Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming

Compression is also a good thing when listening to music casually.

Yes this is so true, the only times are when:
1: dinner parties
2: background music
3: in lifts
4: when your on the phone
5: not to blow up ear buds or your ears
6: and to stop the wife from saying turn it down during crescendo’s
7: also in the car so the road noise doesn’t mask the low level parts.

Think of it this way, what sounds in real natural life are compressed? NONE!
So why do it to our music when we want to listen to it seriously in all it’s dynamic wonder???

Cheers George

My LPs, 78s and CDs are permanent items as long as there are adequate playback devices for them.  I can access them only limited by electrical power, not by internet frailties.

@fleschler 
Any particular new GD release you can recommend (not a die hard fan yet - like their acoustics most).

Georgehifi:  the thing is we want to listen to recordings that are not compressed.  The other 99% of music consumers benefit from some amount of compression, for all the reasons you listed and more.  The big record companies know where their bread is buttered.  That's why I appreciate the serious efforts of all the small independent companies that bother with releasing remastered material for us hifi nuts.  And it makes it worthwhile digging up vintage recordings at thrift stores and vinyl shops.

The Mofi 45rpm releases of "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead" are wonderful.