… so, Roon has changed my attitude towards digital music and I am now actually enjoying it. Vinyl is still my favorite medium but I have to admit playing digital via Roon (ripped CDs or even Tidal) is fun.
I still find Vinyl to be superior on my big analog deck… but HD Tracks do come close.
This brings me to a point where I have to decide whether to buy new albums (or old ones I only have on CD for that matter) on Vinyl or HD… latest decision I am battling with is Sonic Youths Dirty… I own the CD - ripped and original… now what… get the Vinyl remastered 180G pressing or go for the 192kHz/24bit digital version…
… anyone else living with the best of both worlds?
Some of the newer vinyl releases are digitally remastered anyway, so I go for the HD digital version in that case. Other times I get the vinyl as well because it comes with new physical artwork or a book.
When I end up with multiples, the CD is categorized as a version in Roon, played when I feel like demonstrating the differences in sound.
Generally, I find the vinyl released by Analog Productions or MoFi to be superb. Same goes for Classic Records (if you can find them), ORG and some others. For old analog recordings, I think this is the only way to go. For recent digitally recorded stuff, hi-res digital is the best way. Well done analogue is often still better than normal (44.1/16) digital even if recorded digitally - as an example, try Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat on CD vs LP.
The Mofi 1 step are out of this world - at a price !
Nothing beats a great vinyl collection to me… but I have to admit that before Roon I was close to abandon digital music completely… only thing that kept me from doing so was that some releases are/were only available in digital form.
Roon is actually the perfect digital counter part to my love for analog…
I feel like I have been battling this dilemma for ages … But I must admit that hi-res digital has been dominating my critical listening of late - and yes - Roon makes it SO EASY.
My current thinking is that I will only buy hi-res downloads or high quality vinyl unless a desired album is only available on CD (and then a quick rip). No more spinning CDs, no more searching the used vinyl bins. I have to admit that my hi-res download acquisitions have been far outweighing my vinyl purchases as well. Some of that is simply due to space restrictions, but I must admit that I find the process of listening via Roon to be extremely engaging without the occasional distraction of vinyl pops and ticks and the belief that a quick cleaning might just make it sound better.
But this dinosaur is still a collector and I have not gone over to the hi-res streaming dark-side of Tidal or similar other than to use it to find new music.
I have pretty much only been buying vinyl. Streaming from TIDAL is now the main way i consume new releases. I try to only buy vinyl that is all analog or I have an emotion nail connection to where the vinyl itself is part of the experience.
I actually bought a Hi Res file opposed to Vinyl the first time today (and what a hard decision it was)… I think I will go both ways in the future. Also I find myself buying used CDs more and more and just ripping them via DB Poweramp.
I really really hate the thought of not owning my music but just renting it - I only use Tidal for listening into stuff.
When it`s good, I start looking for a decent vinyl pressing (yes - 4 the love of the hobby and as music enthusiast, a big vinyl collection has so much heart and soul)… but sometimes a hi res file can actually be superior (as I have recently found out - it really is a question of different mastering in many occasions).
If it not available on vinyl or HD - I try to find a bargain on the used CD market and just rip it.
Roon makes the digital experience so much more engaging 4 me than any CDP ever could in the past.
