- Love my LP12 too. It is set up with Kore, Radikal, Uphorik Phono stage, Trampolin, Akito with a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua MC Cartridge. Definitely feel an arm upgrade would improve things but it sounds great now.
- Linn Akurate DSM playing mainly my ripped CDs and downloads stored on a NAS + Spotify to get a flavour of new things or releases I don’t own. Thinking about swapping this out for a Naim dedicated streamer in due course.
3.My MuSo - mainly internet radio but also the NAS And Spotify
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Streaming is by far my favourite source. I always detested CDs and was glad when I could get rid of my CDS2. I do still have vinyl but it very rarely gets used because I am too busy listening to new music from Tidal or catching up on stuff I missed the first time around.
I appreciate that many people get the greatest pleasure from an intense engagement with a limited repertoire but that’s not me. I first got into music through crappy tv and radio sound but despite those limitations I loved music as much then as I do now. Of course great sound quality is the icing on the cake but for me the cake comes first!
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Well it depends …
I listen to radio a lot, either through NAT01 or Unitiqutes in the kitchen, study or bedroom. If I miss the archers then I stream it through my NDS or the UQs.
Since getting Roon and an Audio store black box I’m listening to more and more of my CDs that I ripped all those years ago. Tidal is useful too.
I don’t miss a TT (Roxanne Xerxes or LP12 in the past) or CDS - it boils down to convenience rather than SQ.
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My main source is an Innuos mini Zen mk2 over bt Hub 2 into Nova. Good sound quality at a reasonable price but the big benefit is that my 600 CDs are all to hand. Since it was installed I’ve been playing CDs I’d forgotten I owned.
1TB storage means after 600 CDs in FLAC I still have 88% capacity left.
On a memory stick they improve the in car sound by some way over the supplied system.
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Question of budget I guess, Richard. And the upgrade from Valhalla (which I’d had for decades) to L4, and Cirkus/Keel earlier this year was such that I’m still very happy!
Going to Radikal would mean my other imminent changes (SN3, Superline etc) would be shelved…
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My main source and the one that I enjoy most is my Linn Klimax DS/1 streamer/DAC, playing both locally stored (Synology NAS) and externally streamed (Tidal) music using Roon as the front end.
I still enjoy playing LPs on my Orbe turntable (DV20x2 & Trigon Advance), and some of my LPs sound particularly good on this set-up and are an occasional treat, but my go-to choice for listening to music is invariably streaming via Roon. I would never go back to CDs or even LPs as my main source of music listening.
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Vinyl. Mainly as I am an old XXX and all my media is vinyl and I dont want to sell it all, plus where I live the internet is not that great so streaming is not an option. I have a HDX and the kids have CD’s on there and they can play through the app on their phone so they get the benefit of the system without actually touching it …
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Some interesting view points here on what is best / used most frequently. Of course we are all correct as it is all about personal taste!
As for me, 25 years ago I was an LP12/Ittok/Lingo man, then along came my CDX2 and the vinyl was slowly relegated as my CD collection grew. Then, 2 years ago I bought a Chord MoJo to listen to my ripped CDs and (free) Spotify on my laptop. One day I plugged my MoJo and laptop into my HiFi (282/250) and behold I had reasonable SQ and from Spotify millions of new songs to listen to. From there was only one way forward for me, an NDX2 with Tidal. I have not looked back since and I am enjoying so much more new music.
Is vinyl / CD good? Well it sure is, but streaming for me is it’s equal in that SQ can also be high. The key benefit for streaming though is cost, an NDX2 is £5k and Tidal is £20pm for millions of tracks…An LP12 can cost up to £18k and records are £20 plus each…ouch!
My LP12 and CDX2 are now both somewhere in China (hopefully being enjoyed) meanwhile, back in Blighty, my NDX2 is getting nearly 24/7 use!
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@JohnF John I know you were sort of considering the NDX2. Probably something you dont want to hear but CD rips coming off my Zen Mini sound, dare I say, in a different league! I was amazed to be honest, a lot of my cd’s are from the 90’s and I presumed they were just a bit naff as they never sounded that great on the Nova but in to the NDX2 / SN3 they actually sound like CD’s! A huge difference.
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My only source is ND555 streaming locally ripped CDs from my NAS and currently from Tidal. Considering Roon.
