Is Streaming the Future?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Khorn, Feb 11, 2020.

  1. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian Thread Starter

    Although I’ve been using Apple Music over the past few years I’ve never thought of making Streaming my main source of Music. Part of the shift are mobility issues due to a previous stroke. I also have large collection of sacds a good portion unopened.

    I just set up a new bedroom system with a node 2i. Now I want to add a more sophisticated DAC/Streamer as my primary source in my main system.

    How many out there are moving in a similar direction?
     
    quicksrt and bru87tr like this.
  2. Really sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you are coping well. For me however streaming is not something that i am interseted in. Love my CDs and LPs. I however get where you are comming from. Good luck
     
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  3. bamaaudio

    bamaaudio Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    It already is. But there are obviously tons of previous cd and vinyl releases out there and vinyl still has an audience. It does seem like fewer cds are being made for newer artists though. Often I'll check an artist's bandcamp and cd will not be an option.
     
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  4. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian Thread Starter

    Thanks, appreciate.
     
    Fishoutofwater likes this.
  5. mkane

    mkane Strictly Analog

    Location:
    Auburn CA
    We quit streaming as of a few days ago. To expensive. Tired of paying Qbuz, Spotify,Tidal monthly charges and also would have needed to up out PC plan ab the basic service we now use ran out of bytes very fast. Music is on all day here.
     
    fretter, Audiowannabee and Khorn like this.
  6. scottc1963

    scottc1963 Forum Resident

    Sorry for your health issues, best wishes for you.
    I go back and forth on this very issue, because of some similar issues! I love listening to music, but am finding it harder to get to the music!
     
    Khorn likes this.
  7. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian Thread Starter

    After spending so many many years involved in music and building some great systems I’m not about to give up now.
    Sure it costs a lot to get good higher Rez streaming and equipment but what the hell I want to enjoy satisfying music reproduction. Seems to be the most logical step for me.
     
    DavidD, The FRiNgE, MackKnife and 2 others like this.
  8. rodentdog

    rodentdog Senior Member

    @Khorn Get a Vault2 and the extenal DAC of your choice. The Node and Vault (as you know) are controlled by the same app and can play the same music at the same time.
     
    TheIncredibleHoke and Khorn like this.
  9. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    It isn't the future for me. Paying a number of services every month forever to get access to about 60% of what I own, and not the mastering that I prefer, isn't what I'd like.

    Don't mind setting up my own library. It'd also work if the Internet service is down, too.
     
  10. Carrman

    Carrman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Streaming is the norm for the masses already. Netflix and Spotify have proven this.
    We've gone from owning to renting and instead of buying products we now buy services and experiences.

    I don't see any real issue with it. If you are planning on investing in the equipment needed for the services available you should be fine heading into the future.
    I typically listen to vinyl at home and stream free services at work all day. I do really like having a 'radio' like experience when I don't want to interact with gear. Music plays in my office for 8-10 hours with me lifting a finger, it's great!
     
  11. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Streaming isn't the real answer it's supposed to be yet; it's a real cool thing to be at a party and some random Morricone pops up right after the Shirelles. But there's a lot of work to make it do that, whether algorithms of your taste at the moment, or figuring out your own personal recipe for the equipment. With cable/phone/internet bundles getting pricier and services playing "Go Fish!" with artist catalogs, people in the real world with budgets will find it difficult to really get the exact "thousands" of songs they were hoping for, without a handful of subscriptions.

    Non-audiophile people frankly had it easier back in the '90s, when Chad and Buffy had a 5-disc CD player sitting under their VCR's.

    Me, I'm more fascinated by the notion of NAS servers, which I don't feel is a real option without a college degree in Geekdom. But there's something most elegant about calling-up the surround tracks you ripped on your Oppo and your compyooter, shuffled with smart playlist algorithms back and forth from your "preferred favorites" to your "casual favorites" to your "random tracks" lists. And to also call up your vacation photos when your friends are too polite to leave, and scroll them on the teevee. And to also have your work and personal notes and letters backed-up in case the compyooter crashes and needs to go into a new compyooter. And of course, another hard drive you can remove and store outside the house. And I know, that's far too much maintenance and tag-modifying than the average human wants as a major part of his day-to-day routine. But at least you own those files, not just rent them, only to lose them all eventually.
     
