Is streaming the future?

[matthewpiano]

I've felt a lot just lately that some of the arguments here end up completely missing the point of hi-fi, and that is for the enjoyment of music. How you consume recorded music shouldn't really matter.

Wot! R U havin' a larf? This is a Hifi forum full of blokes...all of whom know best.

In case you need reminding, Hifi is about telling other people what they should think....with music coming a distant second place! *diablo*

I can't tell if you are being serious here or not but if so I despair.

 

[CnoEvil]

I've felt a lot just lately that some of the arguments here end up completely missing the point of hi-fi, and that is for the enjoyment of music. How you consume recorded music shouldn't really matter.

Wot! R U havin' a larf? This is a Hifi forum full of blokes...all of whom know best.

In case you need reminding, Hifi is about telling other people what they should think....with music coming a distant second place! *diablo*

I can't tell if you are being serious here or not but if so I despair.

I think you know the answer to that, my friend.

 

[matthewpiano]

In all seriousness I would veer towards thinking your are just havin' a larf and that underneath the comedy you actually agree with me.

 

[CnoEvil]

In all seriousness I would veer towards thinking your are just havin' a larf and that underneath the comedy you actually agree with me.

Of course I agree with you.....it just worries me the amount of people whose posts would indicate that they don't.

 

[iQ Speakers]

What's not to like? Mac sent me a new artist, I'm now listening! Having said that I have respect for other media and in particular vinyl which sounded particualy good at Bristol. I get the whole physical waiting unwrapping holding and playing physical media.

 

[chebby]

I saw this comment on a recent news item ...

Obvious but sad.........
I predicted the end of downloading and the rise and superiority of streaming in a letter to Hi-Fi World over three years ago now.

They could prove that, if you doubt me.

However, and more to the point.......I find the whole business of streaming to be soul-less and of absolutely no interest to me.

I will not partake in this nonsense, when this nonsense offers no emotive connection to the music, absolutely no interaction physically and basically just says, forget all about researching any bands, don't worry about having to save any money to buy a much wanted record, forget about the excitement of waiting for it to arrive, don't bother to unwrap the parcel or bring the disc home from the retailer, don't even think about the fun of actually touching something and getting a machine to play it for you, never ever again try to sit back and enjoy just the music, no you can only now listen to music whilst walking along a pavement, trying not to get run over whilst crossing a road, 'distracted' as you are by 'music' and the need to take pointless and childlike phone calls at the same time, and lets not forget all of the tweets from the twits who say plenty and yet communicate mostly nothing.

I'M BORED.

I WILL NOT COMPLY WITH THIS NONSENSE.

And just in case you believe I am old or a luddite or simply a fuddy duddy. Well fellow What Hi-Fi readers, I'm not.

Have a good day folks.

I couldn't believe it. It's either a clever spoof or a troll.

 

[manicm]

of all the music you have listened to via spotify, have you bought it on any other format to keep, after hearing it, or have you stopped buying music altogether?

Oh God yes! Quite a few. It's a fantastic way of listening to new music. And I still love buying CDs.

Major Fubar, no need to be insulting

I wasn't being insulting. People on forums just need to lighten up a bit and stop acting like they've just been physically assaulted the minute someone tells them on a forum quite bluntly that they're talking out their jacksy. It makes me wonder how you hypersensitive lot exist in the real world.

I'm not singling you out, there are a few others here as well, but if you really want to learn some manners head to the Naim forums where debate is robust but no insulting. So people according to you need to 'lighten up'?? Do you now get what I mean?

Anyway what's so wrong with anyone wanting to hold on to their CDs? I certainly would cos you can't trust record companies not to screw future remasters up. Or drop recordings altogether.

 

[manicm]

I saw this comment on a recent news item ...

Obvious but sad.........

I predicted the end of downloading and the rise and superiority of streaming in a letter to Hi-Fi World over three years ago now.

They could prove that, if you doubt me.

However, and more to the point.......I find the whole business of streaming to be soul-less and of absolutely no interest to me.

I will not partake in this nonsense, when this nonsense offers no emotive connection to the music, absolutely no interaction physically and basically just says, forget all about researching any bands, don't worry about having to save any money to buy a much wanted record, forget about the excitement of waiting for it to arrive, don't bother to unwrap the parcel or bring the disc home from the retailer, don't even think about the fun of actually touching something and getting a machine to play it for you, never ever again try to sit back and enjoy just the music, no you can only now listen to music whilst walking along a pavement, trying not to get run over whilst crossing a road, 'distracted' as you are by 'music' and the need to take pointless and childlike phone calls at the same time, and lets not forget all of the tweets from the twits who say plenty and yet communicate mostly nothing.

