When did you digitize your CDs and LPs? I still haven’t...

+1 johnss I use two backups. Every time I add more than 5 CDs I copy to one of backups (altering between them). Using two backups protects me from loss of everything in case when one backup goes wrong, like controller failure (voltage spike, virus etc) that can damage both HDs. It is extremely rare, but I don’t want to rip 2000 CDs again. Recently I bought CarbonCopyCloner on sale and it is fantastic.

I’m using a Bluesound Node 2i right now. It gets the streaming job done yet I can’t help but wonder why I had to pay $550 just to get a box that’ll let me stream Tidal from my phone to my amplifier. Seems like there should be something even simpler..

Streaming.....sometimes it’s just overwhelming having access to millions of albums all at once. The nice thing about a CD collection is you have to get up and look around at it and then you rediscover things. Then, I look at some of my shelves and feel like I’m in my college apartment with CDs everywhere. Yikes.

Is it a drag to have to back up the back up of the stored CDs? I guess it’s a quiet procedure but then with the cost of, say, an Innuous Zen Mini Mk III, the upgraded power supply and then two external drives, I’m creeping up on $3k just so I don’t have to change the CD when it’s done?

I guess I’m stuck between thinking “yeah, just jump all the way into streaming” and “bah, why bother.” Maybe I can be the last man standing with a buggy whip.

but then with the cost of, say, an Innuous Zen Mini Mk III, the upgraded power supply

You’re better off just getting the Zen than the Mini and upgraded power supply IMO unless you need the DAC in the Mini, but you’ll want to upgrade that anyway. 

I’m creeping up on $3k just so I don’t have to change the CD when it’s done?

No.  Your streamed music will sound better through the Zen than the Node with the added ability to access all your CD music from your chair in any order you wish or even listen to it randomly.  Then again, if you prefer to just listen to one familiar CD at a time then perhaps a CD player is just fine.  Personally, since I started streaming I’ve found so much incredible new music I rarely play my CDs anymore, but that’s me. 

I ripped my 1K plus collection of CD’s 4 years ago when I bought Vault 2 and then sold most of it for pennies on the dollar.  My collection is now reduced to about 200 discs that are mostly SACD, K2HD and XRCD. I wasn’t going to give away those for pennies :-) 

As others have pointed out, streaming offers equal or better SQ than redbook CD’s. I use Qobuz which IMO is better than Tidal. 

OP

there is no reason why you “have” to rip your physical media and play it from a streamer.  It isn’t obsolete.  I’m not a vinyl guy, but it’s making a comeback, the turntables and amps out there are a huge step better than what you had growing up. As far as CDs,the difference between playing digits from a spinning disc vs a hard drive isn’t much.  This being an audiophile forum, you will get people arguing to the death that one sounds better than the other, but it boils down to ?which CDP vs which streamer?
   It is more of a Lifestyle issue.  With streaming you don’t have to leave the couch, and you can save space if you discard the physical stuff.  Otoh, you get all the IT issues with streaming, with streamers not being recognized by home systems, ISP throttling bandwidth, dropouts, etc.  if you are comfortable dealing with networking issues, you might think no biggie.  I am older than you, and IT issues are my biggest hassle at work.  I hate coming home and finding that all the boxes in my music system which played so nicely the day before now are in a snit and not talking with each other.  Re:   Your comments about the Node2 .  You didn’t need to buy it.
You can stream direct from a computer to a DAC that accepts USB
(you do have a DAC, right?  Check for inputs on your CDP if you don’t).