I hear you although I am a CD album listener when FM got too tedious or boring. Having said that there are a couple of OK radio stations here worth a listen, only until you know better. After a few months (maybe years) of deliberation I decided to try adding a streamer to my vintage system. I bought a Cambridge VX2 streamer and plugged it in. The sound was not what I wanted so I started to read more from users. Changed out the AC cord to an Audioquest and the 30 year old interconnects I found in the back of the closet to a pair of Straightwire Expressivo and let it burn for a month. Now it's simply stellar... besides all the subscription services there are more than 20,000 stations out there playing every possible format and genre. The Cambridge has 20 presets available and I've got awesome sounding selections for rock, pop, singer-songwriter, blues, acoustic blues, acoustic jazz and jazz tris, country and more. Fabulous stage and imaging..... you hear enough of one genre you just tap a line on your phones app.
Fear of Streaming
So I was sitting around the other day and I had a yearning to hear Harry Chapin sing "Cats in the Cradle". Go to my vinyl collection and don't have it. Thought I did, but I was wrong. So I start thinking, maybe I can get a blue tooth device to hook to my integrated tube amp and then I can pair my phone with it and listen when I want. I find that it exists and purchase this Harmon Kardon BTA 10 device. It arrives, easy to use, and now I can listen to anything that comes through my phone onto my system. It is pretty cool to listen to the random song I haven't thought of in a while but sounds nothing like my vinyl. It does have some cool applications. For instance, I can't get any Buffalo Bills games down here in Savannah, GA. I downloaded an upstate NY radio station that airs the games and now I can listen to it live through my system which I find a very cool quality of life issue. However, it left me thinking that if I were to buy a dedicated streaming component then I would have all the world's music at my fingertips and it would sound so much better than going through that little HK BTA 10. However, here is my dilemma that I am really torn about. I love listening to my vinyl. I love the ritual of it. I love picking out the LP, queing it up, sitting down and reading the cover and sleeve. Getting up and flipping sides. Then repeat. I'm terrified that I will get lazy and stop doing this out of the convenience of tapping a button on a device. Sure, you can probably read all of the guts and inserts of an LP on an app but just isn't the same tactile pleasure nor rekindle those same feelings I remember when first discovering the wondorous beauty of sound. I realize this is my problem but was just wondering if any one else has ever felt the same struggle and how you rectified it. Did you make the leap and was happy you did so or did you look back in regret?