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?
I agree all my sources sound fantastic on my system. If your digital doesn’t sound as good as records then maybe a better dac is in order. That's not to say that they don't sound different, they do but I can't say that one is better just different.
My experience reflects many of those who have posted above. In my music room I have about 6000 lps and many boxes of 45s. Some 78s. Three turntables, two phono stages. I enjoy playing vinyl. And sorting through a box of 45s. It's fun.However, I stream spotify via my laptop to a DAC and it sounds absolutely awesome. But the main benefit is discovering SO MUCH SUPERB MUSIC that I would have never heard of. Also, with the sound quality "good enough" (that is, good enough that I don't obsess over it) my patience with buying used vinyl that looks clean only to find that some previous owner gouged the hell out of it with a cheap/damaged cartridge tracking at a heavy weight is about over. After all, do I *really* need more records or CDs, when I can hear the music at about *cd quality* via my laptop? And for those who decry my comment about *cd quality* I can only say maybe you need a better DAC or better preamp or better speakers. In my system all my sources are sounding killer.
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.
Here was my last week. Talk Talk song came on Radio Paradise that I liked. I didn't have any of their material but liked their POP stuff. Jumped over to Qobuz and fired up their last two releases Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock and really liked them both with very few tracks I have ever heard. Went directly to my local vinyl store, that I had not been to in months, in what appears to be the day after they had just put out a new used collection. Got Spirit of Eden brand new and picked up a 1983 Capital release of Dark Side of the Moon (these album hard to find in good shape), 1977 release of The White Album and a British pressing of Peter Gabriel Car. Ooops spent about $75 more than I intended.
Many here have,I believe,hit the nail on the head. For myself,streaming has opened so many musical doors. Music that I truely enjoy,and would not be exposed to without a streaming service. The music I fall in love with I'll seek out on vinyl,or even cd. You don't have to look at streaming as an end game. Look at it as a tool to find more possibilities.
Another advantage I’ve found with streaming compared to vinyl is that I’m much more likely to turn on music in the background while doing errands around the house, cooking in the next room, or other work where I don’t want the repeated interruptions of flipping the record or choosing the next album. Its also true when I might be in and out of the room with my setup because life keeps me busy sometimes. Streaming is much easier to turn on and just let play. That means I’ve got music playing more often instead of only when I can sit down, enjoy the ritual, and just listen... more music is a win in my book.
None of my turntables is in working order right now. My Gyrodec tonearm needs cleaned and the cart needs retipped. I have been listening to my budget streamer for the last couple of months with no vinyl.. I miss my records but appreciate the world of music at my fingertips as well. I also find I like certain music better digitally and some better in analogue grooves. It’s ok to have the best of both!!!
I love my vinyl, but there is simply no comparison to variety when it comes to streaming music. Pretty much everything from Spotify, Pandora to international internet radio. Really cool exploration for sure. Spotify “daily mixes” are really cool and brainless. What’s nice is, you can take all of your music on the road with you. Being a music guy doesn’t end because I walk out of my house. I think with a quality streamer overall “quality” is arguable. Digital vs vinyl, it never ends... the “ritual” of vinyl is great, but really impractical when trying to get things done around the house...
Thanks to a record collector/audiophile father, a life-long penchant for hanging out at record stores and several years of actually working at them, I have lots of music on vinyl that I truly doubt will ever find itself to the streaming universe. I gotta say, though, that the streaming universe is a great place to cruise. There’s always something out there that beckons me. And the quality...at least on Qobuz via my Mytek Brooklyn Bridge...is high enough to seriously challenge my vinyl set-up. In other words, go for it.
It. Takes a few bucks to make really good streaming a great dac like the NewVacuum tube Lampizator Amber 3 with the great Callisto usb cable that is superb, then a quality streamer or a dedicated computer server I use a Jrivers 25-26 with their Remote app very respectable , and with tubes can fine tune its sonic taste , for under $4 k for Lampizator dac Final touch usb cable , excellent sounding setup beating setups much more monies.
