Back to CDs instead of local streaming?

[joeling]

The convenience is great. While I was using FAS / Streaming, I had several playlists made up of my favorites depending on mood. Other times, I would be exploring new music on Tidal or similar or explore my collection etc etc. Best of all, no need to get up from the couch ever

[anon33182107]

One thing I would say is that you do need to have a certain degree of technical understanding and competence to successfully adopt streaming. This is what sets it apart from LP and CD, where one needs no understanding at all. Just pop on a disc.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no IT expert. I’m 61 and obviously computers were before my time when growing up. I’ve no doubt that the average 15 year old is far more computer savvy than I’ll ever be! But if you’re the kind of person that hates getting involved in the technical side of things then streaming will probably have you pulling your hair out in frustration at some points.

I have a working knowledge that is sufficient. But I don’t particularly enjoy tinkering. For instance, my Melco sometimes combines double CD’s into one and sometimes not. I know I could fix this by editing the metadata but I really can’t be bothered. It’s little niggly things like this that can be an issue. It all depends on how much it bothers you and how much effort you want to put in to keeping everything just so.

I want to put in the minimum effort to ‘housekeeping’ if you like and just concentrate on enjoying the music. So any issues like this I just live with.

[anon33182107]

@YetiZone

I use a phone for selecting music choice, so the associated screen size clearly doesn’t help, so I’ll start using an iPad more as this will give greater visual real estate to view the album covers.

I think you will find that this will be a vast improvement. The whole streaming thing is about convenience and the way you interact with it is partly defined by the device you are using to control things. A small screen does not give a good user experience.

[PerF]

@anon33182107

I grew up with physical media

I believe this is a basic argument, certainly for me.

Streaming is not for me, admittedly nice to have when needed but no really need honestly.

I couldn’t dream of ripping any CD’s at all.
For me would be a waste of time even I could stock them in loft, I would not use a computer to choose replay, never.

I can’t imagine I’d ever give up physical medie and my CD players and turntables.

[YetiZone]

Yes, I think you are right. Ideally something like an iPad Pro size would be best, but at a cost!

[Innocent_Bystander]

This post I put in another thread would seem to have relevance here:

CD...bit of a revelation

Since you ask…(!) With streaming from one’s own store of music ripped from CD or vinyl, or downloaded: Potentially better sound quality through absence of read errors and associated error correction, and no annoying skips due to faulty or dirty disks. Potentially better sound quality as one can download higher resolution recordings. No misplaced CDs whether put in wrong place or wrong CD in the case. Continuous play of music longer than 70 minutes - a particular benefit to opera lovers. Easy…

[feeling_zen]

@PerF

I would not use a computer to choose replay, never.

Depends whether you class your tablet/phone as a computer. Obviously in the strictest sense it is. But if you are referring to a NAS and a box with monitor and keyboard, well I stream and neither of those are in the living room. In the new house they will be in a clean room portion out in the garage. I’d never use a computer further down the audio chain either but it’s not required.

[pev999]

Never - I always hated CD as a medium. Nasty jewel cases, booklets too small to read without glasses and I used to pay out £50+ a month for an infinitesimal fraction of what I get for £12.99 from Quobuz. I used to have a CDS2/XPS but don’t miss it it in the slightest. I’ve also ripped the CDs I have so I can listen when the internet is down (1 hour in the past 3 years) but they are in the loft and staying there! If I feel the urge to fiddle with stuff I play my vinyl, which is better than CD in every way and always has been.

[anon33182107]

@feeling_zen

’d never use a computer further down the audio chain either but it’s not required.

Of course in the strictest sense a CD player is really just a computer for reading optical discs!

I use an iPad as a controller. I bought the Melco D100 optical drive so ripping CD’s is dead easy. Just insert, press button, confirm title and it’s all automatic. In comparison I find ripping CD’s to a laptop to be a real nuisance. Hence why I bought the Melco drive. Expensive at £1K but worth it for me for the sheer convenience.

I decided on the Melco with direct USB connection to my amp/DAC as I specifically wanted to avoid the potential issues of streaming over my LAN and to me it seems a much simpler solution to implement. No long network cables to install between rooms etc. However I know lots of people much prefer the network solution and certainly if you want music in many rooms then that’s the way to go.

[Ebor]

@mikehughescq

and fried them alphabetically

How did they taste?

I’ve got no desire to move to streaming in preference to CD. My reasons, in no particular order:

1. I suffer enough from indecision over what to listen to with shelves of CDs in plain sight and I know I’d be worse with a server full of tracks. The ‘indecisive scrolling’ mentioned above resonated with me!

2. I’m of an age where, just as I was growing up and becoming interested in music and hifi, CDs were the cool shiny new thing and vinyl was very much a ‘grandad’ format. That ingrained sense is hard to shake.

3. Ownership of a physical object and the ritual (such as it is) of playing an actual object is enjoyable.

4a) The cost of moving to streaming at a level of quality comparable to my CDX2 would be considerable.
4b) The time it would take to rip my CDs and metadata them to my satisfaction would also not be trivial.

