Very interesting...my own experience is much more limited than yours, but the beginning of your writing certainly matches my experience and approach.Hello and good evening to you, Ron.
Question #1 and my answer - I have CD's from since I was knee high to a duck (so to speak) all of the way up to a CD purchased and delivered today (one that I have been waiting on from Japan for a month or two). I have probably a thousand or more on my wall in the main rig room, with many more in the closet. Some of them, you will never hear anywhere else (on ANY medium).
They are going nowhere, except for when I pass from this blue globe. In that case? They will be inherited to my son and no one else. Some of the CD's (SACD's/XRCD's/HDCD's and the like) are limited edition/rare/highly sought after and some are simply unobtainable anymore. To find some of what I have, it would be easier to win the mega million lottery. Even on other formats (if the versions I have are even available on other formats).
Question #2 and my answer - The advantages are described above. That's just one point of why. There are other aspects as well. Sometimes (just sometimes), one does not want to go through the ritual of LP cleaning and everything that is entailed with pure reproductive efforts of a vinyl rig. Sometimes, when the LP portion of the stereo is under construction, in the process of upgrading or the like? Sometimes, it's nice to (while you are working on upgrading/modifying) just put in a CD and listen while you are working.
Every once in a while, even though it may not be as pure as vinyl? One just wants to listen to zero snaps, crackles and pops.....just what one of the the original reason for CD's were about....purity. (Laughable, I know). This is just me though. But that's beside he point. Your question was why I would want to play a CD versus streaming.
So, on to my answer on that....
In my travels, I have heard many a streamer. Many DAC's at all kinds of price ranges and on many different systems. Every single one of the streamers have what I refer to as a "mid-bass" suck out. Do they sound great in the room you are listening in? Some of them/many of them? Yes. Are they comparable to physical media? No. Not in my experience. At all. Is it close? AbsoF'nlutely. (Please excuse my "French")
For many out there, I am full of it. For me? Sorry man, they just don't do it for me....sound wise. There is something missing (always) and I can hear the difference. Price of gear does not seem to make me change my observations.
Just for S&G's.....take the same "audiophile album" that is full range, demanding with respect to frequencies (not some easy audiophile album that is just acoustic). Play that album or song in your listening room. Sounds great, right? Well, it may or may not depending on your rig/setup. Now, take that same album/song and listen to the same thing about 100 feet away in your home.
Does it have the same frequency output? In my experience, there is something missing. There is a "mid-bass" suck out. Something (the very thing that gives music "life" to me is missing.
Now, go back and put that same album/song in with physical media and not your streamer. Listen in your room and enjoy all of the wonderful bliss that it brings. Now go back out 100' away and listen to the change from that position from what you heard before. Sounds a little bit more "full", right? Perhaps a little bit more "complete" in the frequency range.
Well, this is that "mid-bass" suck out I am talking about. I really do not know how else to describe it. I could be WAY off with my description, (Self admitted) but that's about the best way I (personally) can describe it. All I know is that I do not like it and now that I know what it is I am missing? It does not matter where I am or what I have listened too? I hear it on streaming systems versus physical media.
With that said, some streamers have certain attributes that I desire with certain songs/albums/reproductive efforts but we are not doing an apples to apples comparison here. Different animals making different sounds......but I guess that's my point. While streamers may get you "perfect" bit for bit (or whatever the latest audiophile phrase of the week is) reproduction of the original? It simply isn't the same to me.
I can still appreciate it though. I'm not knocking it at all.....and as I type this, I am actually listening to a streamer with a DAC......from 40 feet away. Hardly ever in the sweet spot. To me, it's just a convenient aspect of the rig. One I can appreciate but I am not about covenience. I am about the end result as to what hits my ears.
Question #3 and my answer - Marantz Reference Series SA-7S1, Nerve Audio PC and Transparent Reference RCA IC to my Canary Audio pre.
My apologies for the long winded answer. Please forgive any typos....I wanted to say what was on my mind quickly without distractions.
Tom
- We own over 3,000 CDs, many hard to find from France, Germany, Canada, US, UK, Italy, Spain and of course Japan.
- When I first settled into audio (boombox)...cassette tapes rapidly migrated to CDs. At that very early point, I promised myself I would focus all of my investment into ONE medium because I knew that not only would the collection otherwise get split into different mediums (or duplicated/triplicated) but the equipment cost would also either start either doubling/tripling...or if the total expenditure remained the same, then I would also feel like perhaps i was 'diluting' the quality of any one medium. Just a personal approach.
- And so I committed myself to going out and finding the bar none best digital playback I can afford and remain committed to this.
- At the moment, the Zanden 4-box has remained a watershed moment for me in digital playback. Great enough that I have not been inspired to go out of my way to listen to new systems even though I am well aware there are numerous that are truly outstanding. (I am aware of even those like Audiocrack who have 'moved on' to high-res, etc...have sold their DCS...but have elected to keep the Zanden 4-box.)
- Not that I have an opinion these new digital systems are not worth the price or any such thing...simply that I would rather focus on other areas of the system.
- But at some point, after 13+ years, I will look at the Wadax, MSB and Aries Cerat and possibly explore what the hype is in relating to the AN DAC 5th Element. And of course, I always suspect at some point Yamada San would come out with a new SOTA digital system which of course some time this year he is due to release as the rumors go!!!