Now I am a lifetime Roon subscriber using Tidal as my streaming service. Vinyl, 8-track, cassette and Cd I've used them all and felt no regrets moving on to the next technology.
Was there a law that said you couldn't listen to all?
I too have a streaming service (Spotify basic), but when I want to enjoy an album.... it's the CD. And I too have tapes, vinyl, paid streaming, and CDs. Vinyl and tapes retired. CDs primarily, streaming when I want to hear something new that I may buy on CD
Yes, I do. Primarily because some great albums aren’t on streaming services, e.g. 90s trip hop Mo’ Wax issues. And I like owning physical media for certain albums (and certain mixes) which seem to be constantly remastered (often not for the better) and thus replacing earlier versions on Qobuz and Tidal. For these use cases, the Teac 701T is great and the transport sometimes (not always) offers a subtly different but still enjoyable presentation from the spinning disc compared to ripping the same CD to an arguably stellar music server like the Innuos Zenith NG.
I can also tell you this Santana Lotus Complete Edition (3 hybrid SACD discs) isn't on any paid streaming platform. Lotus is, but not the "Complete Edition" which includes nearly 30 minutes of additional music material....
How so? I can pretty much find any CD I want online if there's one to be had. The only restriction there is cost, especially used / OOP (Out Of Print).
I buy a lot of music produced in Japan these days. That is often only available in Japan, and the only way to get the CDs is to import them.
Some can be found on e.g. eBay, but at something like double the cost at which I can import them myself if I bundle a few in one CDJapan order.
Also, sometimes in the west even for western artists we get "incomplete" releases on CD here, where the CD contains most of the tracks but a few extra ones need to be downloaded, or of a double EP 'album' one half is available as a download, the other as a CD (why? ). The Japanese on the other hand often bring out a "complete" release on physical CD. AURORA's catalogue has a couple of examples like that.
EDIT: even for downloads of Japanese artists' music I often get them from a Japanese source (OTOTOY). Not sure if that really counts as 'importing', but outside of Japan often the only download option is the iTunes store (AAC) whereas OTOTOY almost always has a lossless format available.
It is not just Japanese imports though. A couple of German & French artists' CDs I can also only get directly from their own German/French on-line store.
I can also tell you this Santana Lotus Complete Edition (3 hybrid SACD discs) isn't on any paid streaming platform. Lotus is, but not the "Complete Edition" which includes nearly 30 minutes of additional music material....
I bought the triple LP set of Lotus in probably '77 or '78 in Ireland where I was living.
That LP set was a wonder actually it was a big unfolding graphic, a delicious experience for a teenager like me, and the graphics really suited the grand unfolding nature of the music.
I do have a double CD set of Lotus today, which I've had for many years but I'm sure it is nothing like as good as yours.
That LP set was a wonder actually it was a big unfolding graphic, a delicious experience for a teenager like me, and the graphics really suited the grand unfolding nature of the music.
You're might not have the added material, but the original release without it is just as good. In fact most all my favorites on that album are from the original release.
Love those Japanese releases. Have tons of them. Also Sony Japan puts out lots of good stuff being they pretty much own the Columbia Records catalogue.
It is not just Japanese imports though. A couple of German & French artists' CDs I can also only get directly from their own German/French on-line store.
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). The Japanese on the other hand often bring out a "complete" release on physical CD. AURORA's catalogue has a couple of examples like that.
