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matthewb
@matthewb
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.
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matthewb
@matthewb
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.
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