Did you notice....

I went from a Node 2i back to CD’s.  I even tried sending the signal thru an external DAC, but it never approached the sound I get from CDs. Like the vinylphiles, there’s something tactile about reading the CD booklet and seeing what artists are playing on the track. 
 

One thing I will say about streaming, it was great for screening discs before I made the decision to buy them.  Still do that with Amazon Music.  It’s saved me some money a couple times. 

I'm getting better results streaming directly from Qobuz compared to playing CD's on a Mark Levinson 37 transport / 360S DAC; but I have put a great deal of effort into optimizing my digital front end.

CD player into my preamp does not sound better than my Streamer + DAC (Qobuz). CD player as a transport into my DAC, I really cannot tell a difference. Full disclosure I only had a dozen or so CD’s on hand, Boston on MoFi and a couple Telarc’s were about as good as it got. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I must agree, a good CD player outperforms any streaming service I have used. It is handy to listening to new music that gets a good review. But I seldom agree with the reviewer. If I really like it, I buy the CD. Happy Listening!

I’ve only been streaming a couple months now and I have found a few streaming  tracks that sound better than the CD, but I’m mostly listening to music I don’t already have. I’ve been having a blast listening to tunes/albums that others have recommended.