2. digital
  3. 173977-9627

A different world

For decades I have struggled to get digital even close to comparable to analog. Then finally a couple years ago after lots of upgrading and experimentation I succeeded. Streaming is equally satisfying with analog, very, very comparable. The full soundstage, instruments suspended in space, tonal balance, dead silent background, and details of brass cymbals … etc. Red Book CDs through my CD player are bested by my streamer with Qobuz or Tidal with hi-Rez versions.

 

A new world. It takes a while to get it. No longer confined to music you “own” to play over and over. Replay is supplanted by exploration. You love an new (or old album) and hit, “add to library”. It is yours.

So, HiFi+ magazine has an article on building a European 21st Century Jazz Library. I just start with the first album in the list and listen (add to library), the 2nd album (add to library), the third… the forth, fifth… a whole new category of incredible music to sit along side Miles Davis and Hank Moberly. Just a couple days in the life of a audiophile streamer. I could have never predicted this as a possibility ten years ago.

 

You love music? The goal of having an infinite audiophile library is now possible. It is possible at any high end level… just requires knowledge that it can be done… and I guess give up the idea that there is something special about your CD collection, or players.

 

I have a 2,000 vinyl albums, play them, usually one a day. They are fun, occasionally sound ever slightly better… but not significantly, I like them for nostalgic reasons.

ghdprentice
chcook
12 posts
 

@kaarmstrong 

Thank you for the link to Vinyl vs Digital website.

I had posted months ago about my disappointment with some of the digital Hi-Res releases not sounding as good as the original CD, and now am thinking that many of my observations may be answered by the issue of dynamic range compression. As another poster observed, the "n" on this site is small, but hoping that with time they will continue this effort to help us identify the best possible presentations of our favorite music.

Also agree with OP - the problem is that now music is like literature.....too many choices and too little time. Digital medium definitely lowers the obstacles to broad exploration...kinda like the library used to be when there still were such things :)

lubachl
87 posts
 

Ghdprentice said " You love an new (or old album) and hit, “add to library”. It is yours."

I have no experience streaming music but am always interested in this evolving technology.  I would just like to clear up one thing from the comments and that is when you add songs or an album to your library it is only yours as long as you continue to subscribe, correct?

Or, when you hit "add to library" do you pay for the album or individual song at that time (in addition to whatever monthly fees are being paid for the service) and then you physically own the download even after the service is discontinued.

How does it work?

pokey77
1,259 posts
 

I don't want to speak for @ghdprentice, but when you add a song or album in Tidal, there is no cost. But you must maintain the membership cost to keep the list. I'm a total cost of ownership kinda guy, but I got over that very quickly and would skimp somewhere else in order to keep up my Tidal subscription. I'm enjoying music so much more now, it is a life changer for me. I would not wait another minute to get started with the fun. BTW, I'm 58 YO and came from a CD player. Never use it anymore, streaming is just too good, both based on SQ and the shear amount of music available. Jump in, the water is extra specially nice!

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,052 posts
 

“A good CD player with a high quality DAC is difficult to beat. My CD player is best described as a 32 bit dual differential DAC with a transport connected to it. It rivals my LP playback system.”

@sandthemall

I am curious to learn about your system. Would you tell us about your CD player, DAC and LP system. Can you elaborate on coming away unimpressed with listening room experiences with streaming services? What kind of system you’ve heard and where?

I used to spin CD’s and Vinyl :-)

 

sandthemall
543 posts
 

@Lalitk

My CD player is an Audiolab 8200CD. It is really a DAC + CD combo and can operate as a standalone DAC with multiple inputs.

My Turntable is a Technics 1200G with Hagerman Trumpet MC tube phono stage. AT33PTGII cartridge

These run into a Don Sachs preamp to a Primaluna Evo 400 to Tannoy Turnberrys. This is a modest system in a good enough room with 2 dedicated AC lines.

The streaming systems I’ve heard were at Upscale Audio...both front and back rooms. I used these rooms to demo speakers and amps in the last year.

Always thought my CD player in my relatively modest system easily sounded better than what I heard at Upscale. Maybe my room acoustics were better than their front demo room but their back room is pretty damn good.

I’m not listening for dynamics or soundstage/imaging...although my system floats a bigger soundstage. I’m more listening for timbre, decay...the sides and edges of things...little bitty but solid things that come through.

 

 

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