I'M BORED.

I WILL NOT COMPLY WITH THIS NONSENSE.

And just in case you believe I am old or a luddite or simply a fuddy duddy. Well fellow What Hi-Fi readers, I'm not.

Have a good day folks.

I couldn't believe it. It's either a clever spoof or a troll.

Live and let live, he's expressing an opinion but not insulting anyone. WHF posters could turn down the sneering and arrogance a notch, which is why I now find forums like Naim's more enjoyable these days.

 

[jjbomber]

I saw this comment on a recent news item ...

Obvious but sad.........

I'M BORED.

I WILL NOT COMPLY WITH THIS NONSENSE.

I couldn't believe it. It's either a clever spoof or a troll.

Why does he call himself Happy_Hifi?

 

[MajorFubar]

So people according to you need to 'lighten up'?? Do you now get what I mean?

No not really. I told him he was being ridiculously melodramatic and making stupid statements, or words to that effect. If saying something like that would get me banned from the Naim forum then it's probably a good thing I'm not there, because even in general away from the context of this discussion, when people spout so much sh**e that I can't tell their lips from their b*mhole, I am known to tell them so, in so many words. I don't really call a spade an earth moving implement. I'm happy for people to do the same to me and I might learn something if they're constructive with it, which I always try to be though I accept I sometimes fail. But then I'm not hypersenstitive. Some people round here wouldn't have made it through my highschool I think, let alone real life. Interesting postscript is he wasn't offended, and nor should he have been...so this debate is pointless.

Anyway what's so wrong with anyone wanting to hold on to their CDs?

Absolutely and utterly nothing, and if you believe I think otherwise, you've either completely misread everything I've ever typed on the subject, or I routinely put myself across very badly. That last bit if true must be my fault.

 

[fr0g]

As I have already said, my comment 'the death of music' was an expression, and not meant seriously. I assumed that was obvious, but perhaps not. Obviously I know it wouldnt be the death of music. Thats plainly obvious. But to me it would be a massive massive loss, hence the expression 'the death of music'.

I have never claimed spotify hasnt opened plenty of doors to plenty of people. I have always, from my first post, said that it is beneficial to some people, and some will thoroughly like it.

I myself though can stick to Youtube to check out any artists that may or may not be suggested. If i like something, i will buy the CD. If i dont (which is the case most of the time) then i dont. If im sitting on the fence (ouch) then I simply rely on Youtube if I ever get the urge to listen again.

Now, where are my spice girls CDs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That definitely was a joke

why ffs?

What on earth does it matter that it would be a massive massive (2 massives) loss?

It's a format that is now enjoyed by the masses rather than an exclusive few. It's amazing. I never listened to more than about half a dozen classical or jazz tracks and now I have albums full on my spotify playslists.

You are either an educated troll or simply misguided. But either way, your tone is very condescending to the masses.

And there is nothing wrong with "The Spice Girls" if you like it.

In fact, I think you're a snob. Get over yourself, please.

 

[MajorFubar]

Hey Manicm why don't you have a go at FrOg, FrOg called him an educated troll and a snob, where as I only accused him of being melodramatic and talking sh**e.

 

[smbmetal]

You've got to give vinyl its dues. It's been fighting it's corner for decades, and is still doing well.

I suppose cd is now the level at which all other formats are judged. It's either better than, equal to, or worse than cd.

A thought just occurred, how do you take your spotify to a gig to get it signed by the band.? Lol.

Im going to watch with interest how the streaming thing pans out. It could be the new Betamax, or the best thing to happen to music- ever.

I suppose there is always the added bonus that if music files get higher and higher in quality, least you won't have to buy the new "player" for it.

Haha. I did like your how do you get Spotify signed at a gig. I get my ticket signed and frame it with a bought cd.

I don't think streaming will be the new Betamax and will grow even more now that people listen to it on their phones etc. Will it be popular with audiofiles? I think so, but only when it's sound quality increases. A 320kps MP3 sounds awful compared to the same cd flac rip to my ears. I have also picked this out 100% of the time on a blind a to b test.

 

[davedotco]

You've got to give vinyl its dues. It's been fighting it's corner for decades, and is still doing well.

I suppose cd is now the level at which all other formats are judged. It's either better than, equal to, or worse than cd.

A thought just occurred, how do you take your spotify to a gig to get it signed by the band.? Lol.

Im going to watch with interest how the streaming thing pans out. It could be the new Betamax, or the best thing to happen to music- ever.

