What source do you use to demo equipment?

@ghdprentice 

the advances in streaming in the last ten years has been at break neck speeds in comparison to typical evolution or revolutions in high end audio

My understanding is that these advances have got streaming roughly to where classical CDs were 40 years ago!  Hopefully in another 10 years, streaming will have got to where classical SACDs were 25 years ago.

I am not conflating classical with multi-track pop-rock where digital mixing was problematic and there is no reference against which sound quality can be judged.

I listen to the bulk of my music on Vinyl, so I take Vinyl to audition new components. Why audition new equipment with a format you don't use much?

Streaming is where CD /SACD / vinyl are now when same masters are compared. it has been for the last three or four years. There is variability in different price categories. Only really expensive $100K vinyl rigs  can do better… or maybe not that any more. I don’t have any experience with recent really high end streamers / tt / phono stage. You can assemble a sub-optimal rig of any kind… but do your homework and there isn’t any advantage to physical media any more. 
 

I have a $45K vinyl leg and the sound quality on my $45K streaming leg is as good and often better in streaming because many more high resolution recordings are available on streaming.. well over half a million on Quboz. 

jmalen123

2nd-  I also own Reference players by Accuphase, AYRE, Esoteric, Hegel, Marantz and Parasound.  Only streamers above $20K can compete.

Happy Listening!

cooperdude6

Continue to take your fave CD/SACD discs to audition gear. This is best practice for consistency.

Happy Listening!