The problem with streaming

Funny, the original post started on quality of the pressing and finding the best version, then digressed into analog being so much better which most of the thread followed. 

I am 100% digital and find myself grappling with the first problem - finding the best digital version of a recording. Sadly there are few resources to help with this and it seems mostly a crap shoot, but for my money a lot of the original CD releases seem the best. 'Hi-Res' "Remastered" DSD or 196/24 often are not an improvement over the old redbook version, and just as often are far less pleasant to my ears.

Perhaps the underlying reasons for the SQ variability in digital are different, but it seems to me that a lot of it starts and ends in the studio. Still, vinyl or digital - I think that we are all on the same path of finding the best recordings to enjoy.

Happy hunting!

I am totally in with digital. I have a digital preamp/processor. I do not stream. Above all I am a music collector. I prefer owning it. It is a psychological thing. I can say that I truly HATE drop outs which are always a problem with streaming and the internet screws up up here in NH all the time. 

As for which format sounds better? It all depends on the mastering. I have probably over 100 duplicate albums in both analog and digital and I AB them all the time. It can go either way. Same thing with reissues. It can go either way. The original is not always better as some want to think.

@big_greg, I didn’t say that it is easy. Obviously, you know quite the contrary! But as @jerryg123 said, good vinyl, given everything else set up well, "sounds way better through my system as do CDs."

@dadork said he’s getting great hi res. I don’t doubt that. However, you’re still at the mercy of whatever source they used to record it to digital. You just can’t be sure and that’s the point I was making.

@vuch I understand the point you were trying to make and offered a counterpoint. I have over 2,000 records and vinyl is my main source. You can flip your next to last sentence around and say the same thing about vinyl. Especially newer pressings, which are often made from digital masters on inferior vinyl that’s very noisy, warped, etc.

And then there’s trying to find that "perfect" copy. You could buy an old scratched "super nuclear stamper" from someone for hundreds of dollars. You could buy multiple copies of the same record and do your own shootout (which I’ve done a couple of times - very frustrating). You could search the Steve Hoffman forums to find out which is the "grail" version of a certain recording and then pay hundreds of dollars for it on Discogs. Or tap a couple of buttons on your phone or tablet and hear a very good sounding copy of that same recording for a fraction of the cost and get instant gratification.

I have a pretty nice vinyl setup and a lot of times it’s magic but there are just as many times when the streaming (which is also "set up well") is equally amazing.

It’s not a binary equation, both analog and digital have their strengths and weaknesses. Those weaknesses include poor sound quality from either format if they are not well made.

@big_greg I agree Vinyl and CD are my first choice and as I listen streaming Myslivecek Violin Concerto in C. I smile thinking my streamer and DAC are wonderful too.

Cheers.

I have a pretty nice vinyl setup and a lot of times it’s magic but there are just as many times when the streaming (which is also "set up well") is equally amazing

@tunehead  - Thank you for your vote of confidence!