I stick to streaming 100%... Not because I think it is the best format for me, but because of budget constraints... I don't have the money to use multiple formats/sources, optimize them to a satisfactory level and pay for the 'software' costs... Instead I try to optimize my streaming setup within the constraints of my budget... (and am happy with what I manage to achieve ;-))

I think you nailed it - each format has advantages and disadvantages. I've got all 4 too, but don't use cassettes any more, love vinyl the most, then streaming for the ability to put playlists together, download CD quality to phone and for discovering new music. I hardly play CD's now, but do have a transport for when the mood takes me. Vinyl will always be my source of choice if I had to choose one.

I applaud your openminded approach to music formats. Embracing the benefit of high quality sound regardless of format is, in my opinion, the best way. But I suppose our stubbornness to welcome other formats is equal to our stubbornness to embrace other musical genres or the equipment we use to listen to it all with.

Very interesting, I still love all my old Minidisc s and my recordable Sony minidisc , sounds fantastic

🤗👍 PAUL…WE LOVE ❤️ YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND KNOWLEDGE…WE HAVE LIVED THROUGH ALL THE FORMATS AND YOU DESCRIBED THEM PRETTY WELL…BUT….and there are buts ..losing a vinyl because it’s scratched…having your favorite cassette (that you can’t replace) or your cassette get damaged by the ☀️ sun …it’s heartbreaking 💔…so far I have about 400 CDS 💿 and I have lost a few 🥹 but it’s easy to use them…and streaming is great 👍 with APPLE MUSIC QUALITY AND CONVENIENCE…AND with my system I can hear 👂 the details and I enjoy the different types of media.. and people like you have enabled us to enjoy them and you do all the work 🤗😎👍…which for you is NOT WORK AT ALL... but A JOY .. AND IT REALLY GREAT YOU CAN ENJOY IT ALL,110 %at your convenience 👊👊 🤗💚💚💚

i like every format,because each one gives me the satisfaction to listen music. i got cassettes or cds that sounds better than the same album on vinyl,i got sacd that sounds horrible and some amazing,i got mofi one step records who sounds suberb, and some not. so for me i enjoy music ,and my high end stereo system helps me with that.

I got lucky and procured 100 blank mofi gold cdrs. That with the auralic enhancer(thanks to your video on it) significantly improves the cd sound. I do have a much more pricier vinyl setup but I tend to listen to both equally. Though with my gold cdr I get the fast rhythm of cd with smooth and rounded highs and lows.

You are absolutely right! It's about what works best for YOU the listener, your ears, your room and your equipment and choice of format at any given moment. You are 100% correct when it comes to the official pre recorded cassette version of an album- they have always been terrible and quite frankly lo-fi. I started my vinyl collection as a kid back in the early 70s buying 45s with my pocket money and like loads of kids I recorded the UK Top 30 on a Sunday afternoon from the BBC Radio2 FM broadcast. Cassette was a terrific format for its time and opened up a whole host of opportunities. Me and my best friend used to record our own "radio show" using 2 turntables a home made rudimentary mixer and mic into a cassette player- we had hours of fun! Of course tape snafu's were fairly common and I remember spending ages spooling tangled tape back into the cartridge and cutting and splicing defects. The emotional investment in building your personalised system and collecting music in whatever format is therapeutic - almost equal to the ritual of listening to the music whether on the go or active listening at home. Love your channel

A cassette deck with dbx noise reduction beats vinyl and equals cd for dynamic range.

Greetings from your neighbor in the Willamette Valley, beautiful weekend we’re having in the Northwest. Have you considered reel to reel as a format you’re interested in? I appreciate your opinion on the formats, I think you nailed it, they each have their benefits and downfalls. My personal favorite is SACD, as long as the source material was mixed and mastered properly.

