Curious how you stream?

Interesting question

My answer is I do both although my habits have changed since changing from Sonos to my NDX for serious listening.

With Sonos I used to build up playlists on the fly of my favourite music, picking odd tracks from albums as the session went on.  Sonos excels in being able to do this and probably doesn't have an equal in user friendliness.

Since changing over to the NDX I am now using nStream.  I now find that I listen to CD's much more as a whole, or perhaps start listening to an album at my favourite track and then listen to the remainder of the album.

I'm rather enjoying the NDX approach, I was missing out on some tracks by being my own 'DJ'.  In a way the limitation of nStream lends itself to a simple replacement to CD's.  It's easy to locate, start and play a whole album, but random listening is not as easy as it could be.

Richard

Entire album ... it is what I was brought up to do. 

Joerand, it depends what I'm listening to, some albums sound best in a sequential ordered fashion, like the Wall for example, or the movements of a piano concerto. I also have many compilation albums and here I quite enjoy random juke box selection mode.

Simon

A mix for me. I currently stream via a Sonos and as trickiedickie says it is very easy to add to the current queue on the fly.

If I'm streaming, I tend to random play from within an artist or genre although I do also listen to a particular album at times.

If I do get the chance for serious listening (streaming tends to be a convenience thing), I sit down to an LP or CD.

I listen as I always have. Individual albums in track order. I just don't have to get up and peruse the cd rack any more.

Both - Always listen to a new album in It's entirety but a have a number of playlists for day to day listening. They do say that variety is the spice of life! 

Ditto Prubast.     But hoping that next n-stream release will make on-the-fly playlisting feasible.

I used to listen to whole albums, forcing my way through the insipid and less inspired to the golden payload.

Now?

+2 Prubast.

I have a selection of playlists as well.

That said, I still go do listen to whole CDs, just to see if the insipid has just graduated into inspired - does happen every now and then!

M

Mr Underhill

My Mum always tries a mince pie at Christmas, just in case she now likes them!

But I agree, certain tracks take time to be appreciated. Some of them do remain forever dross though. It's why I quite often random play from within a particular artist, it reminds me to play an album I haven't listened to for a while or presents a track that out of context from the album as a whole I like more.

Both and then some - from various sources sourced from all kinds of places - all into the nDAC. I stream albums/tracks from my own collection, but also (random) tracks (which for some reason tickle my interest) from Spotify, Youtube, and the interwebs in general - Soundcloud, archive.org, Bands campout, NPR, classical.com, etc.

I guess the point is that the possibilities are enormous and when sourced through the nDAC into the stereo the sound is, albeit of varying quality, almost always above acceptable. Surely, digesting things at this rate probably means that I ignorantly pass up good things which takes more than a brief listen to catch on to - on the other hand I get to experience plenty of other excellent material - often ending up with newly discovered albums which can then be enjoyed in their entirety at a proper "pace". And so continues the story - its all about personal "style" I guess...

I tend to listen to the complete album also in the order as listed on the original. However, since using MediaMonkey I more and more create playlists based on Genre

Iver

Hi Maxi,

You can't argue with wisdom that comes with the years - at least that's what I tell my girls, now my father ...if only he'd stop talking such utter b*******!!

I recently bought bought a 20 CD box set of Miles Davies, who I know is a great musician, but has never done much for me - got to say that I am finding his earlier work a revelation, much more my sort of thing ...but I'll still take out (metaphorically) Kind of Blue for its six monthly constitutional.

M

Notionally whole albums, but I do admit to cutting them short and heading on to the next one fairly often.

I occasionally use iTunes' "Genius" for background dinner party music etc....

I enjoy both shuffle and whole albums. When doing other things I find shuffle is tremendous and I will often hear a song which will lead me later in the evening, when I can concentrate soley on the music, to play the whole album from which that the particular song came from. Best of both worlds and I am often pulling out albums that I would not have spun if not for shuffle bringing it to my attention.

For vinyl, I listen to Side A, and if I am enjoying it, I'll flip to Side B.

For streaming CD's, I'll listen to the whole album.

Most of needle drops have not yet been processed into individual songs.  So when streaming them, it is just like vinyl...I'll stream Side A, and if I am enjoying it...

Hook

Whatever suits my needs and mood. There are comparatively few albums that I have listened to from end to end since the day I acquired a skip button. So I mainly use track queues and play lists. But not always. It's nice to have the choice.

I hardly ever listen(ed) to a whole album.  
Simply because there are not that much albums of which I like all the songs.  

I really don't like shuffle/random play though. Never ever used it.

(I don't like some machine to choose what I 'have to' listen to)

I've been streaming since 2009. Using a SB Touch, with 2 HD's on my PC.

(sometimes still miss the simplicity of a CD-player though)

Same here.  

 I must admit to putting one Happy Mondays track on re-peter a few nights back though.

Over 20 times.

Just got so into it.

Stu.

You could just put a new hiFace between your MacBook and Naim DAC and eliminate the Apple TV - I agree with you that it is the weak link, but not sure why you need to go through it. The new hiFace does not require a driver and just works between a MBP and Naim DAC. 

I use an ATV for YouTube and for Aiplay from my iPad, but not for music through my Naim system. It does some peculiar up-sampling which I'm not to keen on. 

Interesting comment Alco.  At least not what I'd expect to hear from most streamers.  My impression from reading the forum over the last several months is that streamers rip their CDs and then never touch them again, nor miss them.

Is it possible streamers might someday feel nostalgic about using CDPs the way many feel towards spinning vinyl today?

Whole albums - probaby due to all the years of vinyl. Amazing how often a track that has meant little suddenly catches your attention. Would miss these if I kept skipping tracks

Depending on the mood and whatever is new.

New downloaded music is listening to an impression of the first 10 seconds or so of a song.

If OK, then play the entire album in original sequence and maybe repeat.........

When you are familiar with all that's on your hard disc I think some albums are meant to listen to as a whole

as I do.

I sometimes "discover" music that grabs my attention that I really enjoy listening to over and over.

At the moment it's all Porcupine Tree........ 

Other times I enjoy the sound quality of music that is produced by the audio-installation and select different songs of different artists that makes me really enjoy the music/installation synergy. 

On my borrowed HDX, I admit I enjoy playing the remainder of the album from the selected song.  It is interesting to be be given only this alternative to playing only the selected track (in that menu).  A third option to play the entire album starting with the selected track might be nice.

HDX is a luxury I begin to understand better, in the flesh.

Nick

quote:

Interesting comment Alco.  At least not what I'd expect to hear from most streamers.  My impression from reading the forum over the last several months is that streamers rip their CDs and then never touch them again, nor miss them.

Hi Joerand,

I sometimes miss my CD-player due to the fact that I sometimes suffer from unexplainable issues with my Squeezebox software.  Sometimes when I scroll trhought the 'artists' map some bands/artist are missing, then at times bands/artist are mentioned double, then (even more weird) a new 'artist' is placed in between as 'unknown artist' (map is empty), or sometimes I can't get any connection, etc,etc.  

Also the horrible Logitech software 'updates'. I've had many problems whenever a new, so called software-'upgrade' was installed.

That's way I sometimes miss the simplicity (and looks) of a CD-player. I've never been dissapointed by the ease of use of a CD-player.

Another bonus imho when using a (Naim) CD-player is the fact that I can use the same remote for both amp + CD-player, and.... the battery of the remote will last at least 2 years, instead of 2 days.

regard,

Alco