Physical Media Or Download.
May 28, 2017 at 1:26 PM Post #2 of 13
tele1962 said:
Just wondering what most on here prefer, personaly from what i have heard Physical media still has the upper hand by quite a bit. What do you guys think.
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I've gone full-circle and now appreciate both. I started amassing a CD collection after high school and several hundred albums in I decided to start buying LPs mainly to play on the 60's/70's stereo gear I was buying/fixing/selling. I bought a few hundred vinyl albums but only a handful that I've played more than once.

So, as of now, I have a pretty big collection of physical-medium music that is not used much but I have no plans of getting rid of anything. I also don't really buy much music anymore. Most of what I consume is from Spotify or Amazon Music. I have a family, full-time job, multiple non-music related hobbies and that tends to really limit the critical listening sessions I used to enjoy when I was a kid with a part-time schedule and no responsibilities to speak of.
 
May 28, 2017 at 4:27 PM Post #3 of 13
Ingo said:
I've gone full-circle and now appreciate both. I started amassing a CD collection after high school and several hundred albums in I decided to start buying LPs mainly to play on the 60's/70's stereo gear I was buying/fixing/selling. I bought a few hundred vinyl albums but only a handful that I've played more than once.

So, as of now, I have a pretty big collection of physical-medium music that is not used much but I have no plans of getting rid of anything. I also don't really buy much music anymore. Most of what I consume is from Spotify or Amazon Music. I have a family, full-time job, multiple non-music related hobbies and that tends to really limit the critical listening sessions I used to enjoy when I was a kid with a part-time schedule and no responsibilities to speak of.
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Do you prefer the sound of Physical releases?
 
May 28, 2017 at 8:42 PM Post #4 of 13
I try to buy CDs instead of digital download, but mainly because I want to have a physical copy as backup. I'll only buy online if available in lossless. Otherwise, I'll make my own from the CD. I'm also amassing a collection of records and am considering getting a tape deck. Physical media is fun an tactile. Records sound different than digital...they're imperfect but in charming ways. Most of my music is digital only (90%+ lossless).
 
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Jun 2, 2017 at 5:27 PM Post #5 of 13
tele1962 said:
Do you prefer the sound of Physical releases?
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I have some LPs that sound soooo good and only a few CDs that are WOW but really I just don't have the time and energy to be an audiophile anymore.

Streamed music has come so far and I have access to so much music driving around in my truck with Spotify or Amazon Music. It's not critical listening but I get to hear a ton of music and most rock/pop releases aren't audiophile worthy, anyhow.

I'll sit down with the Grados and listen to something great every once in a while to remind myself how good music recordings can be

I have a set of EPI 100W Speakers that I recapped, and refurbished 10 years ago that don't get as much love as they should anymore, either.
 
Jun 20, 2017 at 3:42 PM Post #7 of 13
Only physical....

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Jun 25, 2017 at 5:31 PM Post #8 of 13
Would buy digital-only if it was lossless and at the price of the CD. Which never happens because of marketing greediness (hi-res = cow-milking)...
So I'm forced into buying CD or LPs, whichever is cheaper, mostly them to turn into lossless digital.
What as waste...
 
Aug 19, 2017 at 2:18 PM Post #10 of 13
ADUHF said:
C. Stream via YouTube. The quality is poor, but the choices are virtually endless.
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Don't do as I do btw. Support the artists by buying their audio files, discs & tapes, if you can. And if you can't, then at least give em a plug on forums like this. Stream instead of rip whenever possible, because streaming (from a legit link) at least provides some income to the artists in many cases. And will help their view counts / chart positions, which also translates to more $$.

I wish some of the $45 I spend each month for internet access went to the creators. But sadly it all goes into the pockets of my greedy, monopolistic cable company. (Grrr.)
 
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Aug 23, 2017 at 7:03 PM Post #11 of 13
Most of the music I purchased was physical media (primarily CDs...some vinyl, tapes, etc.) but I also have tons of digital downloads.

If the same master is used, it will sound the same whether it's a CD or lossless digital download.

Digital is far better than vinyl in terms of what it is capable of (click here), but some digital/CD masters suck, so the vinyl versions of some albums can still sound better. (Though the sound for both digital and analog ultimately depends on the playback equipment.)
 
Aug 26, 2017 at 2:54 PM Post #12 of 13
If i buy (instead of streaming) i go with Digital only, if it's cheaper than CD. I like Bandcamp, as the artists keep more money. Most Releases are also cheaper than physical media. If it's the same price or more expensive, i go with the CD for the physical backup.
 
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