Hi Kelvin. Just wanted to drop a note to say I hope you're well and also to say thanks for all the entertaining and informative content you've put on this channel.

Completely agree with all of this. Especially the part about accessing your physical media collection being easier. Thanks Kelvin, you are speaking for a generation of audiophiles.

Please let us know if you are alright. We are concerned in light of your extended absence. We all hope that you are well and safe in these turbulent times. Take care and let us know how you are doing. Happy New Year….

I affectionately call streaming music “ADHD listening.” The convenience is fantastic but it’s sometimes hard to find what I really want to listen to. (That’s when I fire up the turntable to limit choice). However, streaming helps a ton with DISCOVERING new music, so there’s room for both media in my listening room.

Enjoy your reviews Its been a few months and looking forward to more videos from you. they are most enjoyable

I had to retrain myself when I started streaming. I was also only listening to tracks instead of albums. Now I’m at the point where I can start an album and put the remote for the streamer down. If it wasn’t for streaming I wouldn’t have discovered a lot of great artists

Hi Kelvin. Not seen your reviews for a while..hope all’s week. Look forward to your next vintage audio review !

Well said! The restaurant menu comparison was spot on.

Miss your videos recently, thanks for all you do!

Please come back Kelvin we miss you

Hi Kelvin..hope that you are safe and well..been looking out for your reviews for some months now. Have to say you’ve been sorely missed! Eagerly waiting for your next review! Thanks

Where are you Kelvin? Missing you buddy…. KZfaq isn’t the same without your videos ❤️

It’s so refreshing to hear someone describe a piece of technology in terms of the associated habits that it has an impact upon. Some of the things you like about the CD player also motivate people who listen to LPs. In both cases they are about slowness and deliberation and this is a very important part of the music listening experience.

How are you doing. it's been a while. Hope you are doing well. Happy Holidays!

Kelvin Been missing your excellent reviews. As you haven't been around for quite a while now and reading some of the other comments we are all concerned for your health. Hope you are keeping well and are just taking a break. Cheers Steve

I have had a Node 2i for about 6 months now. I am very pleased with how it operates and the built in DAC is very good. I use Tidal and Amazon HD as my sources. Both apps are pretty good. Sometimes I find content on one that I don't find on the other. Most of the music I listen to sounds good either with the master version or the standard version, but if I have a choice I will choose the the better recording. I also have a nice turntable, so I listen both analog and digital. There are advantages and disadvantages to both analog and digital. Sometimes it just comes down to convenience when I stream music versus spinning a record. Digital music formats have come a long way over the years and continue to improve. I say listen to music any way you can get it and enjoy the music.

Loved the video and you gave me a good laugh. As someone roughly the same age, I came to exactly the opposite conclusion regarding streamed music. With playlists of my favorite music, this takes all the thinking out of music selection.

Just wishing you Happy Christmas Kelvin. I hope that everything is happy and well with you

Streaming for me has been a revelation. I use Tidal controlled by Roon. I love investigating the new music selections suggested by Roon when your current selection ends and have discovered other similar artists. I enjoy listening to albums new and old and often end up buying the LP or CD. Keith I understand your point about having too many choices but for me it works.

Does anyone know what's happened to Kelvin? I miss his updates. I hope he's okay and has just decided to stop making videos. But I'd be happier if he came back and started making videos again.

Love getting into an album over a playlist any day. Takes a few songs to get into a band's vibe even if there's a track or two you don't really care for. Also, a good album has a sequence that's meaningful in multiple ways.

Kelvin this explanation of Spotify is exactly how I feel, personally I do just the same as you. I love my vinyl and cd collection

Kelvin mate! Where have you gone!? Please try to let us know you are ok if you can?

Kelvin, we have missed you where have you been. Hope you are well.

Noticed you haven't popped up in a while. Hope you are faring well. Cheers.

