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Classical music on demand?

This may be a dumb question but please humor me.  I am now using a Naim Unitiserve as a source and have ripped hundreds of CDs on its hard disc.  As an alternative, is there a way to play (stream) high quality music on demand without ripping CDs?  I listen mostly to classical music so, for example, could I play or stream a Beethoven or Brahms symphony with a choice of conductors and orchestras on my audio system with audio quality equal to or better than CD without having to download anything—similar to watching an on demand program on television?   What software and hardware would I need?   Presumably the hardware would need a screen or would use an iPad or similar screen to select the music. I may be behind the times on such technology so again sorry if my questions show this.  
fast
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
It seems like you won't have to buy any hardware. 
My advice is to see if your setup works before committing to a subscription. Try and link to one of the internet classical stations and see how well the Naim performs. If it works, then sign up for a free trial of a streaming service.

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
For western classical music, Primophonic has a very large selection, Tidal HiFi service is CD quality or better but with a slightly smaller selection. Between the two, you'll probably find most if not all your CDs available for streaming on-demand. 
fast OP
92 posts
 
Thanks again for all the sources for streaming classical music. I have another dumb question.  I have a Windows desktop PC in one room and my audio system in another. I use an iPad and iPhone to control my current Naim Unitiserve.  There is no practical way to run a wire from my PC to my audio equipment.  So how do I get the streaming data to my audio system?  Do I need an additional piece of hardware?
mahler123
3,033 posts
 
I found Primephonic inadequate due to limited catalog.  Quobuz will be here in the fall, supposedly, and then that will be the best High Res Classical Streaming Service.  Tidal is awful for Classical
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
"So how do I get the streaming data to my audio system? "

Assuming you have WiFi service in your home, the approach to use is stream wirelessly from Bluesound Node2 and connect through either, 1) analog outputs to a preamp/integrated, or 2) digital coax/optical to an external DAC and analog out from DAC to preamp/integrated. Any streamer that supports WiFi will work.
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