Why the joy of physical media in today's streaming world

[newlash09]

Hi all

I've always been a streaming guy, having never owned any physical media before. Streaming was easy and convenient. But it was restless, as I was always searching and would line up my next track, half way through the present track. So on a whim I bought my first cd player ever..without owning a single CD, and borrowing from friends ( absolutely great friends from Hyderabad)..and I enjoyed the experience. Iam not at all a critical listener per say. But I enjoyed sitting in my chair and not worrying about choice.

Adding to the same physical media thing..I've decided to go analogue too....my TT is not here yet...but I got my first set of vinyl's to get me started . And boy was I not excited to unpack them and see the title art in all its glory.

That's when it dawned upon me...why perfectly great sounding systems are swapped so often in the name of a upgrade . Because we get used to the sound and look for change, not necessarily better . We are basically looking for that childish excitement again. And physical media gives you that in tons everyday, at a not very bank breaking expense.

Whenever I borrow a CD, Iam super excited to get back home , finish my dinner , put my daughter to sleep. And crash into my system room for a listen. Of course the same tracks are available on tidal, and gaana too. But they don't excite me at all. So i would suggest any one getting bored to get into physical media...local play back. Atleast you won't have to worry about Ian isolators, LPSU's, usb or digital cables....and that's just the tip of the iceberg

 

[balavignesh002]

I love to listen physical media. I keep on buying discs with out auditioning the tracks and very much exited when it's been delivered in door step, like a kid getting a candy.

Physical media gives a feel of personalized enthusiasm. There is a detailed history of the band or album artists illustrated, some hand written notes too, and lirics printed with photos on physical media. All gives a personal touch and involvement of the music.

 

[Tuhin Lavania]

I refuse to watch anything on Netflix or such. I never stream.
Physical media / OG Copy / Remux is the way to go. The video and audio is miles better.

 

[venkatcr]

Netflix has slowly started streaming 4K and movies with Dolby Digital, DTS and even Atmos. I saw the complete Bourne series, and the video and audio quality was top class. With PCM to the AVR, you get full advantage of the HT system. The added advantage is excellent sub-titles.

In terms of music, I agree physical media is better, though Tidal, Spotify and others are supposed to deliver HQ audio.

I have taken the middle line. I use streaming extensively to listen to films songs, slokas, Hindustani and Carnatic songs. I have converted a large portion of my CDs into flac. I just drag some 50-100 songs into the player and that keeps playing in the background. When I like a particular song, I add it to my list of favourite songs - what I call 'songs to die for'. Once or twice a week, I listen to my favourite songs with the seriousness they deserve. The advantage of this methodology is that you get to listen to new numbers and albums of your favourite artists you have never heard before.

Using digital sources provides convenience that physical media can never provide. But, yes. Getting serious digital source takes effort. You have to rip your CDs and tag them properly. I usually rip one to two CDs a day. That way I have some 2.5TB of music that will last me a lifetime.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Hi all

I've always been a streaming guy, having never owned any physical media before. Streaming was easy and convenient. But it was restless, as I was always searching and would line up my next track, half way through the present track. So on a whim I bought my first cd player ever..without owning a single CD, and borrowing from friends ( absolutely great friends from Hyderabad)..and I enjoyed the experience. Iam not at all a critical listener per say. But I enjoyed sitting in my chair and not worrying about choice.

Adding to the same physical media thing..I've decided to go analogue too....my TT is not here yet...but I got my first set of vinyl's to get me started . And boy was I not excited to unpack them and see the title art in all its glory.

That's when it dawned upon me...why perfectly great sounding systems are swapped so often in the name of a upgrade . Because we get used to the sound and look for change, not necessarily better . We are basically looking for that childish excitement again. And physical media gives you that in tons everyday, at a not very bank breaking expense.

Whenever I borrow a CD, Iam super excited to get back home , finish my dinner , put my daughter to sleep. And crash into my system room for a listen. Of course the same tracks are available on tidal, and gaana too. But they don't excite me at all. So i would suggest any one getting bored to get into physical media...local play back. Atleast you won't have to worry about Ian isolators, LPSU's, usb or digital cables....and that's just the tip of the iceberg

Hi Manohar ji

I am also a streaming guy and was suffering from skipping problem. But somehow I am getting better now days. By having just one huge playlist of only my fav songs. So no more skipping for me. I am trying to mimic a radio like playlist, mix of all genres.