I added Spotify and radio paradise plugins to my Squeezeserver. Now I can stream from my library and then link to Spotify and listen to most anything related to what I am listening to. Also displays lyrics, related artwork, artist bios and info, links to related artists, you name it. All at your fingertips and very good sound quality. Also does Tidal. I digitize my records to my library when I play one and that opens up a lot of things relating to that record that would be hard to find otherwise. Streaming is the best thing to happen ever to music lovers. You can always still play records if you want.
I’ve always had a turntable for 45 years. I sold my latest $14k turntable setup a couple months ago and now I’m in the process of selling hundreds of albums. With the current dacs and hires music both purchased and streamed, I thought it was time to sell my vinyl setup that didn’t get much use. Most of my music isn’t produced on vinyl and in my listening, I was liking dsd and MQA better than vinyl.
Thanks for all the insight. It sounds as if everyone has found a nice balance and I think I have to frame it the right way from the start just as all of you have so eloquently stated. I think I will start researching streaming devices and go from there. I do enjoy the research part of upgrading or adding new components so even if it takes a year to figure out what I want, the journey will be fun. Thanks again.
This doesn't address your aim to stream music but does address your desire to tune into Buffalo Bills games. There is a site called VIPBOX. There you can watch almost any sports events and other things. Some popup and spam blockers may prohibit the streams from coming thru but as long as you are running a decent anti virus program it isn't an issue. Just an FYI.
I still listen to vinyl, even though I have 2500 Hi-Res Flac albums on a dedicated 2-Tb SSD connected via an Intel NUC and Chord DAC to my system via Roon. I love having the convenience of both. Which one I listen to just depends on the mood and convenience factor.
Streaming is the discovery technology. Vinyl is the ritual.
Wait till you start streaming something like RadioParadise and hear content you have not heard, playing at CD quality, then jump over to Qobuz and play the album at Hi Rez/CD. Then go buy the vinyl and have a ceremonial session.
I find the discovery of new music through streaming to be the most amazing part of it.
This is a biggie for me. To be honest, I stopped listening to radio for the most part years ago, other than a couple of classic rock stations, which by their nature, never play any new music. I really didn't have a source of new music that I could check out until I started streaming. Now I'm always watching the New Releases on Qobuz and Tidal and hearing a lot of cool music. I often end up purchasing physical media after hearing something I like on a streaming service.
I do find that when I stream, I am a lot less likely to listen to an entire album than when I am listening to physical media. So much choice and it is so tempting to change, which isn’t so easy with CDs or lps.
Hey It’s all about music however you get it. I play records, CD’s SACD’s and stream Tidal, Qobuz, Pandora and Youtube. I find the discovery of new music through streaming to be the most amazing part of it. I find myself buying more records and CD’s now than before I began streaming. Don’t be afraid, come on in the water is fine. Yes we do live in amazing times for music and audio.
Great feedback so far, nothing wrong with having more options. The tactile experience of LP or even CD’s cannot be replicated with Streaming but I love the opportunity to explore new and old tunes, all at your fingertips.
What's wrong with having more options? I have 4 streaming services. I have a lot of records. I have a bunch of SACD's. They all get used at different times. When I'm ready to do some serious listening in the evening though, it's vinyl time!
Sometimes it's nice to be "lazy". When I'm doing something around the house and don't want to have to keep stopping and flipping records I can put on a playlist and let the music just play.
I sense you've already figured this out but the pleasure of your LP ritual and the pleasure of having forgotten or entirely new music at your fingertips aren't mutually exclusive. Why not have and enjoy both?
I agree with the above poster - you will get used to streaming and you will appreciate the ability to sample new music never heard before at your finger tips - not even KIng Louis 14th had this much repertoire available at a whims notice...hehe - we are living in a good times, and with a proper setup, streaming can be quite close to LP quality these days with the Amazon upscale streaming for instance...
Make the plunge and get your feet wet on this 21st century technology, and you will be glad you did...
I have streaming capabilities in my system. I'm sitting here listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Western Stars" on vinyl right now. And its a double LP.
If you love vinyl, you'll still listen to vinyl. But streaming is great too, especially for playing that random song that you don't have on vinyl, and for discovering new music. I've discovered a ton of great new music via the Spotify "discover weekly" feed.
I think vinyl and streaming complement each other. I like having both.
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