Streaming vs Physical Media

@bkeske 

It simply depends

The truth. This is a repeated topic on this forum. The answers do not change. Setting up a good streaming system is very doable but can (Potentially)  be finicky and sometimes complex with numerous digital signal path pieces and cable hookups. 

Depends on individual effort and commitment, Streaming I'll concede can be utterly convenient and offer vast library access to all music genres. In terms of sound quality I'd readily put up a very high quality CD transport like the Pro-Ject RS2T or Jay's Audio CDT 2 or CDT3 against any streamer option mentioned thus far.

These transports are not cheap but they offer very high sonic performance from Redbook CD. Very high. My stance is you can achieve excellent sound quality with either digital source option tied  to a good DAC. CD transports and streamers can peacefully coexist.

Charles

OP,

”Would a CD transport sound better than a streamer of similar quality/price? “

It depends.

The important thing is that a streamer can sound better than a transport. Knowing that… it is critical to work on the streamer… once achieved, it will give you a nearly infinite library for almost no cost, and it is the future… no comparison… work on streaming.

I have spent decades trying to get digital to sound as good as analog… in my system it does. It can in systems of different values. My systems are shown under my USERID.

no comparison

If this is referring to sound quality I could not disagree more. Simply not true. It is however an open discussion forum so certainty all opinions are welcome. Up to the OP to decide for himself.

Charles

Unless you have a large number of CD's, or very rare music on CD (which is doubtful), I'd go just with streaming and not spend it on a CD player. I myself did have a large number of CD's (600+) and went with a Bluesound Vault and burnt them to the hard drive, and it also had streaming with it. Now I have gone up to an Aurrender. I do not find either stream or CD to be better then the other, so unless you have a good reason to copy the CD's you have, sell or give them away and spend the extra money you save not getting a CD player again on a really good streamer. Just another opinion, but I have been there and for my collection of CD's, it made sense to burn them and have streaming for anything I didn't have. Hope this is helpful.

@deadhead1000

Personally, I just can’t do that. Perhaps my age, and the ‘need’ to have physical media. Dunno.

As example, I have the Jerry Garcia Band live recording from 1990, recorded at Club Front.

I have it on my original double cassette I bought back then (still have it, and a Nakamichi tape deck), have it on CD, and also a rip of the CD on my server, also on Tidal if I want it there….and just bought the 4 1/2 LP box set that was recently released.

If I want to listen to it, I grab the vinyl first, no doubt about it. Then, maybe the CD, Or even the cassette which sounds great still. The only time I stream it is if I’m feeling extremely lazy, or listening on my bedroom system without a TT.. The vinyl is bar none the best choice SQ-wise.

That said, yea, I listen to all formats, and all are important to sound good to me regardless.