Another important aspect I have realised is that every time you listen to your system, is not meant to explore new music. May be once in a while it's OK to try different musicians/artists/albums by skipping or whatever. Else this is not going stop and you can not enjoy even a single track. This helped me a lot.

Now a important question, are CDs sounding better than Tidal? Please share your views.

Regards
Vivek

 

[Nitin K]

Hi all

I've always been a streaming guy, having never owned any physical media before. Streaming was easy and convenient. But it was restless, as I was always searching and would line up my next track, half way through the present track. So on a whim I bought my first cd player ever..without owning a single CD, and borrowing from friends ( absolutely great friends from Hyderabad)..and I enjoyed the experience. Iam not at all a critical listener per say. But I enjoyed sitting in my chair and not worrying about choice.

Adding to the same physical media thing..I've decided to go analogue too....my TT is not here yet...but I got my first set of vinyl's to get me started . And boy was I not excited to unpack them and see the title art in all its glory.

That's when it dawned upon me...why perfectly great sounding systems are swapped so often in the name of a upgrade . Because we get used to the sound and look for change, not necessarily better . We are basically looking for that childish excitement again. And physical media gives you that in tons everyday, at a not very bank breaking expense.

Whenever I borrow a CD, Iam super excited to get back home , finish my dinner , put my daughter to sleep. And crash into my system room for a listen. Of course the same tracks are available on tidal, and gaana too. But they don't excite me at all. So i would suggest any one getting bored to get into physical media...local play back. Atleast you won't have to worry about Ian isolators, LPSU's, usb or digital cables....and that's just the tip of the iceberg

Hi Manu,

I absolutely agree with you. The fun of having physical media, be it vinyl or cd's & putting them in the tray & playing them feels good. I too am not much of a streaming guy & in fact have stopped my spotify subscription for the time being. I find Spotify good for finding songs which I have not come across, but find CD clarity better in general. This would be my preference off course but there are many who find streaming better & more convenient for their needs.
I really hope like vinyl, cd's also have a come back & hope to see them stacked in the music shop racks. Miss seeing the iconic Rhythm house which had a huge collection in Mumbai.

Regards,
nitin

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Ah, the awakening! It’s a ‘homecoming’ feeling when that happens.

 

[newlash09]

Hi Manohar ji

I am also a streaming guy and was suffering from skipping problem. But somehow I am getting better now days. By having just one huge playlist of only my fav songs. So no more skipping for me. I am trying to mimic a radio like playlist, mix of all genres.

Another important aspect I have realised is that every time you listen to your system, is not meant to explore new music. May be once in a while it's OK to try different musicians/artists/albums by skipping or whatever. Else this is not going stop and you can not enjoy even a single track. This helped me a lot.

Now a important question, are CDs sounding better than Tidal? Please share your views.

Regards
Vivek

That's a very interesting question. And I did do that comparison. I played the CD from the esoteric CD player, and played the same track from tidal via a lumin T1 streamer cum dac. And I couldn't find any difference in sound quality, apart from the usual differences I found between the two sources Dac's. Even then the difference is so minute, that I struggled to make it out. So tidal quality is on par with CD as a digital medium. One does not have to go to CD for a Better sound quality. Except for a different and more enjoyable experience, as is my case

 

[cooltoad]

Where from you all source your cds? In India amazon is the only place with limited collection.

 

[Bloom@83]

Do you stream via Bluetooth or wifi

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

Physical Media does offer superior sound quality in most cases (barring a few poorly recorded CD's) . Digital is not always FLAC or WAV . So if you have a good system you can clearly hear the difference . All said and done many soundtracks are not being released on CD's . Going forward digital is going to rule , so we will end up listening to both the formats . Honestly I dont think CD will make a comeback or this vinyl fad will continue for long . Manufacturing requires a certain volume which few audiophiles cannot offer , What is there on Amazon is existing stock . Some of the forum members were struggling to get 50 audiophiles to sign up for their effort at getting CD's directly from the company . The fact is demand is so low that it does not make economic sense to manufacture Physical Media . We may want a CD revival , but its unlikely to happen

 

[RRR]

For those interested in getting cds, am letting go another about 30 cds from my collection. Please pm if you are genuinely interested. Cheers

 

[Vivek Batra]

