The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

MikeH said:
It’s been my favorite. Better library than Tidal and better app. I’m a Roon guy so I rarely use the app itself anymore. I’m similar to you too in that we’re a two service household, I have Apple Music for the car and anything outside of the house really then Qobuz for at home
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Yeah, I have a feeling it will be very similar here. I might check out roon down the line.
 
MikeH said:
Roons great if you have tons of downloaded files and a streaming service. Otherwise it’s pretty overkill IMO
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I could potentially like it too with just streaming if you didn’t say have a big vinyl/cd collection and were using Qobuz or tidal streaming as your sole music option. Could let you build a digital collection and have the music you like the most nicely organised and to hand.

In that scenario it’d also allow you to then build out the gaps in those services, particularly apt with tidal, as you go along.
 
Joe Mac said:
I could potentially like it too with just streaming if you didn’t say have a big vinyl/cd collection and were using Qobuz or tidal streaming as your sole music option. Could let you build a digital collection and have the music you like the most nicely organised and to hand.

In that scenario it’d also allow you to then build out the gaps in those services, particularly apt with tidal, as you go along.
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I actually do like Roon’s version of their recommendation algorithm too. It’s just quite pricey on top of a music subscription to just use for that.
 
MikeH said:
I actually do like Roon’s version of their recommendation algorithm too. It’s just quite pricey on top of a music subscription to just use for that.
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I hate all of the algorithms and spend my life wondering how I can just avoid having to look at them. Just let me pick the music I want to listen to lol!

Which is also why I said it feels like it makes sense if you didn’t have a physical collection. I feel the apps lack something as a way of being a main collection plus then pure ballache of actually getting the hi res out and into the system. They both become more critical if that’s your sole at home listening. Also both subscriptions are still a whole host less than I spend on vinyl/CDs every month…
 
Joe Mac said:
I hate all of the algorithms and spend my life wondering how I can just avoid having to look at them. Just let me pick the music I want to listen to lol!

Which is also why I said it feels like it makes sense if you didn’t have a physical collection. I feel the apps lack something as a way of being a main collection plus then pure ballache of actually getting the hi res out and into the system. They both become more critical if that’s your sole at home listening. Also both subscriptions are still a whole host less than I spend on vinyl/CDs every month…
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I like discovering new music so especially while I’m working, I’ll put an album on that I’m in the mood for and when that’s done it’ll start playing similar music on Qobuz regardless of whether it’s favorited or not by me. Have found quite a few cool bands and artists that are new to me that way.

Fair point on price vs vinyl haha
 
MikeH said:
I like discovering new music so especially while I’m working, I’ll put an album on that I’m in the mood for and when that’s done it’ll start playing similar music on Qobuz regardless of whether it’s favorited or not by me. Have found quite a few cool bands and artists that are new to me that way.

Fair point on price vs vinyl haha
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I just don’t enjoy that as a method of discovery and I don’t find the algorithms all that good. More generally the rise of algorithms in wider use is starting to be very pernicious. I still enjoy reading reviews or getting human recommendations.

On a serious note. If I had no collection or had to start from scratch I’d invest my money in the best hi res/DSD capable system possible and entirely eschew physical media. Yes you lose something of the experience but you do gain a whole lot more in terms of usability and scope and cost and the sound is often very nearly there on the best 24/96, 24/192 and DSD. Plus the cost of buying media lol.
 
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Joe Mac said:
On a serious note. If I had no collection or had to start from scratch I’d invest my money in the best hi res/DSD capable system possible and entirely eschew physical media. Yes you lose something of the experience but you do gain a whole lot more in terms of usability and scope and cost and the sound is often very nearly there on the best 24/96, 24/192 and DSD. Plus the cost of buying media lol.
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100%
 
Joe Mac said:
On a serious note. If I had no collection or had to start from scratch I’d invest my money in the best hi res/DSD capable system possible and entirely eschew physical media. Yes you lose something of the experience but you do gain a whole lot more in terms of usability and scope and cost and the sound is often very nearly there on the best 24/96, 24/192 and DSD. Plus the cost of buying media lol.
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I wish I had figured this out sooner as I'm staring at a Kallax full of records I don't listen to and am dumbfounded to think how much I spent on all of them.
 
Joe Mac said:
I just don’t enjoy that as a method of discovery and I don’t find the algorithms all that good. More generally the rise of algorithms in wider use is starting to be very pernicious. I still enjoy reading reviews or getting human recommendations.

On a serious note. If I had no collection or had to start from scratch I’d invest my money in the best hi res/DSD capable system possible and entirely eschew physical media. Yes you lose something of the experience but you do gain a whole lot more in terms of usability and scope and cost and the sound is often very nearly there on the best 24/96, 24/192 and DSD. Plus the cost of buying media lol.
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It’s madness. The sheer number of times I’ve been listening to something on a Sonos in the kitchen, dug it, ordered the vinyl for (insert increasingly obscene cost) when I could have just come next door to a main system and streamed it in high res as part of a qobuz sub.

It’s enough to make you seriously question sanity and general intelligence
 
Rowan said:
It’s madness. The sheer number of times I’ve been listening to something on a Sonos in the kitchen, dug it, ordered the vinyl for (insert increasingly obscene cost) when I could have just come next door to a main system and streamed it in high res as part of a qobuz sub.

It’s enough to make you seriously question sanity and general intelligence
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Personally, I know I'm dealing with a bit of OCD and FOMO. I also have a family history of collecting that I get from my mother. So it's not enough to just have a MOFI Miles Davis record. I have to have every MOFI Miles Davis record. Then I've spent over $500 to make that happen which is madness. Thankfully, I think I'm finally cured of that bug as I can walk into a record store and have little to no temptation to go home with something thanks to Qobuz and Roon.
 
Rowan said:
It’s madness. The sheer number of times I’ve been listening to something on a Sonos in the kitchen, dug it, ordered the vinyl for (insert increasingly obscene cost) when I could have just come next door to a main system and streamed it in high res as part of a qobuz sub.

It’s enough to make you seriously question sanity and general intelligence
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Yep I’ve a hard drive full of hi res and DSD files of about 2/3 of my collection and Qobuz would fill in the gaps. Instead I have almost 1200, and counting, records 🤦🏻
 
Even though I’ve only used my Node a few times. I’m already having thoughts of how it could fine tune my collection.
I really want to focus on eliminating the amount of various items I’ve thrown money at over the years, but I also don’t want to invest the time.
 
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