Streaming vs Physical Media

I have been personally blessed to have owned and still own some of the very finest cd playback systems ever made. And I have never heard a streamer on a display that I was taken aback with or one that I could say kept up with the cd systems I had at home.  That being said I have never bothered to ask about what they were running for the demonstration as I just wasn't interested. Now a few things to keep in mind there are not that many stores around here anymore so likely have not heard many different setups. Also I don't make the trip up to the big cities that often anymore the one city is a two hour drive the other is a six hour drive twenty years ago went almost every weekend and heard many systems that were on display. I can remember being blown away by a few systems and what cd playback system they had in them. I bought one of my favorite of the group and likely should have done what it took to buy the Linn cd12 at the time. Likely what I thought was the best redbook cd player I ever heard but I had the sonic frontier dac and transport three and it also is superlative. The one person commented on the thread  about the connection boxes on either end of the streaming system likely not being optimized for audio might be what I have heard at cost no object HiFi stores that I don't like about streaming. Not sure what it is and as I said I was never interested enough to learn about them or buy one as I felt is was a step down. I have wondered they way fellows write about them if I have only listened to cheap junk and not a real good one. But at the present I am more than happy with the four top end cd playback systems I have and easily live with two of three three I had in the past. CD playback has always been important to me. 

@charles1dad  well my list of the best cd playback systems I have heard are as follows. A Linn cd12, DSC Elgar Purcell pair(yes not particularly fair as it upsamples), sonic frontier transport and DAC three, Wadia 270/27 separates, Naim CDS, Mark Levinson DAC 30.5 and driven by the Oracle transport. Of that group I bought a sonic frontier transport and DAC three. The other players I have and have had that I consider a small step below these are a Krell kps20i,wadia6, Theda universal transport and gen three DAC, enlightened audio design seperates.another step down was Roksan dp1 transport and DAC, the transport was very good the DAC I didn't care for I replaced the DAC with a chord 64 and that took it up comparably to the others In the one step down category.  I was offered the Linn cd12 at at great prices the dealer was wanting rid of it and I should have done what it took to buy that one but I past on it back in the day. 

Regards 

@lalitk  yes likely a very true statement I find that setup is the difference between good and great and part of the endless pursuit! In the main system I getting close to having the cd playback the way I want it. Building a different wall mount for my turn tables still think over if I should put them on one wall mount or two. New house so new room is what is going on at the moment. A friend of mine gave me an audio research reference phono stage and in just a quick listen I think that seems much better than the on board phono section in my Ayre k1xe. So it will take awhile to get that the way I want it but all good things come over time. Also I wonder if I should belly up and buy the cartridge I have always coveted ouch! Get it setup right first then go from there. The second table I am setting up for 78 playback. I was thinking I wanted to hear some of those one more time I listened to them as a kid. You might all laugh but as a young fellow I found an old tube radio that was my grand parents radio in a cupboard at the farm I hauled it out and plugged it in. It worked anyhow dad rewired it the powercord was falling apart due to age I loved that thing and in my mind it took many years to get anything that I found as entertaining as that old bakelite radio was it was a sad day when that died. My second system I went to a tube system lol I have the beauty of that old radio plus plus. Basically where I want to go is get my turn tables setup and enjoyable I also have an mr71 tuner to finish getting setup. I wondered about an SACD player and when one of my dealers told me they were only good for about two years of regular playback then the laser would only work on cd's I wasn't Interested any more and I decided to head along the route of 78 playback as stated before to listen to some old music I liked as a kid. I bought a used clear audio table and a rega78 cartridge so not too much into it to try and have some fun. It would be neat to hear a streamer that someone has well setup but I don't know anyone who does who has a reasonably good stereo. The problem with listening to demos in store is deciding what is wrong with the demo which piece of equipment is wrong or the setup is wrong. That is the big challenge to store demos. That's where spending many weekend all winter long in HiFi stores helped when I did that as I got to hear different pieces grouped with other items and you could more times than not the determine what each piece sounded like. Lol and then the lessons where money was involved helped very much you in fact learn more when you realize you bought the wrong thing! Lol. Funny how loonie I would have thought I am now thirty years ago this last weekend a friend was over and we were auditioning receptical s and different plugs on the power cords. I know what I like but he has a better ear than I do.   

