Is modern day music streaming really better than stereo systems?
Posted by camusdarach@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 96 comments
I miss the old days when you'd just stick on a CD. Putting on CDs to get you in the mood for going out, going through CDs at parties, borrowing CDs from friends, getting CDs for Christmas. I know everything is so much more convenient now but I still miss the way it used to be. I used to love looking at stereo systems in the shops. I swear they had their own special smell.
shazhazel@reddit
I feel like somebody who would post this is just someone looking to try to look “cool”. Buying cDs. and going to the CD shop and trading CDs with friends and all of the CD culture was great, but I feel like the people that reminisce on it now publicly are the ones just looking for some attention
We all miss it, it was a good time. That’s a big difference in missing something publicly and missing something in private,… Would like to understand your thought process if I am mistaken, what did you expect from putting this post?
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
My thought process is that I'm lonely and wanted to start a conversation. There is not one part of me that is remotely "cool" and I don't aspire to be. I'm not sure if being nostalgic for happier times in my life and wanting to hear from others who might feel the same equates to me wanting attention.
shazhazel@reddit
Although I do doubt that because it sounds like everyone’s first excuse when they are called out, there are much better ways to start a conversation if you are feeling lonely or want to reminisce about good times
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
You're right. I am clearly an attention seeker and desperate to be seen as cool. Thank goodness I was "called out" by you for creating this post and everyone can see me for what I really am. You seem lovely. Have a nice day.
shazhazel@reddit
Do you think sarcastically repeating what has happened will all of a sudden make it less true?
Any moron can do it
You literally have textbook behaviour for an attention seeker
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
Please, please give me more attention
shazhazel@reddit
See, look how you are using sarcasm to try to deflect the truth
I think you should at least have some behavioural awareness before trying to use sarcasm
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
I applaud your dedication to making Reddit a better place for everyone. The attention lavished upon me on this post has been wonderful, but now that you have me all figured out and have exposed me for what I really am, I'll have to try and get my kicks elsewhere. I'm going to find another community to post in and hope that no user on there is as vigilant as you or has your psychological awareness.
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
I don't know if "we all miss it".
It was so expensive with no real idea of what you were getting beforehand, if you could even find your band in the first place.
shazhazel@reddit
I guess it was more like we all miss the CD culture and going out with friends and everyone buying CDs or like me and my sister had to save up for a couple of weeks and then go to Costco and buy Akon. Where is everything is now available within a click, but yeah I agree you like I don’t miss it, it was a pain in the ass and other days I’m glad that I don’t have to buy CDs or physical PlayStation game CDs
The culture was a nice time and it’s something I will remember as a nice time as I grow up, but I am very glad that it’s gone too
krypto-pscyho-chimp@reddit
It depends...
I have had mid to high end hifi equipment for over 30 years.
Most people can't tell the difference between good streaming and CD in terms of audio quality on the vast majority of setups.
I was very much a purist at one point. Nothing can or could compete with the floor standing speakers and hifi amps I have used. But we're talking £1000 speakers and £1000+ amps. £100+ in cabling.
If you have the time to sit in front of a very good hifi setup, with separates and good floor standing speakers, costing upwards of £2000, then the experience with streaming and CD is noticeable, if you have a good ear. It's bit rate that really matters though with streaming. The bass will be the most noticeable.
That said, high definition streaming with a very good Bluetooth speaker is a huge improvement over a boom box from the 90s or 00s.
Most of my listening now is through mid range headphones and higher quality streaming or with a soundcore boom plus or my amazon echo. I'm less of an active listener with the latter two and use them whilst doing other stuff. I don't have much time to sit in front of my hifi to enjoy just that and mostly prefer the isolation I get from a good pair of noise cancelling headphones.
I am really very surprised at how far audio tech has come. Clarity and bass are so much better now. Digital signal processing has a lot to do with that.
Don't get me started on soundbars though... Even the most expensive ones are no match for a proper 7.1+ surround setup.
All of this is nothing compared to a system I listened to in the 90s. £3000 record deck, £5000 amps. £3000 speakers. £500 of cables. It's the closest I feel to have actually having been in the studio with the musicians.
