I have been kicking back to some new CD purchases from Lauren Daigle and others and wondering why I ever purchased a Linn LP12. Back in the day, my reason for not entering the streaming scene was due that the children were at home, and very slow internet bandwidth was gobbled up by our dear children, now adults, and streaming was new and unproven to me.
Twenty years later, and Fibre To The Premises with a connection speed of 50 MBytes/second, the idea of selling the Linn and the LP collection sounded logical this morning.
This afternoon, kicking back to Ray Charles Duets LP, I have fallen in love with my TT all over again.
Silly me. Has anybody else experienced lost moments of reason?
An ND5 XS 2 may still be an acquisition down the track, though I see no rush at the moment as my current setup is a pleasant diversion from computers and tablets.
Well Mitch, Iāve never been tempted to relinquish my LP12 and Vinyl collection. In fact, quite the opposite, I nearly gave away my CD collection last year. However, a conversation with a member of this community around using a first release version of a Sony PS1 as a CDP, found me buying one on eBay and now Iāve fallen in love with my CD collection all over again.
I have even been buying CDās again and really enjoying the price over some of the ridiculous vinyl prices these days, though Iāll never stop buying LPās both new and preloved.
I also purchased an ND5 XS 2 recently and have taken to streaming from Qobuz in a big way.
So my listening is now spread over all 3 mediums and Iāve never been happier. So why give up any part of that variety?
I think for many of us, the variety of mediums and the different experiences we get from each is all part of the pleasure of this hobby and its primary purpose. That being enjoying the musicā¦
Just think that George H. declared that to him Beatles records actually began with Rubber Soul, and it will seem reasonable enough to buy another copyā¦
Iāve been using Naim streamers for over 2 years now and havenāt really listened to vinyl very much during that time. Iāve definitely thought about selling the LP12 but they sell for about the cost of the parts so itās doesnāt make financial sense to sell it for a low ball price. I might consider again in a year or so but there is always the chance I might embrace vinyl again in future. Who knows. Best not to make a rash mistake is my view.
When I bought Graham Slee amps and a pair of Spendor Classic 4/5 speakers. Madness and the worst sounding system Iāve ever owned. It didnāt stay long.
I havenāt had a record deck at home for more than 30 years. CD and now a Melco library/player. I would never listen to another high-end record deck as `Iām pretty sure I would fall in love with vinyl all over again and the financial consequences of that would be dire.
I converted to streaming two years ago and have become a big fan. The old fruit box stays though. I still think itās better in absolute terms. Itās just that streaming is both convenient and opens a world of music I donāt already own.
My CDs have been ripped and donated to a charity shopā¦
I actually found the opposite in fact - as the amps & speakers went through various upgrades, I was buying more LPs for the LP12 plus buying a RCM few years ago has just accelerated that. The LP12 has been topped up over years with upgrades too, Kore, Karousel, Rad2 etc but LPs /Sondek have remained 1st choice source.
The fun with vinyl, CDs to a lesser extent, is not just the playing but also browsing. I never want to lose the ability to visit record shops. So Iāve never given up on vinyl. Iād avoided streaming until my CD5xs failed & Naim couldnāt repair. My dealer, wrongly I believe, has no interest in CD players. So I demoed a streamer. Went in expecting to buy an ND5xs. Came out with an NDX2. My wife agreed it was the only option. The difference was huge. Also bought a Core because I couldnāt bear the thought of living without CD - what a beautiful piece of kit it is too. Psychologically it took me a few months to acclimatise to streaming. Since added an ex dem XPSdr - more improvement but nowhere near the difference between the ND5xs & NDX2. In short I feel like Iāve never been in a better place. Had I never been in a record shop I could live with streaming only. But while I can move from chair to deck Iāll never give up on vinyl. And after all these years (had an LP12 since 1979) no record deck looks as beautiful to me so Iāve never been tempted to swap mine out.
The only momentary lapse of reason is the āeither / orā thought that creeps in when deciding on what music sources to use. Thereās a place and use for vinyl, CD and streaming, you donāt have to āgive upā on one in exchange for another.
Thereās a wealth of music to be discovered on streaming services, to add to your collection of vinyl or CD when one wants to own the record.
