Am I near a point of pointless upgrades?

Peakman posted:

Timmo1341 posted:

hungryhalibut posted:

Well, I can only go on my experience but I’ve downloaded probably 500 albums from Qobuz and they have all been fine. I’ve also bought from High Res Audio, Bandcamp and direct from record companies. Other than a few metadata issues the sound quality has been what I’d expect. I see no point in buying a CD and then ripping it and storing it in the loft, never to be looked at again. It’s a waste of plastic if nothing else. 

Fine, if cost is of no concern...

This doesn't align with my experience, so I suspect it depends on genre.  I have a "think about buying" list and your post prompted me to compare the first 5 (2 classical, 2 folk, 1 jazz) albums on my list none of which were on special offer.  All were cheaper as (CD quality) downloads, from Qobuz, Bandcamp and Linn, than buying the physical discs from the Big River.  The difference is often just a few pounds but, in one case, the download is 40% cheaper.

The one area where CDs have a big advantage is buying second hand, but apart from the obvious potential problems with damage on used discs, I worry that the previous owner may have ripped the disc and then sold it and my moral scruples tend to kick in.

Roger

Amazon Marketplace is where second hand CDs are sold, and most are considerably cheaper than the equivalent download. I haven’t had one fail to play in hundreds of purchases. As for your worries in respect of A.N.Other committing copyright breach, I rather suspect you’re paying out a lot of unnecessary cash because of groundless fears, but that’s obviously your prerogative - perhaps my, and that of many others, moral compass isn’t quite as sensitive!

If you're considering the Core route you really do need to compare it with a standard NAS on a home trial. Some hear a difference, others don't. I prefer the Core although have Qnap TS251 for back up. The 251 being a quarter of the price, hence the need for a meaningful comparison. Rich.

Acting as devils advacate, why buy expensive hi fi, Naim or otherwise when very acceptable results can be obtained at much more reasonable costs? Put the several thousands of pounds saved towards your music collection. Rich

On cost of Qobuz highest res subscription price, if you have spent a large sum on the streamer and kit the differential is worth paying. As to Netflix, it is not a fair comparison. Qobuz (and Tidal) have a fantastic catalogue of recordings. They provide fascinating journeys into music.

Yes very true,  & I suspect its the same opinion with many music enthusiasts.  However A/V enthusiasts have the opposite opinion.   I'm not one of them BTW.