What Can I Play in my Hi-Fi System? Overview of Different Sources
My dad used to say, “shit in- shit out”. I tend to go with the statement that the musical reproduction starts with the quality of the streamer, cd player, transport, turntable or tuner. You simply can’t reproduce what’s lost at an earlier stage.
Music streaming is now considered by most (even many hi-fi purists) to be a serious music source, just as much as vinyl or CD. Streaming music has come a long way since mp3; the latest streaming formats offer much better sound quality than ever before, in many cases high resolution or lossless and music streaming services like Tidal’s “hifi” option make high quality streaming easier than ever before.
Different Sources.
Analog vs. Digital: Being a late 80ies kid, I grew up mostly digital.
My parents always had high quality turntables and reel-to-reel players, but somewhat sold most of the stuff in the early 2000s. Turntables have just recently become in focus for me again.
For me, the CD, SACD and hires streaming services have been the go-to medias for high quality listening. The debates on which medium is the most transparent, best sounding and truest to original, have been going on for decades. I am sure they will never end. One thing is for sure, there are differences in quality between devices no matter which media is used.
In the past and in the future, I will listen to all kinds of media, unbiased, open for the established and new.
Streamers Examples.
For streamers, I have had a ton of fun with the following manufacturers, ranging in price drastically:
Disc Examples.
For disc players, I have had a ton of fun with the following manufacturers, ranging in price drastically:
My Favorites.
As stated in the other services portions as well, it is not all about the sources on its own. The source component will make a difference, but please avoid picking the parts solely. The result depends on how the source, the amps and the speakers play together in your listening space.
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