Came back to “audiophlilia” about 3-4 years ago and I find the convenience and amount of music available too good to consider resurrecting vinyl at this point. I did briefly put my very old Rega Planar-2 into service with a new inexpensive cartridge but the SQ wasn’t,understandably,anywhere near my excellent streaming source and so never used. I did briefly consider a better TT/phono pre-amp/cartidge but worried I still wouldn’t use it.
Very happy sitting with my I-pad with a vast music collection literally at my fingertips.
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My most precious source is my 1999 Gyrodec with QC power supply and Rega RB600 arm plus AT-OC9 because my wife bought it for me 20 years ago as an engagement present. It’s a very formidable source too although one day I would love to add an SME IV. I will never ever part with it for sentimental reasons and I was lucky in staying with vinyl for a lot longer than many did so have a wide collection of around 1000 albums from my youth to play on it.
The source that gets by far the most use is my NDX though, it offers excellent sound quality, better I think than the CDi (although very close!) and while it lacks the organic quality of vinyl sometimes it’s just so incredibly convenient. As an example I am just in from work after 4 hours in the simulator and need to do some study for tomorrow’s sim session - the NDX is perfect company!
My recent acquisition of the Beatles remixed Abbey Road sounds stunning on the NDX.
Jonathan
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Hollow, that is part of the reason I’d like an improved Nova and may well try the H590. As I said I’ve heard the NDX2 with a SN2 with ps and very much liked the sound but don’t want the box count. I’m a minimalist at heart.
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Rega RP6: Main source for listening pleasure as I enjoy the vinyl ritual (limited to mainly evenings & weekends).
Mac Mini & Asset UPnP: Ripped CDs & HD downloads streamed to UQ2, mostly used for convenience (work days).
Apple iPad: Bluetooth streamed to UQ2 (work days).
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Depending exactly on definition of source - dedicated Mac Mini running Audirvana as renderer (fully optimised), feeding Chord Dave DAC.
What I like about it is that it plays music very well, better than anything else I have heard. For “better” read natural sounding and with great clarity, making me feel I am hearing what was recorded, with nothing added or taken away (though of course I have no absolute reference, rather it just sounds “right”).
Journey here was from vinyl, then CD in parallel, then ND5XS with vinyl & CD abandoned after ripping all, then ND5XS into Hugo, then MM/Audirvana into Hugo, then the wow! of hearing Dave…
In terms of my “main” source, I think of it as my only source, playing my own collection of ripped and downloaded music - however I occasionally access Spotify or U-tube or other free online services, but they are mostly of lesser sound quality and only used for the purpose of assessing music new to me.
Of course the source is meaningless without the rest of the system, in particular speakers to do the source justice: in my case PMC EB1i speakers for bass, with a home-brew mid and top incorporating ATC’s SM75-150 dome mid and Scanspeak tweeter, tri-amped with Bryston amps fed by a modified Behringer DCX2496 active crossover.
My limiting factor is the room, but room treatment will wait until after a house move planned for 2/3 years time.
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I still have a very strong loyality for the LP12. Went down the Tangerine Audio upgrade path which makes the Linn plinth sound colouried INMO. I then took the decision to replace my 10 year old Micro-Benz SLR with a Lyra Etna SL. A decision not taken lightly bearing in mind the cost. No regrets what so ever. Should’nt be that good but it is.
Its not my main source, just my preferred source. Simple as that.
Douglas.
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Sold my vinyl and LP12 - main source is ND555 (main and only ;-))
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I probably split pretty evenly between my two,sources, but my favourite is my Roksan TMS. It’s been with me for 26 years, and I’ve listened to a lot of music on it. It still sounds great, I can lose an entire evening playing album after album when I’d only planned to play one. The ND555 also sounds great and much the same happens with it,
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Thanks for everyone’s answers so far. It’s great to hear that members are using and enjoying music from a wide variety of sources! Really appreciate it 
.
Despite acquiring an Oppo 205 last year, and enjoying CDs more than I’ve ever done; and discovering the joys of SACD, it’s still the old fruitbox for me. It’s 32 years old this coming December, and the love affair has not yet cooled:
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I’m split equally between LP12 for vinyl and Blu2 DAVE for CD. I buy classic albums on vinyl (Beatles, Kinks etc) and more recent material on CD (Jackie Oates, Lisa Knapp) which I play and rip using Mac mini. I have no Internet streaming subscriptions for music.
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