Drwynyllo@reddit
> Most people can't tell the difference between good streaming and CD in terms of audio quality on the vast majority of setups.
People can't tell the difference between "$4,000 boutique audio cable" and "$7 Amazon Basics cable".
In fact, they can't even tell the difference between "pro audio copper wire" and "wet mud"...
"In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud — 'The mud should sound perfectly awful, but it doesn't,' notes the experiment creator"
... "listeners can't reliably pick out the original from the looped versions," suggesting that they cannot detect any changes introduced by the loop — whether it's pro-grade copper wire or wet mud from somebody's backyard."
https://www.tomshardware.com/speakers/in-a-blind-test-audiophiles-couldnt-tell-the-difference-between-audio-signals-sent-through-copper-wire-a-banana-or-wet-mud-the-mud-should-sound-perfectly-awful-but-it-doesnt-notes-the-experiment-creator
quite_acceptable_man@reddit
I used to be vaguely acquainted with the chief designer of a pretty high-end hi-fi company. This was around twenty five years ago, and you'd pay around £1500 each for an amp and CD player, and around £1,000 for a pair of their speakers.
Adjusted for inflation, around £8,000 in today's money.
He used mains cable as speaker wire. He said any copper cable would do, as long as it was reasonably thick.
Delicious-Trouble-52@reddit
That’s a simplistic viewpoint really as I’ve used all sorts for interconnects including 2.5 mm t&e mains for loudspeaker cables, various issues were overcome by using better quality cabling. The main one was a background of radio 4 breakthrough and induced mains hum, solved by using some Monitor Audio iirc screened L.S. cabling. Also replaced some audio phono cables that were microphonic, made an audible thud from the system if yo tapped them with a finger! Went star quad and no clicks, buzzes or thumps!
krypto-pscyho-chimp@reddit
There is a significant difference between line level cables and speaker cables. I've never wasted money on high end line level cables. Speaker cable size definitely makes a difference. The thinnest cables would simply melt under sustained load and are not capable of carrying the required currents without significantly affecting the amplifier and speakers.
There is also a very significant difference between a cheap boom box and a mid to high end hifi system and everyone would be able to tell the difference.
Applying the same kind of thinking to all audio components in the chain is disingenuous.
Drwynyllo@reddit
>There is also a very significant difference between a cheap boom box and a mid to high end hifi system and everyone would be able to tell the difference.
True, but irrelevant, since I didn't suggest that.
krypto-pscyho-chimp@reddit
No. But in my mind, you did seem to be conflating the two. A test on line level cable is not relevant to all audio equipment quality or audiophiles ability to assess all audio equipment. Nor is such a test relevant to whether streaming is superior to CDs on decent stereo systems.
But, opinions and views are very much like audiophiles listening to different equipment, not very objective.
Drwynyllo@reddit
> Nor is such a test relevant to whether streaming is superior to CDs on decent stereo systems.
True, but the objective facts of the dynamic range of any realistic listening environment and the upper range of human hearing very much are relevant, since 16/44.1 CD comfortably exceeds both.
Almost always, any perceived difference is due to different mastering of sources, rather than the supposed "quality" of the medium (e.g. 16/44.1 vs 24/192).
For the same "decent stereo system", no-one is going to reliably/repeatedly detect any difference between CD quality bitrate/sampling frequency and anything "higher".
Verbal-Gerbil@reddit
My view on audiophiles was by the time people could afford expensive equipment, they’d lost the ability to hear the finer elements
I heard something a while back which apparently is quite the phrase in the community - regular people buy equipment to listen to your music, audiophiles buy music to listen to their equipment
As you say, decent gear (mid range) these days is great. And it’s a balance of convenience too. I focus my efforts on finding music I like. It’s far better to listen to great music through your phone and £200 Bluetooth headphones than some old shite on a £100k turntable you need to dedicate a whole room to
krypto-pscyho-chimp@reddit
I certainly agree we lose our ability to hear much above 15khz as we get older. My Daughter has a better ear than I do now and can discern the improvements between my Sony ult wear and her sony xm5s. I can't really.