    Khorn likes this.
  12. Fruff76

    Fruff76 L100 Classic - Fan Club President

    Imagine going back in time and telling your young self you will someday have access to any song or album you want just out of the air like radio. Then telling your young self people would be debating whether or not this is good, while still listening to records.
     
  13. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian Thread Starter

    Could be, as more jump on the streaming band wagon competition will lower sub prices or open up new options. I have lots of physical media including many great SACDs unopened.
     
  14. IllinoisCheesehead

    IllinoisCheesehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    I've been a subscriber to the Rhapsody streaming service (now rebranded as Napster) for probably 18 or so years now. Rhapsody was one of the first, if not the first, music streaming services out there. It's not my main source of music, but it definitely has a place, using it mostly at work and when I'm on the go.

    Streaming is a great platform for expanding one's musical tastes. I've learned of a lot of artists I would never have known about had I not had the ability through a streaming service to pick a random genre and just listen. I don't see streaming ever completely replacing my CD's and LP's, but it's a great supplement and well worth the $10/month it costs me.
     
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  15. x2zero

    x2zero Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn USA
    For the vast majority it’s the present.
     
  16. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I think you owe it to yourself, to be able to spend as much time as possible after pursuing these goals, just making time to enjoy these passions. It's daunting when your life changes, and somehow you lose interest in such things.
    Don't forget to set aside time to rediscover what you love about the music that you deserve to have taken with you all these decades.
     
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  17. hifisoup

    hifisoup @hearmoremusic on Instagram

    Location:
    USA
    The future is here. Between Deezer, streaming my own music library and TuneIn radio streaming is easily 80% of my music listening.
     
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  18. Standingstones

    Standingstones Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Central PA
    The future of streaming is present day as far as I am concerned. I never thought that CDs would take a back seat to another mode of listening but here it is. I plan on upgrading my streaming device in the near future so I am all in.
     
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  19. Laibach

    Laibach Forum Resident

    I wouldn't think of subscribing to any music streaming service.

    I do however stream podcasts and Internet radio on a daily basis.

    From time to time I stream music from my own physical collection (CD or vinyl) but this would be on very particular ocassions like I have a few guests home or I just don't have time to sit down to properly listen and in this case sound quality isn't a real issue just the convenience of having music in the background for that particular situation.
     
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  20. Stereosound

    Stereosound Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    There are tens of millions of people out there for who streaming is their main source of music. Any individual can choose what/how they prefer as their main source of music. Streaming is the dominant way however and as the newer generations come along to most of them it will be the way as it will basically be all they are accustomed to. As for the older generations it’s a mixed bag as it is new to them and they will either not even bother to try it, try it and not care for it for whatever reason or try it and find they love it and continue with it whether they make it their main source or not depending on how much they prefer it over physical sources.
     
    Khorn likes this.
  21. Wingsfan2012

    Wingsfan2012 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Junior's Farm, IL
    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
     
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  22. Stereosound

    Stereosound Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Are you 2 years old today? :):shh:

     
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  23. rene smalldridge

    rene smalldridge Senior Member

    Location:
    manhattan,kansas
    Going back all those years and telling or asking my young self anything would seem to be an exercise in absolute futility.
     
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  24. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Streaming and buying music online is the future
     
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  25. Dream On

    Dream On Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    You think the number is really that low? I have a Napster sub and I would guess they have over 90% of what I own. 40 million songs is a lot of music. But it's not like I have checked for every album, so who knows?

    I think the way a lot of these services work is that licenses are granted by whoever owns the music to the various streaming options that are out there - not usually to only one. I have noticed the following:

    - I sometimes check Shazam for what song I am listening to. Shazam is am Apple app and I believe is linked to Apple's streaming service catalog. Shazam usually recognizes each song but sometimes it doesn't. When it does, I notice Napster has the song. When it doesn't, Napster usually doesn't as well.
    - I remember at one point I read that Motley Crue's albums were being removed off Spotify and one or two other services. Napster wasn't mentioned. But I noticed that when I checked in Napster the same thing happened.

    Thus, I'm not sure that subbing to multiple services will do much. They all seem yo have the same music (or a lot of it). Perhaps if all the record companies eventually launch their own streaming options then it will.

    Agree with your reasons for staying with physical media though. Every option has pros and cons. I am used to and like physical media, though streaming makes sense for music that isn't among my favorites. The cost of physical media goes up quick if you buy frequently, and it also takes up a lot of space. So I try to keep the collection focused on what I like most.
     
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