5. I’m still surprised how many of CDs don’t seem to be available on Spotify (the streaming platform I use for trying out new music and for podcasts). My music tastes aren’t that unusual!

6. It’s more of a problem with Netflix, but I don’t like my listening/viewing possibilities being at the mercy of a large corporation and what contracts are currently running this week.

7. Most importantly, I still really like the sound of CD, especially through my CDX2.

Seven reasons is enough for me.

Mark

[anon33182107]

@pev999

I play my vinyl, which is better than CD in every way and always has been.

I haven’t had a record deck at home for 30 years. I still think I prefer the sound of vinyl to any digital format. But good decks are costly and the running cost is high with replacement styli or cartridges. Plus the storage and cleaning of LP’s and their fragile nature.

I’ve deliberately avoided hearing any turntables at a dealers for many years as I’m afraid I could very easily get hooked again and it will be the start of a very expensive reversal back to vinyl!

[Innocent_Bystander]

@anon33182107

Of course in the strictest sense a CD player is really just a computer for reading optical discs!

likewise every streamer!

[anon33182107]

@Innocent_Bystander

likewise every streamer!

Yes absolutely and arguably even more so. I was just really making the point that some people say they dislike computers and this is a reason for them sticking with CD.

[Bevo]

All good points Ebor

For me, in terms of sound quality , vinyl rules by a significant margin , albeit very costly

I would think CD and Streaming in terms of SQ are reasonably close, sometimes either way

I still enjoy playing CD’s and so do a number of my mates. I use to have the Naim CD555 and I really miss it , it’s a stunner

[Innocent_Bystander]

Yes I realised that. Some people have an aversion to computers having any involvement with music - even though most recordings in recent decades has involved computers in some way.

[Ebor]

Involving computers with music doesn’t bother me - I’m a child of the 80s so synths were a big part of my early musical experiences! - but:

8. The reliability of basically every CD player I’ve owned (cheap or otherwise) seems insuperable compared to the reliability issues you don’t need to look hard to find people having with home networks/streamers etc.

Mark

[anon33182107]

I must admit that when I first started considering streaming the thought of ripping my discs to a laptop and then playng them back from the same was off-putting to me. Having to fiddle with a laptop every time I wanted to listen to music seemd less than ideal. Then I discovered Melco music libraries and that was the turning point for me. I have the optical drive/ripper so no problem ripping discs. Playback is simpler than a CD player - I don’t even have to bother getting up from my chair!

[bruss]

I have not experienced this. I have been ripping cds to the 'puter since the first Logitech Touch and Duet sytem came out and streaming from the PC and later a Nas without issue. Network set up is key. Now with high speed external connections( fibre etc) internet streaming is as reliable as home streaming. Obviously the system has moved on as technology has improved, but I still rip dbpoweramp or win media to an ssd connected to the PC. I then copy media to a separate ssd that plugs in directly to the player (currently the Aries G1). This now acts as the nas for the other streamers in various rooms around the house. No issues at all.

re access control apps. I use a standard ipad and that seem big enough for my old eyes.

[Neilb1906]

@anon33182107

I’m 61 and obviously computers were before my time

Before?

[Elfer]

I delayed servicing my CDS3 on the advice that “if it isn’t broken, don’t send it in” and since it was only skipping every once in a blue moon, I never sent it. Then, just as the skipping became more frequent, there were no more replacement lasers available. I really thought that was the end of my CDS3 and my thoughts turned to alternatives.

Naim no longer offer a CD player at the CDS3 level so the most interesting replacement was the CD555. However, spending all that money on a product that was no longer manufactured and the risk of ending up in the same situation pushed me to “modernise”.

I am currently in transition, ripping around 2000 or so CDs to an Innuos Statement and play back through ND555. I have no subscriptions so its internet radio or ripped CDs at the moment. If I want to listen to something I havent ripped yet, I just take the extra few minutes and rip it first.

I kept the CDS3 in service for a while and thought initially I might have made a mistake. Once the ND settled down and I adjusted the new presentation, the CDS3 was found wanting sonically (comparatively) and finally retired.

I still purchase CDs but now with the intention of ripping them. I do miss perusing the stacks of CDs and though more convenient, don’t enjoy scrolling album thumbnails on a screen. I have also discovered a self discipline problem in that having my phone or iPad with me results in distractions, browsing, etc. rather than sitting back and enjoying the music the way I used to. I will be on the 3rd or 4th track and realise I haven’t really been listening. I have to throw the thing out of reach once I hit play so I still have to get up between albums, just like in the old days!

So, for me the sonic improvements have been well worthwhile but I’m not sure comparing the ND555 with CDS3 is fair. Had my CDS3 been repairable at the time, I would have taken that route and been perfectly happy and none the wiser. I would still sacrifice the convenience for the physical routine of selecting and playing CDs but I wouldn’t be too keen to take a sonic step backwards now.