I suppose there is always the added bonus that if music files get higher and higher in quality, least you won't have to buy the new "player" for it.

Haha. I did like your how do you get Spotify signed at a gig. I get my ticket signed and frame it with a bought cd.

I don't think streaming will be the new Betamax and will grow even more now that people listen to it on their phones etc. Will it be popular with audiofiles? I think so, but only when it's sound quality increases. A 320kps MP3 sounds awful compared to the same cd flac rip to my ears. I have also picked this out 100% of the time on a blind a to b test.

That is seriously impressive, 'hats off' to you sir.....!

 

[fr0g]

You've got to give vinyl its dues. It's been fighting it's corner for decades, and is still doing well.

I suppose cd is now the level at which all other formats are judged. It's either better than, equal to, or worse than cd.

A thought just occurred, how do you take your spotify to a gig to get it signed by the band.? Lol.

Im going to watch with interest how the streaming thing pans out. It could be the new Betamax, or the best thing to happen to music- ever.

I suppose there is always the added bonus that if music files get higher and higher in quality, least you won't have to buy the new "player" for it.

Haha. I did like your how do you get Spotify signed at a gig. I get my ticket signed and frame it with a bought cd.

I don't think streaming will be the new Betamax and will grow even more now that people listen to it on their phones etc. Will it be popular with audiofiles? I think so, but only when it's sound quality increases. A 320kps MP3 sounds awful compared to the same cd flac rip to my ears. I have also picked this out 100% of the time on a blind a to b test.

That is seriously impressive, 'hats off' to you sir.....!

It's not impressive without info on what codec was used, how the MP3s were ripped, logs from ABX etc. As it is it's just an empty claim.

 

[davedotco]

You've got to give vinyl its dues. It's been fighting it's corner for decades, and is still doing well.

I suppose cd is now the level at which all other formats are judged. It's either better than, equal to, or worse than cd.

A thought just occurred, how do you take your spotify to a gig to get it signed by the band.? Lol.

Im going to watch with interest how the streaming thing pans out. It could be the new Betamax, or the best thing to happen to music- ever.

I suppose there is always the added bonus that if music files get higher and higher in quality, least you won't have to buy the new "player" for it.

Haha. I did like your how do you get Spotify signed at a gig. I get my ticket signed and frame it with a bought cd.

I don't think streaming will be the new Betamax and will grow even more now that people listen to it on their phones etc. Will it be popular with audiofiles? I think so, but only when it's sound quality increases. A 320kps MP3 sounds awful compared to the same cd flac rip to my ears. I have also picked this out 100% of the time on a blind a to b test.

That is seriously impressive, 'hats off' to you sir.....!

It's not impressive without info on what codec was used, how the MP3s were ripped, logs from ABX etc. As it is it's just an empty claim.

Picking 320kps mp3 (though Spotify is not MP3 of course) from flac, 100% of the time in a blind test is pretty impressive to me.

Even training yourself to listen to compression artifacts rather than the music quality would not guarantee you a 100% rating, though I have met people who could get pretty close when using the LAME codec for compression.

Sure it would be nice to know the methodology used in the tests but he says it was blind and A/B, not ABX. I know how difficult that is to get correct, even with some practice, so it remains a quite outstanding result.

 

[davedotco]

You've got to give vinyl its dues. It's been fighting it's corner for decades, and is still doing well.

I suppose cd is now the level at which all other formats are judged. It's either better than, equal to, or worse than cd.

A thought just occurred, how do you take your spotify to a gig to get it signed by the band.? Lol.

Im going to watch with interest how the streaming thing pans out. It could be the new Betamax, or the best thing to happen to music- ever.

I suppose there is always the added bonus that if music files get higher and higher in quality, least you won't have to buy the new "player" for it.

Haha. I did like your how do you get Spotify signed at a gig. I get my ticket signed and frame it with a bought cd.

I don't think streaming will be the new Betamax and will grow even more now that people listen to it on their phones etc. Will it be popular with audiofiles? I think so, but only when it's sound quality increases. A 320kps MP3 sounds awful compared to the same cd flac rip to my ears. I have also picked this out 100% of the time on a blind a to b test.

That is seriously impressive, 'hats off' to you sir.....!

It's not impressive without info on what codec was used, how the MP3s were ripped, logs from ABX etc. As it is it's just an empty claim.

Picking 320kps mp3 (though Spotify is not MP3 of course) from flac, 100% of the time in a blind test is pretty impressive to me.

Even training yourself to listen to compression artifacts rather than the music quality would not guarantee you a 100% rating, though I have met people who could get pretty close when using the LAME codec for compression.

