Anyone still buy physical music?

[80sTone]

Just curious if anyone else out is still buying CD/Vinyl/cassette/etc or is everyone gone with digital and streaming? I have no desire to go with having a digital collection, and although it takes up more space and requires extra storage furniture, when I want to add music to my library I will find a way to get a physical copy of the music (CDs are my poison) instead of just adding it to a streaming subscription or app or YouTube. Don't get me wrong I do use those sites/apps as a free way to listen to music, and sometimes discover new bands, but when I like something, my instinct is to go and get it. Having something that physically takes up space is like an internal connection to owning and investing in the music that I like and want to support. If the power went off, I'd still have a killer music collection, ya know? (Granted no way to play it, but that's not the point).

Curious to know what other forum members here think, as the gear we're obsessed with enough to join a forum about is much in a similar world where tube amps are these physical things that take up real space, but there's so much of a modeling approach where you can "have it all" but when you look around the room, where's the Plexi or JCM800 or 4x12 cab?

There's an easier way to "have it" - but what do you really have?

I not only still buy physical music I love to read the liner notes and artwork (although both are declining somewhat now in the newer physical forms)

 

[Dogs of Doom]

Actually... if you go to Amazon music, you can download some really good quality MP3's for about 99 cents apiece.

Better yet, just install Audacity, which is freeware, then find a YouTube video of the song you want in high quality, record it in real time, then export it to MP3 at a really high bandwidth.

But I didn't say that.

it's still low quality & causes ear fatigue...

I know all about music files & what's what. I can create a higher quality mp3 than they'll ever give you on Amazon, or youtube. It still obliterates the frequencies & tries to "fix" it by creating false harmonics to fill in the gaps, using psycho-acoustics, which makes the treble harsh & highly compressed.

here's an example:


the green is a full wav graph, from a sample, that I digitized from an LP. The wav file was digitized at 192kHz/32bit. Note that the graph goes from 0Hz to 100kHz. All natural frequencies are present. mp3 obliterates all frequencies above around 15kHz & plays funky artifacting up to the CD compliant range (around 21kHz).

Now, I took that same file & created a CD compliant wave form:

In this, note that the freq graph only goes up to 22kHz, & the wave is cut short before the 22k mark.

Now, I further went & created an mp3 from this same file:


in this sample, it shows a slope downward, starting at right around 15k & severe artifacting at around 16k & obliteration by 17k... you can see remnants up to about 22k, but that's all harsh compressed noise...

Amazon & youtube won't even be this good of quality...

Once you get used to hearing higher quality wav files, like, say 96kHz/24bit, & you hear a CD, you wonder where the fidelity went. It's like they took the life out of it...

But, lossy / mp3 is just awful...

 

[Gunner64]

R.I.P. View attachment 122024

There's one Olivia record that's worth thousands. A version of the Xanadu soundtrack.

 

[ricksdisconnected]

over 5k in cd's here myself. i'll buy them as i dont like
not having a hard copy of my movies, videos, or cd's

 

[JeffMcLeod]

iTunes and YouTube when I'm at home, CD's (and radio) in the car.

I've made all my own CD's from MP3's. Most of them aren't a single artist, but a mish-mash of individual songs I felt like listening to in the car at that time. I make sure I create an MP3 file of every song in order to have a 'physical' copy of it if I need to reproduce it.

I bought a Black Sabbath Master of Reality CD several years ago (probably for ripping a song I couldn't find) but other than that, I'm not sure I own a 'real' CD. If I do, no clue where or even what it is.

Like most others on here, I have a cherished collection of albums (from the 60's, 70's, 80's) but nothing to play them on. Today's files...MP3 or other...would sound far better than old scratchy albums that hop/skip/& jump like crazy anyway. Not too mention at this point they're pretty much irreplaceable.

 

[johnny q]

I still do, but I have gotten much better at embracing streaming and 24 Bit files.

