so what is your streaming preference and why?

[jmudrick]

I moved from Phnom Penh four years ago but while I was there I was streaming Spotify. I did pick up quite a few CDs which now live in boxes not likely to be ever played again.

Though I have no problem with it, I generally don't use the Qobuz interface since I use the BubbleUpnp app to control both cloud and local files playback. Where I do use it is to search new albums to add to favorites , The mobile app search works brilliantly.

As I indicated Tidal album favorites saved on Windows don't even load in either the Tidal mobile app or the BubbleUpnp app. This issue emerged with the rollout to Android 8.0 more than a year ago and remains "something we're working on to fix". I'm done. For folks with less than s few hundred albums favorites synch may be working fine.

My experience of Qobuz was different. Didn't like the interface at all. I'm surprised that you are streaming at all given the price of cds in the Russian Market! How is the FCC these days?

[Qwin]

I am ashamed to say that i haven't a clue how to stream anything. Something i have never got round to and a device i have never owned.

Your podcast is a streamed service Steve.
Streaming used to mean audio or video listened to live over the internet, as apposed to downloaded and listened/watched on your device, so this includes internet radio, BBC iplayer and services like Spotify.
The meaning seems to have changed slightly though, due to so many people having home networks, NAS drives or wifi to access their networked files. So access across a local network is also classed as streaming now. If it's not on the device your listening to, its "Streamed" from somewhere else. Sometimes, just to confuse things, the terms music server or networked music can be thrown in, but there is so much crossover and folks using terms without actually knowing what they mean, it all becomes meaningless.
I'm a purist on this and still consider streaming as music/video not on your system/network and listened to over the internet. Networked music (for me) is different as you have/own a copy of the actual file on one or more of the linked devices. But like I say it's become the same thing to a lot of folks and accepted as part of the vernacular. Even the companies selling gear have accepted this is the way things are so the meaning has evolved.

[Tim]

I'm a purist on this and still consider streaming as music/video not on your system/network and listened to over the internet. Networked music (for me) is different as you have/own a copy of the actual file on one or more of the linked devices. But like I say it's become the same thing to a lot of folks and accepted as part of the vernacular. Even the companies selling gear have accepted this is the way things are.

That troubles me on occasion too Ken, especially when you are trying to explain methodology to people who for some reason have a totally different understanding of what is actually going on - or don't understand at all and just refer to anything in file based audio as streaming, which can get confusing. The phrase music server for example, as that's what I have and it operates (to me) entirely differently to streamed music, but people refer to it as a music streamer. I guess having had a background in IT and working with servers, I perhaps understand the concept a little more, but it's still frustrating at times.

Streamed music for me is simple, it's source is the internet or somewhere other than networked music or music contained on a music server. It's tricky at times being a pedant, but it's a cross I have to bear

[Qwin]

Tim - Yeh I guess we're both old school.

I think the usage has become amalgamated due to internet "live" listening being across the "either", be it wired or wireless. And WiFi/Bluetooth home networks being across the airwaves at a local level. For me the big differentiator is whether you have purchased a copy of the audio file and have it somewhere within your setup, on true streamed sources you don't own a copy.

I used to try and fight it, and pull people up when they said things like, they were Streaming from their NAS device. I just let it go now and put it down to the way things are. But as you point out, it can lead to misunderstandings on how the audio is actually being processed within a system.

[Halfway Tree]

I am ashamed to say that i haven't a clue how to stream anything. Something i have never got round to and a device i have never owned.

You don't know what you're missing, Steve....

prog christmas.jpg

[Andy Nogger]

My experience of Qobuz was different. Didn't like the interface at all. I'm surprised that you are streaming at all given the price of cds in the Russian Market! How is the FCC these days?

I've tried all of Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and now Deezer, just on the free trials so far, always on "premium" or "hi-fi" with the highest quality selected. My problem isn't the UI (they look pretty similar to me) but sound quality and continuity of service.

Admittedly I look for obscure stuff, already having a large music collection, so that may be a factor. But it's disappointing with all the services I've tried how often the music is poor sounding (e.g. highly compressed), or just stops without warning. I suspect all these companies have acquired their large libraries of content without checking all the files - maybe that is impractical? - and upsampled it where necessary to get their "lossless"/"hi-fi" files.

I have a fibre broadband connection in the middle of a city and direct Ethernet connection of my Auralic streamer to the broadband hub, so I don't think equipment is the issue.

One tip I have discovered: unticking the box for "equalise volume between tracks" or the equivalent seems to increase the dynamic range in some cases.

[Sherwood]

I've tried all of Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and now Deezer, just on the free trials so far, always on "premium" or "hi-fi" with the highest quality selected. My problem isn't the UI (they look pretty similar to me) but sound quality and continuity of service.

Admittedly I look for obscure stuff, already having a large music collection, so that may be a factor. But it's disappointing with all the services I've tried how often the music is poor sounding (e.g. highly compressed), or just stops without warning. I suspect all these companies have acquired their large libraries of content without checking all the files - maybe that is impractical? - and upsampled it where necessary to get their "lossless"/"hi-fi" files.

I have a fibre broadband connection in the middle of a city and direct Ethernet connection of my Auralic streamer to the broadband hub, so I don't think equipment is the issue.

One tip I have discovered: unticking the box for "equalise volume between tracks" or the equivalent seems to increase the dynamic range in some cases.

Tim,

never once experienced any of the problems you referred to with streaming. Maybe the problem is with your setup.

Geoff

[Qwin]

One tip I have discovered: unticking the box for "equalise volume between tracks" or the equivalent seems to increase the dynamic range in some cases.

As I've stated previously, this is also my finding and I turn this feature off when comparing audio players.

[rmcin626]

just trying tidal for the first time, trial version.

[supapeet]

Through the hi if I use Tidal Masters where that quality is available, via a laptop wirelessly connected to a Blue Sound Node 2i.

Spotify for the car and the Roberts Stream Radio located in the kitchen. Never tried any of the others. My main drivers are quality of sound and choice for the hi fi in my listening room.