Audiophiles can take it to extremes and I do agree some of it is utter rubbish. A particular hifi rack making a difference to the sound? Utter tosh. The difference between my Denon surround amp (about £1299 new, I got it at a steal 2nd hand for £40) and a dedicated stereo £5000 amp? Most people would never know in a blind test. I did have a mission quad dedicated hifi amp, a lot of money in the 90s. That was far ahead of my old 70s rotel amp, which would have been mid to high end at the time. Much punchier drums and tighter bass in the quad.
But yes, I enjoy music much more now I have basically unlimited access with a good set of noise cancelling headphones.
_Cridders_@reddit
Yeah I grew up mainly with CDs and I do feel something has been lost from the music experience a bit. When was the last time most people actually listened to an album from start to finish? This is partly why I started buying vinyl
oscarx-ray@reddit
Sometimes I like putting on an LP, just to listen to a whole album from start to finish as a wee treat.
Sometimes I just want background music and can stick a streaming service on shuffle - and sometimes I'll find new music from it.
Both are great in their own way, and it's brilliant to have the choice.
Maleficent-Heart2497@reddit
No. In no way. Absolutely not. Not even close.
Streaming is awesome, don't get me wrong, but the amount of compression that goes into it changes the way the music sounds.
Nothing beats a decent separates set up with some kick ass speakers preferably with vinyl. It's just better and I've lived through vinyl to tape to CD to mini disc to streaming.
RecentTwo544@reddit
It's s great example of nostalgia. People forget that you had to leave the house, possibly on quite a long and inconvenient journey, go to a shop, then travel home, for just a few songs/tracks. That's before we even get into the insane costs. Inflation adjusted CD singles and albums were really pricey. We're talking £30 for an album.
For a long time the quality of streamed music wasn't as good as physical media but that's not been the case for years now. Anyone arguing otherwise is a deluded audiophile who thinks £3000 cables make a difference to audio quality.
notouttolunch@reddit
A £3,000 cable can impact the sound produced by a Hi-Fi. Whether it's worth it or not, is the real question.
quite_acceptable_man@reddit
No matter what cable you're using, if you take the back off the speaker, the internal wiring that goes from the connectors on the back to the crossover circuit is just basic copper wire that costs pennies.
notouttolunch@reddit
That's not true either.
quite_acceptable_man@reddit
Weird, I used to repair speakers as part of my old job and have taken hundreds of them apart. Maybe I'm mistaken.
notouttolunch@reddit
You apparently are.
quite_acceptable_man@reddit
Clearly
RecentTwo544@reddit
Multiple studies have shown no one can tell the difference.
I'd argue (very tentatively and without bothering to check) that it might make some measurable scientific difference using a spectral analyser or something, but even then I'd argue you're only as good as the weakest point in the chain.
notouttolunch@reddit
That's nonsense. You can quite easily tell the difference between different types of wire. There isn't any tomfoolery in that. For a start, different types of wire have different frequency responses, so some won't even allow you to hear high-end or low end because of the nature of the wire forming a filter.
This still goes back to weather a wire that is found to work well is worth the money.
davehemm@reddit
I don't disagree, however, playing a physical media is by it's nature more engaging - you are making a physical decision to listen to something and have to grab a cd and load it or grab your vinyl pick the side/track. With streaming you have an almost limitless playlist at your fingertips but often you won't be in the moment as much. Technically can be far superior (as long as they haven't got an awful master as source and haven't got a dire dynamic range), but without as much engagement. I do both streaming and have many flight cases of cds and vinyl, both as enjoyable but for different reasons.
Tonybham01@reddit
Interesting responses here about the sheer number of songs available. What however the reality? Do people actually listen to new music? How much classical music have they tried? How much opera? How much trance?
glasgowgeg@reddit
Yeah, I listen to loads of new music.
They're not particularly genres I enjoy, but why does it matter? What are you considering "new" by this comparison?