That's a very interesting question. And I did do that comparison. I played the CD from the esoteric CD player, and played the same track from tidal via a lumin T1 streamer cum dac. And I couldn't find any difference in sound quality, apart from the usual differences I found between the two sources Dac's. Even then the difference is so minute, that I struggled to make it out. So tidal quality is on par with CD as a digital medium. One does not have to go to CD for a Better sound quality. Except for a different and more enjoyable experience, as is my case

That's good to know. Theoretically, if Tidal has the same resolution, then there should not be any difference but since the signal is over the internet, and most of the time wireless, such factors may affect the SQ a bit. Your both the sources, CDP and the streamer are of high quality you might be getting best possible out of Tidal as well as from CD.

Your feedback on quality comparison cleared out my doubt that CDs would sound better than streaming. I was even considering to get away with my dac and buy a CDP with usb input, but I guess that's not required now.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards
Vivek

 

[newlash09]

That's good to know. Theoretically, if Tidal has the same resolution, then there should not be any difference but since the signal is over the internet, and most of the time wireless, such factors may affect the SQ a bit. Your both the sources, CDP and the streamer are of high quality you might be getting best possible out of Tidal as well as from CD.

Your feedback on quality comparison cleared out my doubt that CDs would sound better than streaming. I was even considering to get away with my dac and buy a CDP with usb input, but I guess that's not required now.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards
Vivek

Hi vivek

There certainly isn't any difference to my ears. But then they are not the best around. I do agree that I really struggle to hear differences that components or cables make, unlike a lot of friends I know endowed with superior hearing.

So Iam happy that I don't have to fret about the minor differences if there are any. But others might also be right, if they can hear a difference.

And when I did CD vs tidal comparison, via esoteric only. I was streaming tidal through a normal Yamaha wxc50 via coaxial. And we all know that the streamer can be improved upon. So I will leave it open at that

 

[Vivek Batra]

Hi vivek

There certainly isn't any difference to my ears. But then they are not the best around. I do agree that I really struggle to hear differences that components or cables make, unlike a lot of friends I know endowed with superior hearing.

So Iam happy that I don't have to fret about the minor differences if there are any. But others might also be right, if they can hear a difference.

And when I did CD vs tidal comparison, via esoteric only. I was streaming tidal through a normal Yamaha wxc50 via coaxial. And we all know that the streamer can be improved upon. So I will leave it open at that

Same is with me. I was not able to tell a difference by swapping so many cables. This is blessing in disguise . Let's stick to enjoying music rather than cribbing about the gear and the source.

Regards
Vivek

 

[arj]

Hi all

I've always been a streaming guy, having never owned any physical media before. Streaming was easy and convenient. But it was restless, as I was always searching and would line up my next track, half way through the present track. So on a whim I bought my first cd player ever..without owning a single CD, and borrowing from friends ( absolutely great friends from Hyderabad)..and I enjoyed the experience. Iam not at all a critical listener per say. But I enjoyed sitting in my chair and not worrying about choice.

Adding to the same physical media thing..I've decided to go analogue too....my TT is not here yet...but I got my first set of vinyl's to get me started . And boy was I not excited to unpack them and see the title art in all its glory.

That's when it dawned upon me...why perfectly great sounding systems are swapped so often in the name of a upgrade . Because we get used to the sound and look for change, not necessarily better . We are basically looking for that childish excitement again. And physical media gives you that in tons everyday, at a not very bank breaking expense.

Whenever I borrow a CD, Iam super excited to get back home , finish my dinner , put my daughter to sleep. And crash into my system room for a listen. Of course the same tracks are available on tidal, and gaana too. But they don't excite me at all. So i would suggest any one getting bored to get into physical media...local play back. Atleast you won't have to worry about Ian isolators, LPSU's, usb or digital cables....and that's just the tip of the iceberg

The gear head in me has to ask this..What TT are you getting and what Phono

The challenge these days on Vinyl is the physical medium is whats far more expensive than the equipment itself !

 

[anilpatel]

Hi all

I've always been a streaming guy, having never owned any physical media before. Streaming was easy and convenient. But it was restless, as I was always searching and would line up my next track, half way through the present track. So on a whim I bought my first cd player ever..without owning a single CD, and borrowing from friends ( absolutely great friends from Hyderabad)..and I enjoyed the experience. Iam not at all a critical listener per say. But I enjoyed sitting in my chair and not worrying about choice.