Great video! Thanks for a great tour of your system, and your thoughts on formats. - I grew up with vinyl and cassettes, but I was always bothered with the cassette either degrading over time and/or the occasional, and much feared cassette-spaghetti. - Then the CD entered and I got pretty excited about that format. After years of collecting I’ve got 10Ks of CDs, but only 1K of vinyl. But I’ve never stoped playing my LPs. I really love them, and has just one instance of actual dammage to an LP. Still after I got my PS Audio PW transport and the PS Audio DS Dac, my CDs and (about 1K of SACDs) has got a new life. I sold my Electrocompaniet CD 1 Up for a (tube output stage) AMR CD-777SE and never regretted that. So for me CDs and LPs, because I buy a lot direct from the musicians and/or the record company, and I really love to hold the physical formats, read through them, get them autographed or with concert tickets layed in the sleeves. Also I sometimes take notes on the performances and put them into the CD-booklets or LP-skeves. Makes it fun to revisit the recordings over and over. - Take care, and I’m looking forward to the surprise you have waiting for us.

Wonder if you ever recorded from vinyl to your cassette? Of course, it will transfer all those pop ups / clicks, but just for the fun and experiment reason. Vinyl, if done right, not compressed as CD, more even when you have HQ AAA recordings. Most modern pressed vinyl are digital remastered and thats where the expirience of mastering engineer is crusual. Besides, quality of used digital file to cut the lacquer is also very important. But to leave all this talk behind, agree, cassette and of course tapes, has that organic, natural and silky touch that other formats are missing, which you obviously like at most. In the past in my young years we used to recording vinyl to cassettes and it was pretty great.

Great vid, thanks. Vinyl is treated like an instrument because it is an instrument. Without the love you wouldn't be driven to do the care. I do CD, Vinyl and stream from my phone straight to my preamp. CD via coaxial to my Michi P5 is seriously good. Vinyl is also amazing but smoother.

for me, I want to go down the reel to reel or DAT format wormhole...for CDs and Cassettes, I had a gigantic collection that I lost years back and I dont want to sink funds into rebuilding that format all over again. I rather sink that money into more gear in my chain, though I'd like too. And you are a real one...I also am a fan of deep and soulful house, along with Acid Jazz...thats a great late night vibe with a good cigar and rum at night! Cheers from a fellow PNW audiophile bro.

Hi Paul 👋 I'm using a vintage krell MD 10 cd transport, it has jaw dropping dynamics, the noise floor is ridiculously low,it's 25 years old and still ticking, I think cd is the best format for me,also you forgot to mention reel to reel master tape,take care and happy listening 🎶

CDs for me: - cheap and convenient, especially compared to vinyl - great sound compared to streaming, even tidal hifi is a considerably worse compared to it on my setup - still get something physical with liner notes, lyrics, art, photos

I rarely listen to vinyl or cassette anymore.

You have to spend a lot of money on vinyl to get good sound compared to streaming and a dac

There is no "cd enhancer". There is no "digital glare." There's probably some added compression when you transfer from a cd to a cassette. You said you don't like factory made cassettes so you're taking recordings from Lp or cd. I did notice the cassettes I made off of the radio sounded better than store bought cassettes. Compression from FM radio was the reason as the instruments moved to the front and their virtually no fade. There's a reason why engineers and broadcasters use compression and gain. Think of it not as chopping off the highs and chopping off the lows but as highlighting those spots in between where the music lays.

No, they are both great and both different . Apples vs Oranges

Ringmats are great for "improving" the sound of virtually any turntable, BUT, they work by adding distortion !! That's the problem with all vinyl rigs, they're simply not accurate. Great fun, but not accurate. Then there's the differences in mastering between the different formats to take into consideration. Admitedly, vinyl is often mastered by guys who really know what they're doing as opposed to the "slap it on", it'll play just fine, guys.

Nakamichi the best

Good video! I think u might to consider sound acoustic panels too. Your voice too echoey in the video

quick question - I am thinking of getting into cassette after watching your latest videos on it. Any reason why you would keep your CD player (besides only for making cassettes) if the cassette is more musical? Or do you think you need both as they sound great but in a different way? Thanks!

What about playing the song in your head :)

Are you talking about reel to reel cassette