matthewb on Farcaster

Content pfp

https://warpcast.com/~/channel/hifi

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

matthewb pfp

this is Serious Gourmet Bait to get me to write a long hi-fi thread. maybe these could be sit and talk videos instead if there's any interest. * here's a tldr; on the hi-fi format wars in 2025: - vinyl is still enormously popular and many serious audiophiles optimize their entire system for vinyl playback rather than CD or streaming - despite CDs being largely forgotten by the average consumer, audiophiles still love CDs and often prefer them to streaming - streaming is becoming more and more prevalent, to the extent that it's the default for most showrooms. arguably the most complex and expensive to optimize vs. vinyl and CDs.

10 replies

3 recasts

17 reactions

matthewb pfp

* is vinyl "better" or is this an old hipster's tale? like all analog mediums, vinyl has several inherent distortions which were initially seen as flaws and later become trademarks: - surface noise: background hiss, crackle, and pops caused by dust and/or scratches on the record - wow and flutter: pitch modulations caused by slight speed variations in the turntable drive - many others including rumble, crosstalk, tracing distortion, groove wear, etc. in the same way that companies like Kodak and Fujifilm touted how grain-free their film stocks were, turntable manufacturers went to great length to minimize these flaws throughout the history of hi-fi. today's listeners instead see these imperfections as defining features of the format, giving it humanity by virtue of its audible flaws.

0 reply

0 recast

7 reactions

matthewb pfp

* is vinyl a more performant format for critical listening? yes and no. it has certain characteristics that are desirable: - greater sense of spaciousness, instruments occupy a realistic amount of space with "air" around them. - relaxed and sweet character vs. digital sources that encourages long listening sessions - a satisfying tactile ritual that encourages you to listen to an album as intended by the artist who created it it also carries some notable disadvantages vs. other formats: - very susceptible to dust, requires a cleaning machine to remove dust prior to playback for optimal performance - adds a significant amount of complexity with a cartridge, tonearm, turntable, phono stage, and the record itself as elements of your chain - generally speaking a smaller soundstage, less low-end weight, and less detail retrieval vs. the best digital sources

0 reply

0 recast

3 reactions

matthewb pfp

the interesting part of the vinyl question goes back to the history of digital mastering. prior to the early 70s, tracking and mixing was done on 1/4" to 2" analog tape but this started to change as digital recordings entered the LP catalogue around 1972. by the mid 80s, the majority of new mainstream releases were tracked or mixed on "digital tape" which used magnetic tape as a carrier but became 100% digital once passed through an A/D converter. in other words, from the mid 1980s onward you are likely listening to a digital recording whether it's on a CD or an LP. by 1988, CD sales surpassed LPs and the default source for vinyl pressings was redbook CD spec digital masters. at this point, the analog allure of the record starts to become a bit hazy: is the record really any more "analog" than a CD? the answer is basically "yes, if it's an all-analog pressing" however pressings that used a digital master can also sound great. the latter just happen to be ostensibly the same as a CD using the same source.

1 reply

0 recast

7 reactions

matthewb pfp

* redbook fever the first public demo of a CD player took place in March 1979 by Phillips, which led to the formalization of the redbook CD standard (44.1kHz/16-bit/74min) in June 1980. the first consumer CD player was released in October 1982 and by May 1985 the first CD (Dire Straits - Brother In Arms) sold 1 million copies. after the proliferation of the redbook CD from the late 1980s onward, many other formats followed like: - HDCD (1995) - XRCD, XRCD2, XRCD24 (1995-2002) - SACD (1999) - SHM-CD (2007) - Blu-spec CD (2008), Blu-spec CD2 (2012) - HQCD (2008), UHQCD (2015) - MQA-CD (2017) I've written here and there about collecting CDs and the various formats, see here: https://warpcast.com/matthewb/0x825059ef

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

matthewb pfp

some of those formats like SACD are hi-res and exceed redbook's 44.1kHz/16-bit limitations, whereas others like SHM-CD and UHQCD are simply higher quality CD pressings. there is no "one and done" answer to any question in hi-fi, but it's certainly much easier to build a hi-fi system around a CD player than a streamer/DAC. many CD players have a pleasing character that far outweighs a streaming system of the same price range, which is why many audiophiles still favour the format. a CD player is a closed loop with only one format (e.g. redbook CD, 44.1kHz/16-bit file) and no other variables. this simplicity allows for minimal signal paths and very high-quality output depending on the implementation.

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

matthewb pfp

streaming systems, on the other hand, have many more factors at play: - streaming service (Tidal, Qobuz) or local file - ethernet from router or switch to server - server function (Roon Core or proprietary) - player function (Roon or proprietary) - digital output stage, reclocking to reduce jitter - D/A conversion and analog output stage in other words, a proper streaming set-up includes a server, player ("streamer"), and DAC plus interconnects between each. this is what an ideal chain looks like to get you from a digital file to an analog signal before being passed to your preamplifier and amplifier. in practice this is typically two boxes: 1) a server/streamer with ethernet input and digital out 2) a DAC (digital-to-analog converter). even at two boxes vs. one, this is still quite complex compared to a CD player and will often sound inferior side-by-side for the same price.

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

matthewb pfp

* nothing gold can stay as quickly as CDs "replaced" vinyl, they were themselves seemingly replaced by streaming. the real takeaway is that each format has its own enduring appeal and unique set of advantages, disadvantages, and quirks. ultimately you need to decide which qualities are most important to you and always listen to components before buying. in my own journey, I started with streaming but made the mistake of listening to a really great CD player and decided to change paths as a result. so, I'm first optimizing my CD playback (should be done this summer, stay tuned), then adding streaming to the equation, and only tackling vinyl once the system is very mature and stable.

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

Christian Montoya 🦊 pfp

Christian Montoya 🦊

yes I still love my CDs

1 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

TaylorWebb.eth pfp

@taylorwebb.eth

I had a guy at an audio showroom where I bought my amplifier last week tell me I should stop using Spotify because it has worse audio quality than Apple music, and there was some other streaming service he recommended that's even better than Apple music. Thoughts on this? Seemed like bs to me but I also haven't A/B tested and doubt I'd be able to hear a difference

1 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

kia pfp

ooooh baby let's goo

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction