How do you listen to your music ?

[UK 82]

I use them all: vinyl, CD, Google Play Music, hi-res Flac and DSD downloads, etc.. I ripped my entire CD collection to FLAC and use JRiver as the player. I've also used Spotify but prefer Google Play. Hi-res and DSD downloads are kind of expensive but the sound is phenomenal with a good system.

 

[Crushgroove]

Yeah, been using JRiver since version 19. Costs about $25/year on average for renewals. Like $2/month. I don't mind paying that for all it offers. I tried Foobar, but I don't have the attention span to set all that mess up from scratch. Felt like solving a jigsaw puzzle in software format. Felt like work.

I just never see anyone talking about JRiver and was wondering if I was the only one.

What about DACs? I just swapped out an Emotiva XDA-2 reference for an SMSL M6 at my desk. The last win10 update I got totally screwed up the driver for the XDA-2 snd now, even after reinstalling C-media ASIO and WASAPI HD drivers, it won't/can't see anything beyond 48/24 via USB input. Even tried Schiit's drivers to no avail. All other inputs still read all sample rates, but the USB is broked.

The M6 is tits, though, for the money. I was dead set on investing in a Magni/Modi Schiit stack, but read so may good reviews of the M6 (plus it has a built-in headphone amp, one less AC outlet needed) I took a shot on China. Very satisfied so far. Been about 3 weeks.

 

[UK 82]

Yeah, been using JRiver since version 19. Costs about $25/year on average for renewals. Like $2/month. I don't mind paying that for all it offers. I tried Foobar, but I don't have the attention span to set all that mess up from scratch. Felt like solving a jigsaw puzzle in software format. Felt like work.

I just never see anyone talking about JRiver and was wondering if I was the only one.

What about DACs? I just swapped out an Emotiva XDA-2 reference for an SMSL M6 at my desk. The last win10 update I got totally screwed up the driver for the XDA-2 snd now, even after reinstalling C-media ASIO and WASAPI HD drivers, it won't/can't see anything beyond 48/24 via USB input. Even tried Schiit's drivers to no avail. All other inputs still read all sample rates, but the USB is broked.

The M6 is tits, though, for the money. I was dead set on investing in a Magni/Modi Schiit stack, but read so may good reviews of the M6 (plus it has a built-in headphone amp, one less AC outlet needed) I took a shot on China. Very satisfied so far. Been about 3 weeks.

I came to the same conclusion with Foobar. It's a good open end player but JRiver is much easier to use and feature rich.

I have a Schiit Bifrost multi-bit DAC and I'm on the waiting list for the Gen 5 upgrade. I've been very happy and I like the fact that Schiit products can be upgraded. I've also read good things about the M6 and for the money it offers a lot. I have a separate headphone amp from Garage1217 so a built-in isn't necessary for my needs. Plus I'll soon be upgrading to a Mapletree Audio tube headphone amp.

 

[Crushgroove]

I came to the same conclusion with Foobar. It's a good open end player but JRiver is much easier to use and feature rich.

I have a Schiit Bifrost multi-bit DAC and I'm on the waiting list for the Gen 5 upgrade.

Very nice!

I have a Schiit Mani phono preamp that I just love.

 

[backbeatcat_rivals376595]

I listen to Amazon Music Unlimited/Vinyl primarily. I listen to vinyl on a fairly nice turntable through a run-of-the-mill Sony amplifier in the man-cave. Amazon through anything...

I had a huge CD collection that I ripped to MP3 and stored up on Google Play -then sold them all to Half Price Books to save space in my house. So, I listen to Google Play for old stuff I have that isn't on Amazon.

Amazon Music is the best deal for my family because four of us can stream unlimited from their HUGE library and download to devices etc. I don't remember how much I pay but it's probably around $15/month with Prime.

Since streaming became ubiquitous I have not given one single poop about OWNING any digital music. I'm happy to borrow it for a few bucks a month. Owning vinyl is really more like an addiction to playing vinyl -not owning the music. I'm not sure that makes any sense.

 

[Crushgroove]

I listen to Amazon Music Unlimited/Vinyl primarily. I listen to vinyl on a fairly nice turntable through a run-of-the-mill Sony amplifier in the man-cave. Amazon through anything...

I had a huge CD collection that I ripped to MP3 and stored up on Google Play -then sold them all to Half Price Books to save space in my house. So, I listen to Google Play for old stuff I have that isn't on Amazon.

Amazon Music is the best deal for my family because four of us can stream unlimited from their HUGE library and download to devices etc. I don't remember how much I pay but it's probably around $15/month with Prime.

Since streaming became ubiquitous I have not given one single poop about OWNING any digital music. I'm happy to borrow it for a few bucks a month. Owning vinyl is really more like an addiction to playing vinyl -not owning the music. I'm not sure that makes any sense.

Interesting. I am a collector by nature. I want the tunes, but I want the stuff, too.

 

[jameslee32]

I like mine with a cold beer.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Interesting. I am a collector by nature. I want the tunes, but I want the stuff, too.

Thought the same. I'm a little young for music collecting as CDs would have been the only thing I grew up with, and even that, Napster hit in the 7th grade and it was over from there.

My parents have a wicked album collection. In the 10's of thousands. I'd probably look at donating them to a Library, school or somewhere that tells me they will make use of it.

.. unless one of those albums is worth like $10k.. That's gonna get hawked, f**k the youth.

 

[Jeff Drummond]

Got too many CDs to count. Best guess, a thousand. Likely another five hundred digital albums I bought from iTunes. I constantly edit playlists on an iPod touch and on my phone. I listen to one or the other probably 8 hours a day.

I was like you with CDs. Probably upwards of 1,000. I pulled out my "essentials" and sold about 800 this summer. Just didn't have room to store a bunch of stuff that I never physically touched anymore. Had 'em all copied to digital format first, though. iTunes cloud is pushing 27K songs now.

 

[Crushgroove]

I was like you with CDs. Probably upwards of 1,000. I pulled out my "essentials" and sold about 800 this summer. Just didn't have room to store a bunch of stuff that I never physically touched anymore. Had 'em all copied to digital format first, though. iTunes cloud is pushing 27K songs now.

In a lot of cases where I can't find a d/l of the digital file I want and in the right format, it's usually cheaper to just buy used CD's off Amazon or Discogs, rip flac/Wav files from them and then resell them than it is to pay for a 44.1/16 d/l anyway. The $4 standard shipping rate is usually more than the actual disc. It's almost always cheaper that way than the MP3 d/l, too. Or just donate them and write them off.

 

[specialkd24_rivals116121]

I wish there was iTunes when I was in high school in the 90s. Would have saved a lot of money.

Still have a thousand or more CD's that generally collect dust. Take my favorites and rip to iTunes and put on my iPhone. I always loved buying a physical CD (you could put it on multiple devices, use in the car, share with other family members) but I've given in and basically only buy digital music now. And I will buy the music of the artists I really like and want to support.

Haven't gone in and a streaming service yet. I'm sure I'll convert eventually.