I had Powerline adapters years and years ago. Never could figure out what that weird cycling sound in the system was until I replaced them. DO NOT USE. This was with a distinctly mid-fi system, I can’t imagine what they’d to to my systems now.
Streaming music- not the end all music solution but one main advantage?
I noticed here on Agon that there are audiophiles who dislike streaming and some who like it. Some who hate digital and only like analog (think turntables and vinyl). Many who hate MQA and some that really listen to many MQA titles. Also some who really like the technical superiority of some equipment over others and really dig specs and others who trust their ears more.
What I like about streaming is the VAST every growing list of songs, artists and albums I can audition. I cannot own all this music in my home library and I cannot add 50-100 new albums daily. To me, for one who puts music before the equipment, this is the greatest advantage of streaming music.... I am much much more exposure to music. I don’t need to own it, but after a listen to a new artist, new song or new album that the I MUST have, I can buy the digital download or the analog version. What say you...about streaming?
What I like about streaming is the VAST every growing list of songs, artists and albums I can audition. I cannot own all this music in my home library and I cannot add 50-100 new albums daily. To me, for one who puts music before the equipment, this is the greatest advantage of streaming music.... I am much much more exposure to music. I don’t need to own it, but after a listen to a new artist, new song or new album that the I MUST have, I can buy the digital download or the analog version. What say you...about streaming?
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What I love about streaming is the instant access. I am on a couple of music forums, someone recommends something that peaks my curiosity (or else a review in a magazine), in the past I would order the CD and have to wait for it. Now between Qobuz, Apple, and Amazon I can almost always find it. It’s also great in the car, no more fiddling with CDs and jewel boxes. So it raises a question in my mind. Is the instant access making me value it less? I find that if the beginning of a piece doesn’t grab me, I tend to switch to something else. If I purchase a CD, I am more patient, and I can point to a lot of discs in my collection, entire Outputs of Composers, where initial impressions were offputting but patience is rewarded with deeper appreciation. If it’s easy to make a hamburger, we stop putting the work in to make a gourmet meal |
Some people don’t like them, but I have found the Powerline adapters very useful in situations where one cannot run another Ethernet cable for a wired connection (thus extending their router to another room in the house) and cannot get a wireless signal to that distant room. For anyone who does not know, Powerline adapters give your AC or electrical lines the ability to transmit an internet or data signal the same as an Ethernet cable would do. Works for me like a charm, and it does not cause noise, although that is a major drawback for some. https://youtu.be/ywQeJCa3jl8 |
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I got bored this morning so I switched the Aries to wireless,( my router is less than 6 months old so 5ghz). I honestly could not tell any difference going back and forth between wired and wireless. Just a test as will be sticking with wired as I have a hub in my music room to feed both dacs, the tv and the bluray. |
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@mental , I own the original Nodes, and when I asked Bluesound, they said it made no difference in sound quality if I used an external DAC. The one big difference between the Node 1/2 and the new 2i is the ability to use the 5ghz wifi band. I did a work around using a Netgear product and have my Node's using the less populated 5ghz band with no dropouts. Bob |
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By all accounts the DAC in the node 2i is no different to previous generations, just the cable routing internal is better and the 5g wireless capability lessens chance of any dropouts. However even though I had option of wireless on both my Aries and Ayon DAC I always ran hard wired so never had any dropouts. Whatever you decide if you have ability to feed it a hard line I think you will be better off in the long run. So if you are not even going to use a Node internal DAC and can run a hard line, then pick up a Node 2 from eBay around $300 max. Bluesound into Bryston DAC while not giving you full MQA unfolding will still sound awesome IMHO. |
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Hey mental, The Bryston is really good stuff. Keep in mind, the Bluesound is budget gear that sounds good. Any Bryston streamer or Bryston DAC might sound better, since one is paying more. The NAD Master series takes the Bluesound up a notch...at a price..with included BluOS operating software and MQA playback. Having said that, a Bluesound Node 2i will add 5g wireless connectivity (a fair amount of people have had problems with 2g wireless losing connectivity in the Node 2) and with a better DAC added as an external DAC to the Node 2i, maybe an Ayre Codex, one can take the streaming up a couple notches in sound quality. Just food for thought to try MQA and streaming at it’s full bloom. |
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It’s fun to read the music reviews in TAS and Stereophile, then immediately access the albums via Tidal. Every so often I find a gem. Then there are the majority that I’m glad I didn’t purchase which was the reality prior to Tidal. There’s no substitute for actually hearing for yourself. Listening to some interesting tunes on Radio Paradise right now. |
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Spotify has very deep content. I’m like a kid in a candy store. I can try things I’d never have a chance to otherwise. Then if I like it enough I can buy and stream from my own music server. Records now only get played once and converted to digital and to my music server mostly now as well. I can then stream from Spotify or my music server not just in my house but in my car, at work, on vacation, anywhere. Also I’ve honed my gear and processes so it all sounds top nop notch, better than ever these days. What else is there? A great time to be a hifi music lover! |
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All good and helpful comments. As indicated by some fellow goners here, streaming should be able to co-exist with other tried and true music playback avenues (both analog and digital-to-analog). I have always been a fan of cassette tape, reel-to-reel tape, vinyl and turntables of all kinds, CDs and even dare I say 8-tracks (haha). It has been noticed in my neck of the woods (Ohio,USA) many video clubs are closing because of such growing popularity of the Smartv, Netflix, Hulu, SlingTV, Amazon and many others. So many people have gone to streaming video and audio I wanted to provide a place to share the positive points. |
Mental Maybe I did not read fully but just took your diss of streaming to include ALL streaming , my bad. Seriously take a free 30 day trial on Tidal and even their base 16/44 tier will put a smile on your face. I resisted for years until I was persuaded to try by a few members here. Never looked back. Yes it is $240 a year for the hifi tier but I think I now have about 1200 albums saved in my library over 2.5 years. How much would those 1200 albums have cost to own in hard format? Way more and I likely would never have even heard of 75% of them if not for Tidal. |
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I would say i am probably at a 50/50 mix of streaming and analog( vinyl/ cassette). I do not waste time comparing one to the other as way too many variables,I just enjoy each as they come. And if I really like something I streamed I may well seek it out on vinyl. Can't say as I buy many new CD though of late. |
Mental Tidal and Quboz are NOT mp3 streaming, not even on the base tier I believe. Do not confuse these two Premier services with the likes of Spotify or Pandora. As Bob says, why diss it without having heard what a 24/192 stream can sound like? I agree 100% on the exploration of new music, some I would never even have heard of never mind heard before! Of course the music threads here help tremendously in that aspect too |
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Agreed 100% with the OP. I’m like a kid in a candy store when I’m clicking on new music / artist. Occasionally I’ll buy the CD of something that I really like and have listened to repeatedly. I have bought lots of music over the years most of which (even the good ones) fade out of rotation and spend more time on the shelf. Renting or streaming is just fine for me. BTW it has to be CD quality or above (no MP3s). |
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