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I Sold my CD Player!!! Streaming sounds so incredible!!!

Several years ago, was the very first time I had the opportunity to hear a very high end, high quality, streaming audio system.  Once I heard it, I was smitten, and I knew right then and there that this was me all the way!!!  I was absolutely blown away by the handy convenience of the little iPad (or cell phone) used as remotes to control the otherworldly access to a virtual ocean of music via Tidal, Qobuz or downloads.  I immediately recognized this new technology as the future of my own audio system, especially with all the new hi rez stuff out there that was now made available. I gave up vinyl when CD came on the scene (yes, I'm an old guy), and, now, perhaps, it would be finally time to retire my beloved CD player.  Long story short:  What put my streaming audio system over the top, as far as sound quality is concerned, was the assemblage of these core streaming devices-----( #1) A superb DAC, by Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty streaming DAC  (#2)  An outstanding music server, by Roon Nucleus Plus  (#3) An outstanding Audio Switch, by Pakedge Devices   (#4) Excellent Ethernet Cables, by Shunyata Sigma.  I also utilize numerous other tweaks and filters that further purify the streaming audio signal within my room and audio system.  At this juncture in life, I am just mesmerized by the combination of sound quality and convenience that I get through my streaming audio system.  I'm also happy and pleased to report that, I don't miss my old beloved CD player one bit.  Happy listening.              

kennymacc
deep_333
1,448 posts
 

Here’s a great article from someone who knows over at Audiophilestyle.com. When taking the dive into streaming and storage, please be aware of the maintenance involved. Good discussion in the comments section as well. All the best,Nonoise

Dude in the article is worrying a bit much....I keep backup drives in my bank lockbox in case my house caught fire or a tornado took it to the clouds.

Solid state NAS drives should be around for a 100 years easy, if stored correctly. Legacy software is just what it is...software...can be written again to access a legacy drive 60 years later, if needed (AI will be writing any software 20 years from now)..

jssmith
321 posts
 

I went a step further and went voice-controlled. Talk about convenience. I sold off most of my CDs a while ago. The LPs have been long gone. Even though I'm older I'm certainly not what I see typical for my age, and for most older generations ... people desperately trying to hang on to the comfortable past. I want as much useful technology as possible. My current obsession is Artificial Intelligence, mostly for investment purposes, but what it has taught me is that within 5 years you won't be able to tell whether music is human or computer. Musicians will no longer be needed. Then you're really going to be hearing the complaints from the older generations.

firstonetallguy
88 posts
 

@baylinor

"Au contraire"  --  Very nice.  I love the French.  I took it in high school, 2 years.  I can't read a word, but I liked the comment.

 

jafant's avatar
jafant
19,745 posts
 

rbstehno

 

PM sent.   Happy Listening!

yoyoyaya's avatar
yoyoyaya
764 posts
 

Something, I don’t think mentioned so far is that the recording of music has been radically democratised in recent times and that’s been complemented by musicians’ access to streaming platforms.

If you’re the average musician, there’s no money to be made from it, but at least your music gets a chance to be heard remotely.

In any event, the vast majority of professional musicians have always made their money by playing live gigs and not from recording, so in the aggregate, I would argue that streaming has been a positive development for musicians.

 

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