Adding to the same physical media thing..I've decided to go analogue too....my TT is not here yet...but I got my first set of vinyl's to get me started . And boy was I not excited to unpack them and see the title art in all its glory.

That's when it dawned upon me...why perfectly great sounding systems are swapped so often in the name of a upgrade . Because we get used to the sound and look for change, not necessarily better . We are basically looking for that childish excitement again. And physical media gives you that in tons everyday, at a not very bank breaking expense.

Whenever I borrow a CD, Iam super excited to get back home , finish my dinner , put my daughter to sleep. And crash into my system room for a listen. Of course the same tracks are available on tidal, and gaana too. But they don't excite me at all. So i would suggest any one getting bored to get into physical media...local play back. Atleast you won't have to worry about Ian isolators, LPSU's, usb or digital cables....and that's just the tip of the iceberg

@Vivek Batra

As far as my understanding while reading different websites on description of sound quality of CD vs Streaming or Bluray vs Streaming. I might go with some basic maths.
The capacity of Blu ray disc is 80 GB and it store the file in ".m2ts" format not ".mkv" for "1080p" format. I have also downloaded ".m2ts" file also. The size of ".m2ts" file for one hour videos is 18 GB or more. So if movie is around "three hours", then total movie size on bluray disk would be more than 54 GB for a single movie. I am not sure the streaming sites stream the content on 54 GB in three hour.

FLAC and WAV song files are both lossless files. Original CD stores data in WAV fo format. FLAC is converted from WAV using Compression algorithms. The size of FLAC file is 60 % of the size of WAV file. Also there are cases that, flac can be converted to WAV file. So if WAV file is converted from FLAC, you would not notice any difference in sound quality.

Please share your expert thoughts on this.

 

[newlash09]

@Vivek Batra

As far as my understanding while reading different websites on description of sound quality of CD vs Streaming or Bluray vs Streaming. I might go with some basic maths.
The capacity of Blu ray disc is 80 GB and it store the file in ".m2ts" format not ".mkv" for "1080p" format. I have also downloaded ".m2ts" file also. The size of ".m2ts" file for one hour videos is 18 GB or more. So if movie is around "three hours", then total movie size on bluray disk would be more than 54 GB for a single movie. I am not sure the streaming sites stream the content on 54 GB in three hour.

FLAC and WAV song files are both lossless files. Original CD stores data in WAV fo format. FLAC is converted from WAV using Compression algorithms. The size of FLAC file is 60 % of the size of WAV file. Also there are cases that, flac can be converted to WAV file. So if WAV file is converted from FLAC, you would not notice any difference in sound quality.

Please share your expert thoughts on this.

I would summarise that we can all get easily caught up in the numbers game, when it comes to formats. But how much of that additional data on the track is discernable to the listener is something everyone has to take a call for themselves.

I might be the expection here, in that I was using roon to down sample everything ( even DSD) to 16/44, as my dac sounded lovely on red book 16/44 resolution. As I've said, it's a choice everyone has to make for themselves.

I can hear and make out the difference when dynamics have been compromised in a remix. But not when data above 16/44 has been munched

Mostly additional resolution gives a smoother presentation to my ears, but not additional detail that I could resolve so far

 

[Rajeshh]

@newlash09 I personally think that Streaming is only going to get better and better. The convenience is unbeatable also.
Today, a good streamer + DAC streaming Tidal masters on Roon, can get very close to the sound a high end CD player.

That being said, I understand the point of the thread, I use a Turntable and buy albums that I particularly enjoy. The joy of physical media, with the album covers and other details to read is a different feel

And yes, the analog sound is different - maybe it is more fluid with all the details still there. I could notice this on the "You want it darker" album by Leonard Cohen.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Today, a good streamer + DAC streaming Tidal masters on Roon, can get very close to the sound a high end CD player.

I find a significant gap between Tidal Hifi played natively (or via Roon) vs same track player on CD using the same DAC. (Streamer and transport being from the same series - Cambridge CXN and CXC - hence comparable). Dynamics and immediacy are substantially better through the CD. And since it’s consistent across albums, it’s unlikely to be due to difference in masters.

Most other listeners and members I’ve interacted with on this feel the same. I don’t want to force conclusions one way or the other. Just adding my two pennies to the discussion. The experience/joy of physical handling is over and above this.