Tonybham01@reddit
By new, I was meaning new to the listener. New styles, genres, composers, artists etc.
headphonesaretoobig@reddit
There used to be a sense of ceremony opening a CD or (especially) a vinyl album, getting it out of the case or sleeve, putting it on, looking at the artwork and reading the lyrics. That's all gone with streaming.
broken-runner-26@reddit
I love physical media, but, a month subscription for the price of a cd? 10m tracks or 18 tracks.
Traditional-Leg-1122@reddit
I listen to less music now when I have access to 10 million tracks than I did when I collected CDs and vinyl.
Same as everything these days, choice paralysis is real, music should be a tactile experience.
No_Effective_4481@reddit
I love music, I grew up with cassette tapes and vinyl, but minidisc and CD's were prevalent in my teens and 20's. I went out to plenty of DnB nights and most of those tracks were vinyl only.
I worked in a hifi shop for 3 years in the early 2000's where we had three floors of equipment, with the top floor dedicated to separates and speakers and a few demo rooms. I would hook up my portable minidisc to whatever system I wanted and stick on my favourite tracks and see which speakers and setup I would get if I had the money to throw down (would have been an NAD pre and power separates and B&W floorstanders if I had £1k to burn) although I ended up with a set of Infinity Oreus wall mounted 5.1 speakers and a Harman Kardon AV receiver to do my PC, gaming, home cinema and music in the end.
These days, honestly, I'm listening to a lot of music on an Amazon Alexa smartspeaker with a 1300 track playlist I built over 10 years because I can tell it when to start, when to skip, when to stop, when to alter the volume. It gives me recommendations from related producers which helps me discover artists I never would have done otherwise. I can use it on my phone or any device at home. I love having the choice and the instant access.
If I ever want to really listen I have some decent headphones attached to my PC.
I just don't have the space these days to dedicate decent sized speakers and audio separates, so convenience and smart-speakers won for me.
Even in our home-cinema room we ended up going for a big-ass Atmos soundbar with wireless rears and sub due to space constraints, and ditched the AV receiver and a lot of the required cabling, although Hell will freeze over before I ever get rid of my Blu Ray player and film collection...
glasgowgeg@reddit
I'm the opposite, I average about 11,500 minutes of music listened to per month.
According to my Apple Replay for 2025, I listened to 139,186 minutes of music, from 1,034 different albums, of 620 different artists.
mostly_kittens@reddit
Yeah I have access to all the music in the world with no effort, therefore I don’t listen to any of it.
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
That is true.
Firm-Statistician772@reddit
💯
Front_Number6115@reddit
I call it the Netflix menu problem, and I think I heard someone say similar on a podcast. Unfortunately sums my life up.
xxx654@reddit
Streaming has been fantastic in many ways, but one thing I definitely miss are the slow burner songs on an album. They might take a while to get into, but ultimately were often more rewarding than the singles.
Streaming has also fragmented the album as an overall experience.
glasgowgeg@reddit
That's purely your personal habit though. I almost exclusively listen to albums via streaming.
The only times I'll use a playlist is if I'm going to a gig by someone I've not listened to in a while, or a new artist I've recently discovered, and want to familiarise myself with stuff they'll play.
xxx654@reddit
Maybe I didn’t explain it very well. Artists and record companies have changed how albums are composed, the songs that go on them. There was a change when things moved from vinyl to CDs and no requirements for a side 1 and side 2 considerations. That’s been exacerbated by streaming.
Everything is front loaded on a lot of albums now.
Ok-Middle8656@reddit
You can choose to listen to entire albums. Or do you mean that artists are just not recording slow burn tracks anymore ?
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
I only listen to albums on streaming services, so I don't know if that's true for everyone. Just stay away from curated playlists and turn off endless mode.
theegrimrobe@reddit
i still buy cds (i have a LOT) and with streaming the quaility isnt always great ... and any music can be removed at any time - an artist says something somebody finds offensive and the music gets memory holed
cant do that with a CD
plus the fact a lot of stuff on some streaming platforms is now just AI slop
as for setup, nothing mindblowing but i do run a valve amp (i prefer the sound) and i have a very good headphone (hi-fiman arya organic) music is a huge thing for me so it made sense to get something reasonable
Specimen_E-351@reddit
You can buy CDs for pennies now. Likewise CD players.