Sure it would be nice to know the methodology used in the tests but he says it was blind and A/B, not ABX. I know how difficult that is to get correct, even with some practice, so it remains a quite outstanding result.

 

[James83]

I made no silly melodramatic statement. Partly because i also said 'to me'. As long as its something i feel, then its unfair to call something silly. But anyway, it wasnt a statement as such.

The future? We shall see, but it sounds a pretty bad future 'TO ME' if that is the case. I'd probably end up listening to less music if things like spotify killed off the likes of the CD. I'd probably deem it not worthwhile, downloading an album and all that, then having to switch on the computer every time i wanted to listen to it. But thats me. I find it easier, and infinitely more preferable, to go and pick up a CD.

I tell you what though, you've all convinced me. I'll give Spotify a chance to convert me. Now i cant say fairer than that can I?

 

[EvPa]

[...] then having to switch on the computer every time i wanted to listen to it.

If your "local" music is stored on a NAS and you do not want to switch your computer on, a cellphone or tablet will be able to take care of this.

The same applies for straming music services (Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal...).

 

[James83]

Hey Manicm why don't you have a go at FrOg, FrOg called him an educated troll and a snob, where as I only accused him of being melodramatic and talking sh**e.

Well I suppose I should be grateful that to the frog I come across as an educated troll, rather than just a troll. Plus talking sh**e has to be better than smelling like it do you agree?

But as you said before, I don't take offence to any of it. You can call me all the names under the sun, and I'll just thankyou for your time.

Your comments to me were seemingly down to an unfortunate misunderstanding in how one of my comments was meant. The Frog though has taken things to a whole new level. I'm a snob and an 'educated' troll because I think the loss of CDs would be a 'massive massive' loss, and because i dont like the Spice Girls. That really is being unable to accept other peoples opinions.

 

[James83]

[...] then having to switch on the computer every time i wanted to listen to it.

If your "local" music is stored on a NAS and you do not want to switch your computer on, a cellphone or tablet will be able to take care of this.

The same applies for straming music services (Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal...).

I just looked over at my poor little phone and had a good laugh (not at you mind, I realise you were trying to be helpful). Nope, my phone wont be doing anything like that any time soon!

Id have to download it onto the computer, then copy that onto an integrated hard drive connected to the HIFI.. I dont want to imagine how much they would cost though.

 

[smbmetal]

[...] then having to switch on the computer every time i wanted to listen to it.

If your "local" music is stored on a NAS and you do not want to switch your computer on, a cellphone or tablet will be able to take care of this.

The same applies for straming music services (Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal...).

I just looked over at my poor little phone and had a good laugh (not at you mind, I realise you were trying to be helpful). Nope, my phone wont be doing anything like that any time soon!

Id have to download it onto the computer, then copy that onto an integrated hard drive connected to the HIFI.. I dont want to imagine how much they would cost though.

If you decide that you enjoy spotify or similiar service, there are a number of streamers (as you probably already know) that have the service(s) built in. All controllable by the supplied remote control so no 'smart' devices or computers required.

 

[manicm]

though I have met people who could get pretty close when using the LAME codec for compression

So I may not be totally paranoid when I think recent versions of LAME are just the pits. Rips lack clarity and sound dull.

 

[fr0g]

[...] then having to switch on the computer every time i wanted to listen to it.

If your "local" music is stored on a NAS and you do not want to switch your computer on, a cellphone or tablet will be able to take care of this.

The same applies for straming music services (Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal...).

I just looked over at my poor little phone and had a good laugh (not at you mind, I realise you were trying to be helpful). Nope, my phone wont be doing anything like that any time soon!

Id have to download it onto the computer, then copy that onto an integrated hard drive connected to the HIFI.. I dont want to imagine how much they would cost though.

You could of course buy a "remote" just to do this job. A cheap and cheerful Android tablet will do just fine. And you can get one for £50 if you are really short on cash.

Then if you're feeling adventurous, a player with built in Spotify Connect (means you can use the full Spotify app on the tablet and make it play from your player of choice (not streamed to the device, played from the device, the remote would simply tell the device what to play).

If you want to go the whole hog, the easiest, but not cheapest would be something like a Bluesound vault, which will rip your CDs and store them in the format of your choice, play Spotify, Qubuz, Tidal or whatever, internet radio etc and you wouldn't even need a separate harddrive.

 

[fr0g]

though I have met people who could get pretty close when using the LAME codec for compression

So I may not be totally paranoid when I think recent versions of LAME are just the pits. Rips lack clarity and sound dull.

No, I think you're simply paranoid. They sound just fine to me.