Is Pretty Good Good Enough? Listening Habits In The World Of Streaming Services.

CD, SACD, SHM-CD, SHM-SACD, DVD audio, etc etc. 

  dedicated CD player, descent cables, quality preamp, power amp(s)

Way above and beyond downloading, streaming, Amazon, apple downloads , etc etc. 

bought a handful of Apple Music, and songs,through,Amazon, etc,….there is no comparison in quality, CD, and hard copies wreck streaming, downloads, the music I’ve downloaded, bought highest quality available, will burn to cd, it is filled with audible hiss, sometimes a slight loss in some Freq’s compared to playing the same song on cd. Not bad if your not listening for it, we have a very revealing and accurate system, and shows flaws in audio sometimes. 
 

I did run the songs through audiolab 3.0, lower the high freq’s and upper midrange freq’s just a “dab”. Then burn again with 96K on a taiyo yuden cd-r. 
 

  Much better, but I should not have to do so when spending money on “air” or buying “nothing”. 
don’t buy much music this way, only a handful of download only bonus stuff, or bonus tracks from a,specific album on apple or Amazon. So when I add the downloaded song to the hard copy rip to iTunes, there is a fairly noticeable dip or increase in volume, or audio quality. 
 

It is all about the music any way I can get it. Yes I prefer and enjoy my reference system but that does no stop me from listening to music in my car, on the plane, or in my office through wireless bluetooth speakers. I will take music any way I can get it and the fringe delivery systems only make me appreciate and enjoy my reference system that much more. I stream Qobuz and it sounds really good and it has allowed for me to discover new artists I would have never found before.  Just shut down the echo and noise in your head and enjoy the music.

lg1 This post of yours sounds exactly as if I wrote it. I tried Tidal but found Qobuz more to my taste. Glad to see I am not alone in these thoughts and actions.

The Grace Digital Link provides "Good Enough" and maybe more. Anyone spending more than the $179 asking price to stream is tossing away money imo. If you want hi-res, as MC pointed out, listen to an LP....its where it's at if you want all your "inner detail". Streaming is a convenience, that's it! It is not for critical listening. 

Playing vinyl on my system is my favorite method of listening to music. It brings me the most musical enjoyment. I love the sound quality and I love the process of listening to records.

Somehow I "discovered" all the artist and LPs that I own and play. In the past, it was mostly radio that brought these "discoveries" to me. Today, most radio stations are corporate owned and mostly play the same very limited playlist. If you are lucky enough to have a great independent radio station within your reception range, I'm happy for you. Enjoy it. And support it. I hope you discover some great new music you can buy on vinyl or CD to enjoy it more deeply..

Unfortunately, many people do not have any good radio stations near them, so chances for "discovery" are severely limited. This is where streaming can be a godsend, even if the streaming sound quality in the user's system does not reach the level of their vinyl/CD rig.

Streaming internet radio, like Radio Paradise, or a streaming service, like Spotify, Qobuz or Tidal, are a great way to discover new (or new to you) music. It can help you expand your knowledge of music by exposing you to artists you would otherwise never likely hear. You can build playlists of music you like and want to hear again, or you can listen to internet radio or a streaming service and let someone else (or an algorithm) choose selections for you. The algorithms are pretty good. They will use the stuff you've listened to before, or songs you "liked" and create playlists of similar stuff. They sometimes stray off into areas you would have never chosen, but may really like.

I'm a music lover. I listen to music every day: at home, in the car, when I work in the lawn, when I exercise. It is great that over the last few years I've discovered new music via streaming either internet radio or streaming services or even youTube. I've discovered more new (or new to me) music over the last few years of streaming Radio Paradise and Spotify, than in the previous 15-20 years of the old method.

When I discover some great new music that I want to enjoy more deeply, I look to see if it is available on vinyl. If so, I buy it so I can enjoy it more deeply. And I hope the artist makes a couple more bucks in the process...

Enjoy your music, however you choose to listen.