Question What Format ?

[Jasonovich]

The handle, not you personally..... 🙂

Ha ha ha, it never crossed my mind. Mind you, you may be right! 🤣

 

[Dave_]

Streaming is not really a format, its just a delivery process, which means any format that is or has been converted to digital is the original format not the stream.

Bill

It's also a term misunderstood and/or misused by audiophiles.

Most audiophiles equate streaming as just accessing a commercial service over the internet.

When the literal definition of streaming is the transmission of data over a (computer) network...

That could be from a commercially operated server over the internet or equally your own personal rips/downloads stored locally and accessed over your LAN...

 

[Gray]

It's also a term misunderstood and/or misused by audiophiles.

Most audiophiles equate streaming as just accessing a commercial service over the internet.

When the literal definition of streaming is the transmission of data over a (computer) network...

That could be from a commercially operated server over the internet or equally your own personal rips/downloads stored locally and accessed over your LAN...

That's mostly all streaming is to me - playing my own music, very locally, from a partition of the SD card in one RPi (for a headphone rig)- and an SSD plugged into another RPi (for a system).

 

[Shrek]

So far streaming is ahead what are you streaming what % ? TV ,Music,Podcasts, Video ?

 

[Rodolfo]

1. Streaming
2. CD
3. Vinyl
4.Cassette
5.Mini disc
6. Other

My main setup has had 1 through 4 equipment for years. Two internet radios are my 6. Other, unless that would also fit under "Streaming". CDs have been my only continuous source since 1985 and my sine qua non this century. I use all four "formats", but 3 CD players and a ton of CD FLAC and 320-kbps CD rips allow or account for 90-some percent of my listening through my stereo, DAPs, and car setups. My old Audi is equipped with a 6-CD player, a cassette player, and an after-market Bluetooth setup, and this black beast satisfies 90-some percent of my mobile-listening requirement.

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[Rodolfo]

So far streaming is ahead what are you streaming what % ? TV ,Music,Podcasts, Video ?

Rough and highly variable estimates: 50% streaming my own digital music files, 40% Amazon Prime video, and 10% Amazon Music apps: 0% podcasts and 0% music videos.

 

[RJW232]

1. CD
2. Lossless streaming
3. Lossy streaming
4. FM radio
5. DAB+ radio

I don't know why but well recorded CD's sounds better on my technics CD player from 1989 than hi-res tidal streams. Much more organic and musical.

 

[Gray]

I don't know why but well recorded CD's sounds better on my technics CD player from 1989 than hi-res tidal streams. Much more organic and musical.

Assuming the music masters are the same and they're not going through the same DAC, then it could just be that you prefer the DAC in the Technics.

 

[manicm]

Assuming the music masters are the same and they're not going through the same DAC, then it could just be that you prefer the DAC in the Technics.

It's not just that. I had a Technics CD player too and it was superb. My hunch, and I'm happy to be proven wrong, is that common off the shelf DACs like ESS and AKM that are widespread in today's hifi are tuned or designed for hyper clarity at the expense of soundstaging and imaging. I'm willing to bet that the older DACs used in the late 80s and early 90s were just better in those areas.

What I've also noticed about Tidal streams >- CD resolution i.e. High tier and above is that they do really sound good, but the music doesn't 'flow' much. In that regard I understand why the person above says he prefers CD as it still has a level of fluidity that streaming sometimes lacks.

I cannot speak for Qobuz, as I've not heard it yet. Maybe that will surprise me.

 

[nopiano]

I’d not seen this until today. I ticked Other because radio is my favourite medium both in quantity and versatility.

These days I stream radio on the hifi, though occasionally still use a FM tuner. I also listen for hours on an Amazon Echo in various rooms, and via DAB whilst driving.

 

[Shrek]

I find my self streaming a lot more since subscribing to Apple TV ,mainly the music / live videos also the music in HI Res and DAB Radio occasionally .

 

[RoA]

One thing about having different formats I use is that I do not try and directly compare them for sound quality.

I would not play a record then immediately go to streaming or cd. I choose a format, stay with it, listen and that’s pretty much it for that session.

Lazynes may also play a role 😀

 

[Gez]

Back when I was in my teens and 20's it was Vinyl all the way. Then decades later I switched to CD. These days I can't be bothered with the hassle of physical media so I just stream music.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

CD
Streaming
Vinyl.... but starting to respect vinyl more as I've collected black sabbath albums and other collectable vinyl which i never played as i was a collector but now i am getting a old man i thought i would start using it and surprised it sounds a lot better .
So the vinyl growing on me quite fast .

 

[Shrek]

Back when I was in my teens and 20's it was Vinyl all the way. Then decades later I switched to CD. These days I can't be bothered with the hassle of physical media so I just stream music.

I still prefer physical media and collecting ,and not have to rely on the internet to work has it should and often doesnt .

 

[Shrek]

CD
Streaming
Vinyl.... but starting to respect vinyl more as I've collected black sabbath albums and other collectable vinyl which i never played as i was a collector but now i am getting a old man i thought i would start using it and surprised it sounds a lot better .
So the vinyl growing on me quite fast .

I still prefer the sound of Vinyl over other formats is so much softer and not too harsh . Means i have to get of the sofa and move 😁