Two streaming questions

[on the rocks]

With internet radio do you get more adverts than with the FM equivalent (eg Classic FM)

If subscribing to Tidal HiFi why do people still rip all their CDs to an NAS when just using Tidal playlists would be less hassle and give better sound quality?

 

[Jezzer]

For internet radio it depends on which stations you listen to. I listen to Radio Paradise sometimes and there aren’t any ads at all. As for streaming, I just stream Tidal. I also listen to the odd CD from time to time. I used to rip CDs ages ago but it was so tedious…

 

[DiggyGun]

I stream via two methods;
- Qobuz; No adverts, just music
- Radio; Depends on the radio station. Some are commercial and have ads. Other are non commercial with no ads. Presently, we are listening to Jazz24 radio, which has no ads at all.

DG….

 

[JANDL100]

.... subscribing to Tidal HiFi why do people still rip all their CDs to an NAS when just using Tidal playlists would be less hassle and give better sound quality?

Haha, yes, I've wondered about that myself!
... Although some folks report that ripping improves the sound of CDs.

I'm well into Internet streaming and the last thing I want to do is rip my 2,000 strong CD collection. I just stream everything I can from my Internet providers of choice. I really can't see the point of ripping them all, adding extra expense and complications to my audio system.
There are a few albums I like that aren't available streamed atm, and I keep a silver disc spinner (aka CD player) for those.

Btw, my recommendation is not to assume that Tidal is necessarily the best service to go for.
I've tried a half dozen or so, starting off with Tidal, as it happens.
They all sound a bit different from each other to me. Tidal is the most upfront. Deezer and Qobuz are a bit more laidback. Spotify the most relaxed and easy going.

Also investigate their music catalogues. They can differ significantly from each other. Depending on the music genres you listen to, one service may have a better catalogue than others.

My advice is to take each of them up with the standard 1 month free trial period and see how you get on with them.

Tidal has blotted its copybook for me in 2 ways. Firstly, I find the sound quality too upfront, it has an insistent unpleasant brightness to my ears. Secondly, some of the albums have become corrupted regarding the ordering of tracks. The dang things are all mixed up on quite a few classical albums I've come across. That's ruled Tidal out for me.

I've settled on Spotify, it has an unmatched music catalogue in my experience and for my music tastes. That's the most important thing for me, the audio system can be tweaked a bit to compensate for the more relaxed presentation if required. Spotify also has by far the best user interface imo.

All of the above is imo and ymmv of course! But it's definitely worth trying things out for yourself.

 

[DomT]

With internet radio do you get more adverts than with the FM equivalent (eg Classic FM)

If subscribing to Tidal HiFi why do people still rip all their CDs to an NAS when just using Tidal playlists would be less hassle and give better sound quality?

I have ripped my CDs. I used Tidal and now use QoBuz. Ripped CDs can sound better and vice versa. Also not all Streamed versions are the same as CDs versions and many CDs don’t exist on streamers.

 

[MartinC]

Radio Paradise has no adverts but relies on optional listener support to keep going. Streamed BBC radio is also free of adverts.

I use Qobuz and would strongly suggest this over Tidal unless the music library of the latter uniquely appeals. Qobuz is cheaper and does proper high res. rather the than lossy pseudo high res. of MQA which also requires specific hardware.

Personally my only reason for ripping any CDs would be for the very small number I have that aren't on Qobuz. Having said that this is something I've never got round to and instead tend to just listen to these CDs in the car.

 

[Nopiano]

With internet radio do you get more adverts than with the FM equivalent (eg Classic FM)

No, it’s the same transmission. Same adverts! But if you want no adverts, then BBC Radio 3 is the same as FM, and Linn Classical Radio is just music, no speaking at all.

 

[bencat]

Internet versions of either FM or DAB stations will be identical and will feature the same stream as the broadcast stations Internet is just another way of listening and is not a different station .

However Internet Radio is huge and offers thousands of different stations covering almost every musical genre you can think of . Some stations like Radio Paradise are high quality FLAC streams and have no adverts others are low quality and have adverts and some are in between . If you want just ask fro some recomendations for what ever you want to listen to or do a search and get some sites like the one below with details .

https://www.24bit96.com/24bit96khz-download-sites/hd-internet-radio-streams.html

 

[arturo]

Some radio stations are, to me, unlistenable due to constant ads, Jazz FM for example. Others have no, or minimal, ads. Suck ‘em and see.

As for transferring cds to hard drive, for me, 1000 or so cds, it’s for convenience. Sitting here, if I want to listen to, say, track 6 of Peter Gabriel Up, it’s a matter of seconds.

Each to their own.

 

[MartinC]

As for transferring cds to hard drive, for me, 1000 or so cds, it’s for convenience. Sitting here, if I want to listen to, say, track 6 of Peter Gabriel Up, it’s a matter of seconds.

Each to their own.

The comparison was to internet streaming though, which also takes seconds but without the ripping or hard drives.

 

[Warszawa]

If subscribing to Tidal HiFi why do people still rip all their CDs to an NAS when just using Tidal playlists would be less hassle and give better sound quality?

Why would you think Tidal gives better sound quality? All things being equal, it should be identical, and is arguably worse because most new stuff is MQA (or MQA in disguise), which is lossy and packed with HF noise.

Reasons why I stream mainly local files:

• There's no guarantee your curated Tidal collection is going to be there forever (Neil Young anyone?)
• Not every CD is on streaming services
• You know what master you're getting with a CD rip, and older CDs often sound better due to less dynamic range compression
• The music doesn't stop if my internet goes down
• I like to own my music and support the artist by buying it