Kelvin: are you ok? We haven’t heard from you in five months. I hope you are well and not a victim of the dreaded Covid. Look forward to another vid soon 👍🏼

Dear Sir, being forever grateful you helped me out choosing my first seriously beautiful vintage amp (Sansui AU-555A). I love your KZfaq movies explaining (to your opinion) the ins and outs of vintage HiFi. Haven't seen a new movie of you in 4 months though and just wanted to let you know I miss them and hope you're ok. Kind regards from Amsterdam :-)

youtube can be harsh but i miss your videos! keep posting , i will keep watching , i enjoy your trips to the second hand store

Where have you been Kelvin? I really look forward to your reviews. You are the best hifi reviewer on KZfaq.

I'm sticking to listening to my albums and the good old radio from my receiver.I'm glad you're feeding us all these info Kelvin.Thanks

Thanks Kelvin, really enjoy your videos. You inspired me to buy a blue sound node 2i. Pairing it with a 20 yo B&O system and it sounds fantastic

I’m 39. Grew up with vinyl, CD’s MP3’s and now streaming. 95% of my consumption is streaming - I love it. The convenience of not having to get off the sofa, the ability to jump around from artists at ease, the algorithms throwing me similar songs that fit my mood or new songs I otherwise wouldn’t have discovered, plus using the pre-curated playlists based on era, genre etc. Sound Quality for me on the blue sound into a Prima Luna tube amp and the new Wharfedale Linton Heritage sounds great to my ears. The other 5% is vinyl playback which has the intentionality/ritual to it. Some of the higher quality pressings I have are great! I haven’t boughten a CD since around early 2000’s when I was in my 20’s -Probably won’t get back into CD’s.

Been over a month since last video - hope you're ok out there mate!

Great insights and love your genuine presentation. Keep up the good work.

Where are you Kalvin? Missing the videos. Hope all is OK and see you soon.

Kelvin I hope you are keeping well. I'm missing your informative reviews on classic vintage hi fi.

Still hope you’re doing well. I really miss your content. If you’ve retired from KZfaq for now, best wishes!

Personally im not into streaming or SACD or something, I mainly listen from records and CD's. But i just want to say that this is probably the best down to earth HiFi/stereo channel on you tube. Much appreciated Kelvin!

I was slow to make the jump to streaming but am now hooked. I find the quality near CD and love the "juke box" accessibility of picking tunes. I still have my CDs and a few LPS but I find streaming a surprisingly nice alternative.

I miss your content. All the best!

Your observations are spot on. I have the latest Node and I have my favourite artists listed in Room + Tidal and can play 'my picks' continuously from there. I also have vinyl and CD collections that I like to play individually, but I do concede that streaming my favourites without intervening with my music system does have its advantages.

Everything alright Kevin? Realised we've not seen much of you lately

My experience is exactly the opposite. Streaming has broadly expanded my musical horizons. So much so that I bought a Bluesound Vault to store all my CDs. Imagine never having to mess with a jewel case. BTW, I'm a seventy year old Luddite, but I think streamers are the greatest thing since sliced bread. YMMV.

Hi Kelvin - I hope you are well. I'm concerned to be honest. And I'm missing your videos! Such wisdom. This one was spot on. My turntable is the sonic king of my hi-fi, next is my 30 y/o cd player and streaming is last. It does not sound great coming from my Mac. Maybe I need a streamer but my experience was the same as yours. If you can, please let us know that you are ok (If you are). - Matt in Los Angeles

I favor the absolute control that a CD or locally saved file gives me over my music. It will never change (to a subtly different version of the same song) or vanish (due to a licensing dispute). These probably aren’t big issues with audiophile-oriented streaming services (I’ve only tried Tidal, briefly), but they’ve occurred regularly, in my experience, with Spotify-tier services (of which I’ve tried many). Streaming *can* be great for music discovery, but the trade off is that this requires “training” the system with a lot of information (a lot of listening, “likes,” adding things to a “library,” etc.). Once I started using streaming services intermittently (leaning more on my local files), the good recommendations dried up quite a bit.