Everything you miss you could just continue to do?
glasgowgeg@reddit
Not for new releases though, you're about £13 for a new release CD, more expensive than a month of a streaming service of your choice.
Specimen_E-351@reddit
That's true.
However if someone likes the experience of using them is very cheap and accessible.
glasgowgeg@reddit
£13 for a CD isn't that cheap at all, especially compared to streaming.
It's also less accessible, as you need dedicated hardware for it and it's less portable.
I don't really know anyone who has a CD player, but basically everyone I know has a phone capable of installing an app for a streaming service.
Specimen_E-351@reddit
As I am now saying repeatedly, yes, new releases are not cheap, however if someone just likes the experience of using CDs everything except new releases is very cheap and the experience of having lots of CDs to just grab one and "stick it on" as the OP said is very easy and cheap to be had.
At no point did I say it was more accessible than streaming.
Again, I stated that the experience that OP wants and misses is very accessible. Other than new releases CDs are incredibly cheap and not difficult to acquire. CD players are also not expensive and there are loads of good ones floating around second hand as well.
Okay?
Now back to the topic at hand- if OP wants the experience of using CDs this can be done very easily and cheaply.
glasgowgeg@reddit
You actually called them very cheap:
"However if someone likes the experience of using them is very cheap and accessible"
You called them accessible, they're not.
You're just doubling down on a silly argument.
Specimen_E-351@reddit
"Them" in that sentence was intended to mean CDs in general. Other than new releases, CDs are incredibly cheap.
They are accessible. You can easily acquire them for very low prices.
You started an entirely new argument which was comparing their accessibility to the accessibility of streaming.
Yes, streaming is even easier to access.
This does not mean that playing CDs is very difficult.
You don't seem to know what my argument is.
glasgowgeg@reddit
They can only be used with dedicated hardware, which isn't as common as a phone. That is objectively not accessible to the average person.
Specimen_E-351@reddit
So I have a silly argument, when yours is utterly failing to understand that something being less common than an object in the majority of the populations pocket doesn't necessarily mean it is hard to acquire.
You sincerely believe that if you wanted to acquire a CD player you would find it difficult to do so?
This is beginning to make sense.
glasgowgeg@reddit
No, I'm saying it's less accessible, and disputing your claim it's "very easily accessible".
Having to buy dedicated hardware for something is not very easily accessible, especially by comparison.
Again, you are simply doubling down on a daft argument and embarrassing yourself, you can have whatever equally silly last word you're desperate for.
I'm finishing my night shift in 2 minutes, and have zero interest in your nonsense when I'm not being paid for it.
Specimen_E-351@reddit
Whether or not it's less accessible than streaming was never my argument in the first place...
It is very easily accessible. Acquiring a CD player is very easy if you are mentally competent.
Buying an object that you want to use very cheaply is easy. I never made the comparison.
You seem to have avoided my question about whether you could get a CD player if you wanted to.
Common bot phrase.
insertitherenow@reddit
Depends. Play your streaming service on a crappy Bluetooth speaker or even worse crappy Apple pod things and a cheap Alba stereo will sound better. I stream music from my computer through a top end DAC into good speakers. I also have a hifi setup with proper good kit and it’s pisses all over Spotify.
glasgowgeg@reddit
Have you ever used them? The audio quality on them is pretty good, especially with ANC.
Equally, they're more for "portable" use when out and about. If I'm sitting at home, I'm using a speaker/soundbar, not earbuds/headphones.
insertitherenow@reddit
Well the question was are streaming services better than stereo systems and they aren’t. I have used the Apple pods and there are loads better than those.
glasgowgeg@reddit
Again, entirely subjective.
The system that allows me to access music wherever I am is always going to be the "better" one.
If it relies on me sitting down in a specific fixed location with a dedicated hardware setup, and physical media, the quality may be better, but overall it's significantly more restrictive.
insertitherenow@reddit
Portable and a workout lugging it about. Apple pods are why there are lots of fat people now. (:0
MJLDat@reddit
I own a Wiim mini AirPlay 2 streaming device. Connected to my Denon system. The system also has a CD player.
