Is using streaming services worthy of an audiophile?

@rbstehno 

Many thanks for your explanation. If I understand you correctly, you are saying that ripping can correct some errors that cannot be corrected when you play a CD in real time? There are some things in your post I still don't understand.

1. Why is the number of rpm's important for error correction?
2. How many errors are made by a typical CD player during play?
3. What is the percentage reduction in the number of errors when you rip a CD and play the file?

I’m not saying that cds can’t handle playing music, most do just fine. When you read from a hdd, depending on the quality and speed of the hdd, you read many more MB per rotation, probably more MB than the size of the song. When you read all of this data into memory the system has much more time to process the data. I am not saying that CD players are bad but if you notice, your better players include more memory for processing the data.
some people must think if hdd is better than cd  then ssd must be better yet. For music not true. The companies that include ssd for buffer usage, could be doing more harm than good. If you look at certain streamers, ask how they handle write amplification and garbage collection issues, and how do they handle fragmentation: using discard for example.
SSD are great for many many things but for music I wouldn’t waste your money.

Hi Defiant,   To your original question about whether streaming is worthy of an audiophile, I'd say the answer can be yes. I don't have Tidal, but there are other methods. I'm using a Naim UnitiServe which gets the broadband music feeds from radio stations around the world. It lists for about 3k so not cheap, but not DCS/Boulder/Linn prices either. (The UnitiServe is out of print and has been replaced by Naim's Uniti Core)

The bitrate is shown on each feed so you know if you're getting: 32k (very low and not so great), 64k (fine), 128k (nice).... The quality varies with the bitrate, but even within the same bitrate the quality can go from so-so to really nice. Remember some stations are using super expensive equipment to transmit. Anyway, I didn't expect much but have found that a lot of stations sound great and of course you tap into so much different music that way. It isn't to say that vinyl isn't better (IMHO), but this can be CD quality.                              

As far as your questions about ripping vs. direct playing. When playing the CD a part that can't be read is filled in by the algorithm on the player and it moves on. When ripping the machine can keep trying to read the bit through a smudge or scratch. The Unitiserve will speed up or slow down to get a better read on the CD (I'm not sure if the lens changes angles as well) . It can be heard when the unit is varying the speeds during ripping. It also counts the errors so you know how many bits it missed on a CD in bad condition. Surprisingly its pretty few. I'd say 99% of the time there are no errors and only a few otherwise (fewer than 10). Its not hundreds or anything. I will say that on a really badly damaged CD the unit may just hang up, but that's probably only when the CD was used as a coaster or Frisbee or something.  The music is ripped onto the Unitiserve's 2Tb HDD, but a NAS can be used as well. Once its ripped the playback is great. 

Enjoy!

I use Pandora through my Blu-ray and Spotify via my tablet.....great for casual listening.  I have my NAD M51 dac decoding and it sounds ok.....any non enthusiasts think it sounds great but no comparison to CD or vinyl.... great for everyday casual music though

@ddrave44 

Many thanks for your answer.

How does Unitiserve deal with song titles? Does it find them online? What happens if there are no titles available?