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Fear of Streaming

So I was sitting around the other day and I had a yearning to hear Harry Chapin sing "Cats in the Cradle". Go to my vinyl collection and don't have it. Thought I did, but I was wrong. So I start thinking, maybe I can get a blue tooth device to hook to my integrated tube amp and then I can pair my phone with it and listen when I want. I find that it exists and purchase this Harmon Kardon BTA 10 device. It arrives, easy to use, and now I can listen to anything that comes through my phone onto my system. It is pretty cool to listen to the random song I haven't thought of in a while but sounds nothing like my vinyl. It does have some cool applications. For instance, I can't get any Buffalo Bills games down here in Savannah, GA. I downloaded an upstate NY radio station that airs the games and now I can listen to it live through my system which I find a very cool quality of life issue. However, it left me thinking that if I were to buy a dedicated streaming component then I would have all the world's music at my fingertips and it would sound so much better than going through that little HK BTA 10. However, here is my dilemma that I am really torn about. I love listening to my vinyl. I love the ritual of it. I love picking out the LP, queing it up, sitting down and reading the cover and sleeve. Getting up and flipping sides. Then repeat. I'm terrified that I will get lazy and stop doing this out of the convenience of tapping a button on a device. Sure, you can probably read all of the guts and inserts of an LP on an app but just isn't the same tactile pleasure nor rekindle those same feelings I remember when first discovering the wondorous beauty of sound. I realize this is my problem but was just wondering if any one else has ever felt the same struggle and how you rectified it. Did you make the leap and was happy you did so or did you look back in regret?
ricmci
big_greg
6,687 posts
 
What's wrong with having more options?  I have 4 streaming services.  I have a lot of records.  I have a bunch of SACD's.  They all get used at different times.  When I'm ready to do some serious listening in the evening though, it's vinyl time! 

Sometimes it's nice to be "lazy".  When I'm doing something around the house and don't want to have to keep stopping and flipping records I can put on a playlist and let the music just play.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,617 posts
 
Great feedback so far, nothing wrong with having more options. The tactile experience of LP or even CD’s cannot be replicated with Streaming but I love the opportunity to explore new and old tunes, all at your fingertips. 
sonicjoy
146 posts
 
Hey It’s all about music however you get it. I play records, CD’s SACD’s and stream Tidal, Qobuz, Pandora and Youtube. I find the discovery of new music through streaming to be the most amazing part of it. I find myself buying more records and CD’s now than before I began streaming. Don’t be afraid, come on in the water is fine. Yes we do live in amazing times for music and audio.
mahler123
3,448 posts
 
I do find that when I stream, I am a lot less likely to listen to an entire album than when I am listening to physical media.  So much choice and it is so tempting to change, which isn’t so easy with CDs or lps.
big_greg
6,687 posts
 
I find the discovery of new music through streaming to be the most amazing part of it.

This is a biggie for me.  To be honest, I stopped listening to radio for the most part years ago, other than a couple of classic rock stations, which by their nature, never play any new music.  I really didn't have a source of new music that I could check out until I started streaming.  Now I'm always watching the New Releases on Qobuz and Tidal and hearing a lot of cool music.  I often end up purchasing physical media after hearing something I like on a streaming service.
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