Physical media: I still purchase and listen to vinyl records. The only compact discs I purchase are Super Deluxe box sets and anything that is not available as a digital file (e.g. collectors labels etc.)

Streaming and Files: I subscribe to Qobuz Studio and the sound is fabulous. I also have gigabytes of 24 bit files. I stream and play my files through a high quality DAC which is attached to my main 2.1 stereo system.

 

[circles]

I have not bought physical media in decades, however, last week I bought a used James Taylor Christmas CD while shopping in the thrift store.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I find it easy in the car to throw some tunes on a USB stick. Hardly the best listening environment, it doesn't make much diff there even with a good system.
My ears cut drastically at around 12k anyhow so I likely wouldn't hear it.
We still play CDs tho....

 

[kysrsoze]

I stream Tidal all the time in the car, and occasionally at home, but I love hifi and still buy CD's/vinyl. I prefer vinyl, mainly because i like the physical form, and i'm more likely to sit down and pay attention while listening. But it's ridiculously expensive these days, and sometimes I'll just buy a CD instead because they are so much cheaper, new and used. If you've got a good enough system, it is really hard to argue whether CD's or vinyl sound better. Some CD's sound better than the vinyl version, based on how they master and vinyl pressing. I'd say vinyl is a little warmer, but CD's can have better imaging/depth. They can both sound incredible.

BTW - if you're worried about being able to hear good sound reproduction from 15Khz up to 20Khz, you needn't worry. There's very little usable sound information at that level, and if you're over 40, you most likely can't hear anything in that range. If you're over 50, or have listened to a lot of loud music over the years and cranked your amps too much, you've lost even more. You can visit this page to see how much frequency you've lost:

High Frequency Hearing Loss | Decibel Hearing Services

(805) 449-2380 | Some sounds can be affected sooner than others. Learn about high-frequency hearing loss here.

decibelhearing.com

 

[Gunner64]

I must be lucky. I'm 58 and my hearing is so picky I can hear everything. Highs, lows, the effects of different stylus pressures and speaker placement, the subtle difference in preamp tubes in a high fidelity setting...everything..I hear like a deer..lol

Strange because I spent plenty of time to the right of a hard hitting drummer, and played Loud ass Marshalls since 1982, and have always liked the volume high on the stereos.

I'm grateful for my hearing.

Now my eyesight.. don't tell anyone but sometimes I use them little drugstore reading glasses to view the forum.

 

[Calebz]

Nope. No space for it. No patience for transporting it.

I almost never listen to music at home unless it's something I'm working on. 99% of my listening happens in the car or while I'm walking. A massive vinyl collection isn't very practical for my purposes.

 

[Whatwhatringrang]

Interesting above with the graphs . Just reading everyone’s comments on there thing. Yes being next to drummers as well as horn player definitely hits the little hairs in the ear hole.

I personally feel listening to music thru ear buds with like i type device to be much harder on the ears than a analog playback system. I can listen for many more hours at what seems to much louder volume and not get what YouTube and headphones leave me at. Nice to have both around .

My one music player requires a van to transport lol. Not bad for basically free minus time ,caps,time for refurbishing it . Took a few months of my time . There Was not much wrong with it and has amazing radio (I do not listen to radio much though). Still perfect alignment. It is nice to have space however lol. For 15 or so watts per side give or take . It really can shake the walls. Has all old alnico Jensens in it but I prefer with more modern speaker when listening to records.

 

[FutureProf88]

I buy CD's and vinyl fairly regularly.

 

[MickeyS]

Cd's once in awhile, with the download, but I've purchased more vinyl than anything over the past 10 years or so. Listening to vinyl is a more focused, enjoyable time for me. It takes me back, I listen to the whole album front to back, take that audio journey and listen more closely. It's amazing to me how great the production was on many of those old records.

