Have I gone over to the Dark Side?

[Puffin]

In the last week or so I have gone over to.....errr....not sure what you would call it...Streaming?

I bought a Chromecast Audio, which is operated with a PLEX music server download and ripped CD's being (streamed?) wirelessly to the hifi. How does it sound? IMO brilliant! No moving parts.....how do they do that

[Audio Al]

In the last week or so I have gone over to.....errr....not sure what you would call it...Streaming?

I bought a Chromecast Audio, which is operated with a PLEX music server download and ripped CD's being (streamed?) wirelessly to the hifi. How does it sound? IMO brilliant! No moving parts.....how do they do that

All hope is lost ,

[walpurgis]

Oh dear.

[Audio Al]

One advantage is = you pay for all you equipment and get nothing when you buy music

[jandl100]

Yay - music streaming from t'internet rules.

For a tenner a month I get an incomparably large music collection at my beck and call.
Every music session is a voyage of discovery.

I have to confess that I don't see the point of ripping CDs - I just get 'em off the streaming service.

[Puffin]

Well to my buggered ears it sounds great I have some CD's ripped and a lot is streamed off t'internet. Those that I have ripped from CD I have used Switch Audio File Converter which enables up to 320kbps.

[Rothchild]

Well to my buggered ears it sounds great I have some CD's ripped and a lot is streamed off t'internet. Those that I have ripped from CD I have used Switch Audio File Converter which enables up to 320kbps.

I'd advise ripping the cds to FLAC as it's a lossless codec, so you're making a full scale backup at the same time. Most home streaming solutions have some sort of option to downscale your rips to something lesser (ie 320k or less) on the fly, should you need to conserve bandwidth for whatever reason.

[Reffc]

One disadvantage:

you never know or have total control over what you get. I stream music now but my LP and CD collection still rule for me. Try obtaining the RCA "Living Stereo" or Decca 50th Anniversary recordings in all their glory via a streaming service. Good luck with that. I find it more useful for discovering music. I then research the best recordings (mainly for classical) and if they can't be downloaded, I buy the CD.

[Gazjam]

As with most hifi stuff, a balance between the two is the best option.
I'm streaming Tidal as well as my own library, a good mix.

[JimC]

Well to my buggered ears it sounds great I have some CD's ripped and a lot is streamed off t'internet. Those that I have ripped from CD I have used Switch Audio File Converter which enables up to 320kbps.

..........and you can't tell the difference between 320kb/s and a CD? (A serious inquiry, not 'having a go'). Whenever I've done any tests I don't like less than CD quality. Very flat, 1 dimensional sound, no depth to it. This has always put me off streaming.
Are there any of the main services which provide CD quality or above?

Jim.