidaling for about a week now, both in my Hegel/Oppo/Acoustic Zen reference system and in my family room Sony/Elac system. It sounds much better than spotify in both and though it doesn't quite match my vinyl rig for sheer detail, I'm perfectly happy with it in lieu of spinning discs, especially when I'm too lazy to actually get up to change discs.
The reason the vinyl rig seems to produce more detail is that the dynamic range of vinyl is more limited. Therefore, both in the mastering and in the cutting the peaks have to be limited to avoid distortion and even the stylus jumping out of the groove, and the low level signals have to be lifted above all that surface noise (also, low frequencies have to be in mono for the same reason that peaks have to be limited). The end result is a dynamically compressed signal that suggests there is more detail. If you want to, you can achieve the same with digital compression. There are quite a few plug ins for mastering consoles to mimic this vinyl sound.
Sorry if I have destroyed an illusion.
@willemj Illusions, by their nature, exist as self-created projections of what the individual wants to see or hear. Thus, you can't destroy what is not yours to destroy.
willemjsThe reason the vinyl rig seems to produce more detail is that the dynamic range of vinyl is more limited. Therefore, both in the mastering and in the cutting the peaks have to be limited to avoid distortion and even the stylus jumping out of the groove ...
This is a common misconception and completely mistaken. It's easy to see why people believe this, though, because digital certainly has a wider potential dynamic range than LP. However - in practice - that potential is often not realized. In part because of the Loudness Wars, the dynamic range of digital files is often compressed, which can make them more listenable in a noisy environment. Producers of LPs rightly assume that an LP is more likely to be heard in a quiet, domestic environment, so it can accommodate a wider dynamic range. You can prove this for yourself by purchasing a few LPs of new releases, and comparing them to the same music on other formats.

The claim that on an LP  "low level signals have to be lifted above all that surface noise" is just nonsense. You can prove this to yourself by listening to the quiet bands between LP tracks at your normal listening level. Nor is it true that LF must be summed into mono, although it is a very common practice.