Using Amazon streaming services, 24 bit/192 kHz stream is so much better than the same track on CD. You need to make sure it is a high bitrate stream though.
I think I have the best of both worlds, hi-fi sound system with high quality streaming.
Can’t speak for vinyl though.
Drwynyllo@reddit
> 24 bit/192 kHz stream is so much better than the same track on CD
It really isn't.
The dynamic range of 16 bit CD audio (\~96 dB) more than exceeds normal playback environments, and the high frequency captured by the 44.1KHz sampling of CD is above the range normal human hearing.
24/192 is basically a marketing con.
timotimtimz@reddit
So what are your thoughts on Spotify now offering 24-bit/44.1kHz in FLAC? Literally the pure file.
Martipar@reddit
Why not both?
I have a hi-fi but it's connected to an old laptop with all my CDs ripped to it as FLAC files. It had a DVD drive so i can, and have, played CDs directly in it especially when I've not had a chance to rip them.
You could have a laptop streaming from Spotify or whatever connected to a hi-fi.
Inevitable-Slide-104@reddit
I’ve never subscribed to a streaming service. I’m old!!!
glasgowgeg@reddit
Define "better"?
Better quality? Probably not, unless you have your streaming system connected to a Dolby Atmos speaker system, or something.
I'd say that being able to stream practically any song in existence is better than having to carry CDs/records/tapes about with me though.
Streaming is also significantly cheaper, I pay less per month for Apple Music than I'd pay for a single album.
According to my Replay '25, I listened to 1,034 albums in 2025 alone, even if I only paid £5 each for them (less than half the going rate for a new CD), it would take me 863 months of paying for Apple Music or 16.5 years, just to "break even" had I bought all those CDs compared to streaming.
TwirlipoftheMists@reddit
Well… I never seem to listen to CDs anymore, because I have access to it all. So for digital media I stream it, and I can stream it in much higher resolution than CD (realistically my ears can’t tell the difference) and sometimes in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio (which is fun).
Physical media for me is vinyl. Does it technically sound as good as a lossless digital stream? No. But there’s a tactile pleasure and a very deliberate ritual of sitting down and setting the platter spinning and lowering the needle. Maybe it’s an LP my dad bought in the ‘60s or one I picked up somewhere. I’ve got a little valve headphone amp emitting a pleasant glow and I’ll listen to an album and be transported. Or play it loud through big Wharfedale Lintons.
Whereas with streaming it’s in the background or through wireless headphones while I’m doing something else.
It’s more that there’s a ritual to physical media, and more so to analogue, and there’s something pleasing about it that enhances the auditory experience. The technical details are entirely secondary and rather moot.
Fun-Meal-9839@reddit
I think the sweet spot was when you could put an entire cd on the early iPod and set to shuffle or just play an artists entire discography.
I still do that now. I just have less songs on my phone than I did on my iPod.
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
I wish I had kept mine!
MJ-Franklin@reddit
I just download albums in FLAC these days. Can't afford to be paying for streaming nonsense.
Excellent-Law-218@reddit
You can still buy physical media, why not try it and see?
camusdarach@reddit (OP)
I still have all my old CDs so I've been thinking about it.
Drwynyllo@reddit
I stream music through a "stereo system" (i.e. amp + speakers), so I guess it's half like the old days.
No, I don't LPs or CDs any more, but I still get to look longingly at some esoteric hi-fi components that I can't afford. (And, frankly, that I wouldn't appreciate, given age-related hearing deterioration.)
HarryShake@reddit
It really depends on your set up. And of course depends on the quality of the stream. Apple for example has a lossless audio option. Though I think purists will say physical media is better. On the flip side 90%+ wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
RBisoldandtired@reddit
Spotify has also added lossless as an option then there’s tidal as well.
twiggymarron@reddit
I use both. We have a record player, and 1st edition records of our favourites (not mint copies as we use them) because it sounds and feels great and we use it every day but we stream every day for ease too. Were 38&42
Fizl99@reddit
I had an old mini system (with minidisc player) and my CDs up in the loft. My teenage daughter has put them in her room and loves scouring charity shops for new CDs to listen to
CodeToManagement@reddit
Is streaming music as an overall better than physical media - yea absolutely. I regularly listen to random things I’d never buy the album for. It’s helped me get into a lot more range of music.
