If Steve Got You Last Week...


high-amp
When I did have a decent 2 channel system, I had a Roon Nucleus as my music server connected via USB to W4S 2v2SE Dac.  It sounded much better than my Oppo BDP95 disc player.
@grannyring

You're welcome. If you find that you might have an interest in the SimAudio you might want to reach-out to Nashville Hifi. I bought mine without auditioning , but maybe they have a demo model that they'd let you try at home since you are in the area. If not for Covid I'd be happy to drive up from Germantown with mine
Simaudio seems to be getting a lot of good press these days.

I know Advanced Audio in Tacoma WA (now under the Definitive Audio’s umbrella) is now carrying their gear and promoting with the Vandersteen line now.

Only in Canada...Eh!
There are so many variables at play in different systems, not least the person and the room. And yet, without generalizations no one would have an opinion and there would be no fun discussions or debates. That doesn't mean there are no valid points made about the gear or technology involved, but they're typically overstated and underdetermined. At least that's what I've perceived.

On the other hand, one very real (and fairly transferable) fact about listening to CD's vs. streaming for me (I do both) is the the different framework for the experience. One selects and puts a CD on, then sits and listens for a couple songs, if not the whole thing. This is different than most of my streaming, which jumps from song to song. Often, too, I wind up seeing a text notification or some other distraction. This is my fault, but there it is a way of listening much more vulnerable to fragmentation than CD's. (Or vinyl.)

I'm not getting rid of streaming, but I grew up listening to sides of albums, and the iTunes one-song-at-a-time thing was initially repulsive to me. Now, it's mostly how I listen, and I'm questioning whether that is something I want to scale back upon.