Tidal HiFi versus CD ripping, is ripping better?

after comparing rips with tidal on my SU/250 system I've stopped buying CDs. Feel a bit conflicted about that but not on sound quality grounds.

I buy some hi-res downloads from qobuz, hd tracks etc but not standard res CDs (which would end up in the loft once they are ripped anyway). I can often hear meaningful improvements in these over CD streams.

My feeling is that there must be some differences in tidal quality based on network/router/broadband issues to explain the night and day differences some people hear. Of course better system than mine may make the difference.

We are so blessed in this internet age.  When I was a spotty youth if I wanted to discover new music I had UK radio stations and the rather meagre record collection in my local library - which considering it was Ipswich somewhat miraculously included Little Feat’s first album. 

To borrow a record involved a 15 mile round trip and a lending fee.  Now we have 100,000’s of hifi quality albums on tap in a virtual jukebox for a monthly cost less than a daily newspaper. And people are complaining about whether it represents value for money.  There really is no pleasing some people.

I have plenty of CD’s in my collection which on a cost per play basis are much worse vfm that my monthly tidal subs and they’re not a store of value either cos they will end up in a skip/charity shop (if they still want CD’s in 20+ years time, which seems implausible). 

Olly posted:

We are so blessed in this internet age.  When I was a spotty youth if I wanted to discover new music I had UK radio stations and the rather meagre record collection in my local library - which considering it was Ipswich somewhat miraculously included Little Feat’s first album. 

To borrow a record involved a 15 mile round trip and a lending fee.  Now we have 100,000’s of hifi quality albums on tap in a virtual jukebox for a monthly cost less than a daily newspaper. And people are complaining about whether it represents value for money.  There really is no pleasing some people.

I have plenty of CD’s in my collection which on a cost per play basis are much worse vfm that my monthly tidal subs and they’re not a store of value either cos they will end up in a skip/charity shop (if they still want CD’s in 20+ years time, which seems implausible). 

However, you could also listen to new music in record shops (I was lucky enough to have three in my home town when I was first buying, so could go to one and spend half an hour or so trying one thing after another, then on to the next one to do the same thing, then the third - that was a typical Saturday exercise when I first started work).

And as I observed in an earlier post, you can check out new music on Spotify, uTube etc for free!

I strongly suspect streaming services like Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Apple or whatever, will get better and better over a relatively short time frame (and cheaper). Streamed Hi rez will become the norm in time, Cd’s, although reasonable quality are old tech and will become mostly irrelevant like dvd’s. Where I live ( a European capital) there were several retailers such as HMV and other local variants up to quite recently, they’ve literally all vanished now bar one main outlet and I’d say it’s just hanging in there, I was in it this week and the cd stock was abysmal, they sell mostly vinyl and merchandising now. 

Mercky posted:

I strongly suspect streaming services like Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Apple or whatever, will get better and better over a relatively short time frame (and cheaper). Streamed Hi rez will become the norm in time, Cd’s, although reasonable quality are old tech and will become mostly irrelevant like dvd’s. Where I live ( a European capital) there were several retailers such as HMV and other local variants up to quite recently, they’ve literally all vanished now bar one main outlet and I’d say it’s just hanging in there, I was in it this week and the cd stock was abysmal, they sell mostly vinyl and merchandising now. 

I think there will always be a market for people who prefer to ‘own’ rather than rely on availability online, regardless of the continued subscription aspect, so I predict that streaming from people’s own stores will be at least as popular as online streaming, probably more so for at least many years to come.