Is the quality as good as a stereo - if you invest in good headphones it’s pretty damn close.
If you want to compare like an average entry level cd player / turntable and speakers vs a good quality stream and some good headphones you won’t notice the difference.
If you compare great vinyl on a good setup and can play it loud then yea it will beat streaming on your phone.
The thing is most of us don’t have the time for how it used to be. I love buying vinyl and browsing for it. I also don’t have time to spend 3 hours of my day looking for one album when I can click and play it on my phone. At 40 I’m not out here borrowing stuff from friends either
Those days are kinda gone and overall it’s better that access to music is more affordable
Charming-Objective14@reddit
I have a digital walkman and I always try to get new releases in hi res audio, as it is superior to streaming but I wish there was a way of owning them physically instead of having other then a CD as it is not as good quality.
Connect-Bug9988@reddit
I listen to a lot more varied music now because of streaming, but I find it's easier to lose track of what I enjoy, and an album that I previous might have played to death gets a single play before I move onto something else.
On the odd occasion something really captures me on first play, I'll always make a point of going into HMV or Beggars Banquet to buy the CD, but it doesn't happen as frequently as I'd like.
Baldwinning1@reddit
I've never owned a high end hifi, but over the years I've steadily improved my headphones (nothing ridiculous)
Just got a Pixel 10 Pro XL, and using Deezer max quality streaming, Wavelet with my own preset, through my Sennheiser Momentum 2 in ear Bluetooth headphones has been awe-inspiring for me.
With spatial audio turned on in the phone, I've been hearing new details in songs I've heard a thousand times.
Maybe it's not that great a setup in the scheme of things, but I've never been happier listening to music!
Direct_Vegetable1485@reddit
I kept all my old CDs when streaming got popular and I've started going back to them. They sound better, and there's something different about playing the whole album through then making a choice of what album to play next rather than the infinite playlist. While streaming has helped me find some new bands I like, CDs are still my preference.
Of course I'm also nostalgic for the little booklets that came with them, and the excitement of getting a CD with a secret hidden track at the end!
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
Yeah, not having the inlay cards and artwork is a big loss. I used to devour those cover to cover
Important_Ad716@reddit
I think we miss out on a lot with streaming. Before you would like a song buy an album and listen to the entire thing. Now if I like an artist I will listen to the top few tracks on Spotify. Positive note though, artists aren’t making that much money on streaming like they were with cds . meaning they have to tour more. So that’s good for music fans but bad for music makers.
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
I dunno, I mostly listen to albums still. It's just if they are wank then I haven't wasted two hours (back then) of wages on it.
hazymaiz@reddit
Physical media always reigns supreme. I prefer listening to music on my cd, record or cassette player everyday!
Verbal-Gerbil@reddit
It’s a double edged sword. It’s nice to have the original (I’m into vinyl rather than CDs) but remember when it was £15 for a CD in the mid 90s to 2000ish?! That’s a lot when you take into account inflation. I remember as a kid hearing about a classic track which was out of print. Took me years and £15 to get the 12” single. Now when I hear about an artist that piques my interest, I can listen to them whilst I continue finishing the article. But that makes music disposable. I’ve lost track of the lost tracks that caught my ear but didn’t get permanently archived on a playlist (or hide away in some obscure Spotify playlist from 2017 that I have to scroll way too far to find) whereas if I had bought it, it would remain with me forever
You’re not the only one. There was a vinyl revival for this reason about a decade ago and since then CDs have come into fashion (and even cassettes, although they’re a bit hipsterish because they are inferior in quality)
smellyfeet25@reddit
yes i remember CD. I know it is great to listen to whatever music we want now but i think the more you have the less it can mean if that makes sense
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