Regards Tom 

@ghdprentice  hit the wrong thing and have to start again. The front end has the sonic frontier transport and DAC three with reflector 6922s wired with furutech 55 powercord s and there top of the line plugs and IEC ends. A furutech evolution balanced interconnects.  A Linn lp12 with a xlo reference ten powercord wire into it and a Linn kylde cartridge Linn interconnect a itok Valhalla table. The clear audio base table that is going to be the 78 playback system with a rega78 cartridge. That is balanced and will hook up to the Ayre k1xe phono stage and the Linn will hook up to the audio research reference one phono stage AP's with a set of reflector 6922 tubes.  An Mr 71 McIntosh Turner With a st2 antenna. The Ayre k1xe has a transparent super power cord second generation with the three boxes the top of the line in that series cut the plugs off and installed furutech gold 48 plugs and IEC ends on it there are three dedicated 20amp circuit s that the front end plugs into. There are two with the top of the line furutech receptacle rodium plated and the other one is the top gold plated receptical. The Ayre is hooked via second generation transparent reference xl balanced interconnects to a pair of mark Levinson 33h mono blocks that have been recapped. Those amps have the top of the line furutech plugs wires on to them three more dedicated 20 amp circuit s on that wall one for each amp and one other the dedicated circuits are all on the same leg of the box they are all the same length the room is 16x23x7.5. the monoblocks are hooked up to the harbeth slh5 speakers via transparent generation three speaker wire. The speaker wire and s raised off the floor on powerline insulators. The speakers are on foundation stands. And all equipment is on thick blocks of dense hardwood purple heart and rosewood.  They have brass points under them each has its own board. All are two inches thick or more. 

System two is am Canary audio system. A pair of ca160 mono blocks with a ca 801 two box preamplifier and the Krell 20i cd player.  Wired with a set of first generation transparent reference speaker wire. Furutech RCA interconnects and furutech 55 powercord and two more transparent super three box interconnect s with the furutech gold plated plugs. The Krell has a xlo reference power cord with the best furutech plugs and there furutech receptacles one gold two rodium the ones.  The speakers are a set of equation 25 s.

The bedroom system has the Wadia 6 cd player with a melody h88 integrated amplifier that has been modified with oilers and it is an early made in Australia one with RCA tubes  and a pair poison  two  dome phase speakers. Speaker wires are transparent ultra xl second generation. That also has transparent super interconnects and two box transparent plus powercords. Stock ends thinking I should sell them and buy some furutech powercords. Also a McIntosh mr73 tuner. 

Home theater system four speakers is all neat stand mounts as rear surround and small front towers MIT terminator 2 speaker wires  furutech HDMI cables and a Sony es blue ray player and a nad receiver. Same two box transparent power cords including the TV. A cheap 75 inch sharp tv lol the furutech HDMI cables were more money than the TV. 

Bathroom system lol a set of kef in wall speakers and an aa001 integrated amplifier with a cheap Sony blue ray. More two box transparent power cords.a 32 in h sharp tv mounted on the wall I can watch a movie while relaxing in the jet tub. 

 Lol the garage system I have to get in from the farm a pair of beat klipsh Cornwall speakers and an old Kenwood integrated with a tube Sherwood tuner. That was a second hand store buy less than a hundred dollars on that one! Took about five years to find the pieces for it. Lol. 

I will see if I can post a few pictures for you. Regards 

@lalitk  couldn't figure it out but put the Levenson monoblocks one as my picture by my handle on here. Regards