FM broadcast vs. streaming

FM can sound great with a great, fully aligned tuner if you have a station that broadcasts a great signal. Though with Tidal the sound is awesome too and you control content. Haven't compared directly, but I have a great Don Scott modified McIntosh tuner and barely use it since I got Tidal.

FM is free.

I listen to NPR, so cost is about same as streaming for me...

I listen to FM classical a lot via my trusty NAD tuner, and I find that it has an "air" about it that digital radio does not, especially noticeable during prime transmission times, i.e. between 12AM and 6AM. FM just sounds more alive for whatever reason.

My use of streaming I think has more to do with no announcers, no commercials. choice of music more so than sound quality...

Thanks for the diverse and interesting answers so far. I'm thinking specifically of a given FM station over-the-air vs. the streaming broadcast available on their website. I do hear the "air" present in the over-the-air broadcast but appreciate having less noise ("static?") in the streaming version. I was wondering if anyone else has tried this direct comparison.

I've listened to both versions of the same broadcast but they're on two different systems: my main rig and my iMac. The FM version has that air and all that I've been used to hearing all my life and it's quite satisfying.

The streaming version sounds a bit more intimate and yet homogenized at the same time. Maybe antiseptic is a better word for it. I know it's apples to oranges due to completely different set ups but when it comes to listening, I always go for the FM. For the short time I had the iMac hooked up to my stereo, it was the same result.

All the best,
Nonoise