 

[Holme]

Mainly CD's these days (old car) still have a record player upstairs so occasionally buy vinyl but my biggest surprise was my son (partly down to Guardians of the Galaxy) whom wanted a Walkman for Christmas a while back - which then led to a boombox!
You can still buy new cassette tapes & they've started making them again!
So just lately I've bought all three!

 

[Whatwhatringrang]

Mainly CD's these days (old car) still have a record player upstairs so occasionally buy vinyl but my biggest surprise was my son (partly down to Guardians of the Galaxy) whom wanted a Walkman for Christmas a while back - which then led to a boombox!
You can still buy new cassette tapes & they've started making them again!
So just lately I've bought all three!

I did not know about them still making cassettes tapes new. I have a boatload of tapes lol. When new and working I always really liked they way they sound. Just operating a tape player learning song with the rewind button Lol. Walkmans !! Kids now probably have not even seen cassettes which is strange to me in a way.

It was Great way to personally share bootlegs of live bands with other people in person . I feel that element as well as just record/music stores has disappeared in person for the most part.

I also like getting cd’s from library but newer much into burner cds like tape decks.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

for me, the answer to that question is a mixed bag... for the past 35+ years, I've been buying CD's obsessively. I still do in fact, (I bought 2 or 3 this year alone), however... I am WAY more picky these days, only because my CD collection has swelled to around 1,300 - 1,400 or so. I am currently in the process of getting rid of a small portion of my collection (at least a few hundred), just to make more room in my home. it seems like there are CD's in half of the rooms of my house... my wife hates it... LoL... so, yeah, its gotten a little bit out of hand... on the flip side of that, I have been buying a lot more vinyl than I ever have. right now, I only have about 60 to 70 currently in my record collection.

 

[Seven]

The short answer is, yes.

I gave my vinyl record collection and turntable to my son and probably won't go that direction anymore, but will always prefer vinyl. I do occasionally purchase remastered CD's for the commute, but rarely listen to music at home.

Streaming is still nothing to write home about and I refuse to pay for it until is sounds better and isn't a royal pain in ass to listen to what I want and not what the algorithm wants. (Looking at you Spotify).

When I'm home and motivated to do music, I make my own. Listening to music can be problematic when writing music. Brain worms have a tendency to slip into the writing process and wreck it.

 

[Jimi-C]

Just curious if anyone else out is still buying CD/Vinyl/cassette/etc or is everyone gone with digital and streaming? I have no desire to go with having a digital collection, and although it takes up more space and requires extra storage furniture, when I want to add music to my library I will find a way to get a physical copy of the music (CDs are my poison) instead of just adding it to a streaming subscription or app or YouTube. Don't get me wrong I do use those sites/apps as a free way to listen to music, and sometimes discover new bands, but when I like something, my instinct is to go and get it. Having something that physically takes up space is like an internal connection to owning and investing in the music that I like and want to support. If the power went off, I'd still have a killer music collection, ya know? (Granted no way to play it, but that's not the point).

Curious to know what other forum members here think, as the gear we're obsessed with enough to join a forum about is much in a similar world where tube amps are these physical things that take up real space, but there's so much of a modeling approach where you can "have it all" but when you look around the room, where's the Plexi or JCM800 or 4x12 cab?

There's an easier way to "have it" - but what do you really have?

I still buy albums , cds if I can't get the album , and digital download if I can't find those. Just bought Aqua Lung( Jethro Tull ) , House of the holy , zeppelin III ( Led Zepplin ) and Crash Landing ( Hendrix ) on ebay , almost mint condition and less than 20 bucks each .

 

[Gutch220]

I do.
and just because it's a physical copy doesn't mean you can't put it on endless devices. I just like to physically own it rather than needing to maintain a subscription or something and/or download everything to a hard drive. Plus I can support the artist, and sometimes get the artwork or booklet.
Most people today don't buy physical music because music nowadays has become disposable. It's popular for a few weeks then disappears. People are more passive listeners today. But if you really like music you'll want to own the catalogue.