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Music Servers

Hello. I'm sure this topic has been discussed before and if it has,  my apologies for the redundancy.  But I'm wondering if anyone has experience with purchasing music on line and using a dedicated music server for ripping CDs and storing tracks locally - internal HDD/SSD or external NAS/USB -  then serving them to compatible renderers like in my case the Innuos Pulsar? Other than owning the music, is there a discernible quality in playback vs direct streaming?

fire_water
mapman's avatar
mapman
23,621 posts
 

No inherent sound quality advantage to owning versus streaming.

fire_water's avatar
fire_water OP
262 posts
 

So maybe the advantage lies in the fact that you own the music rather than "renting" it and if TIDAL suddenly disappears so do all  my Playlists ?

mapman's avatar
mapman
23,621 posts
 

IF your streaming service and/or internet is down, then yes, there is a usability advantage.

soix
11,250 posts
 

If your stored music sounds better than streaming (assuming the same version/recording of course) it’s an indication your streaming setup needs improvement somewhere.  Songs have disappeared off my Qobuz playlist but are less than 1% of my library and thankfully hasn’t affected my more valued songs (yet 😬), but it is an issue and why I keep my important CDs around just in case.  Just my $0.02 FWIW. 

fire_water's avatar
fire_water OP
262 posts
 

@soix that's interesting because I was told by a dealer at a reputable high-end store that in most cases music files bought and stored sounds better than streaming it. Or could it be it's more obvious on really good systems? My Innuos Pulsar and Accuphase DC-37 Processor/DAC are great units and deliver great music.  Regardless I don't have any other sources of music other than just streaming.  And I'm worried about losing my Playlists so I take a screenshot of all my new material in case I have to start compiling my Playlists all over again. 

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