I think the quality of source material, particularly mastering of albums, is often overlooked in hi fi discussions. People spend years focusing on gear, but what if your system sounds that way because you play badly mastered recordings on it, with jacked up treble and all life sucked out of them due to compression? Take good care of the quality of the music you play and maybe you won't have to spend thousands upon thousands of your hard earned money on amps, cables, DACs... Sure, sometimes you have no choice: you love an album but every version of it is mastered horribly. But a lot of times there are multiple versions with significant variations in mastering, so it's worth putting some effort into tracking down the better ones. Just my two cents.

Kelvin, Great video as always! I look forward to your content. When you use the BlueSound app on your phone, or tablet, it provides playlists based on your Tidal favorites. It will jumble artists and add new artists into the mix. The playlists change daily (I think. I haven’t checked daily). Also, any personal playlists will carry over to the BlueOs app. It’s really quite good for Tidal. Plus, if you have another higher quality Dac, you can digital out to it from the node. As far as quality CD v streaming. I think it depends on the mastering. Many really old CDs I have are plain terrible in terms of sound quality.

Hi Kelvin! I hope you will be back here on KZfaq.

Hello Kelvin, Are you all right? I miss your video's. Nico from The Netherlands

Is Kelvin ok? 4 months since we heard from him ? I, for one hope you are well and are looking forward to 2022 , happy new year !!

Hi Kelvin, hope you're ok? Miss your uploads! Hoping you're just taking a well deserved holiday! Cheers

Merry Christmas Kelvin I hope you and your family are well. You Re missed mate. You got me searching for a pair of Celestion Ditton 44’s. Found a pair in Quebec. Lovely sound goes with my ‘71 Yamaha CR 2020. Keep well my friend hope to hear from you soon, David Ontario viintage guy 75 matching my vintage gear

I always liked your videos, hope you haven't retired from youtube.

Missing your videos! Are you okay?

Kelvin, nails it on the head again. I never remember many of the artists, tracks or album names for the many non-mainstream or one album wonder artists that I like. Going up to the CD shelves and recognising/ remembering the colour of the spine or picture on the front is how I pick what to play. Trying to remember the names and doing a text search is just rubbish, except for the mainstream big names.

Hi Kelvin. I hope this message finds you well? You've not posted anything in a while, I hope you're ok? I (and all your fans globally) really look forward to hearing from you. Take care mate. Lukasz from Poland.

Sending out a message to Kelvin … the HIFI DR … we are out here for you and are waiting for the next upload …☮️

Back in the day we used to get all excited to go to the record shop on Saturday to pick up that record we really fancied!! Meeting friends along the way! Things have sure changed...

Thx Kelvin, you're right in every way, I had the same experience going from Spotify to Tidal. Also I listen more to specific tracks, not so more to whole albums. And things change, it's eventualy the future, streaming. There's a whole generation growing up with it, lol, I'am doing this hobby for 32 years now😅😄. KELVIN KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, THX FROM RALPH.

Glad to read below that you're ok Kelvin, I was concerned like others, especially given the situation recently. I hope to see some new videos from you soon!! Take care.

Weird how we are all different. I burned the cds I wanted and sold them years ago. I love streaming now and won’t go back. I do stream as high a quality as I can to get the best sound. I also love the fact I can find new music to listen to at the touch of a button and saving what I like is so I easy. I still think albums as well as making playlists. So long as I have music I am happy.

Hi Kelvin I absolutely agree with everything you said. Very well put across.

Entertaining . I laughed out loud at the restaurant analogy. It’s true: listening sessions involving a streamer can be a far from relaxing affair , and ultimately unsatisfactory - streaming single tracks and then pondering where to go next. I rarely do this with CDs, and never with a vinyl LP - settling in to listen to the whole set , as the artist intended, and occasionally referencing the liner notes. Streaming reminds me of the saying ‘modern life is rubbish’ .

London calling! Hello Kelvin, we miss you too!!!

I have to say, Kevin, Thank you. I was having trouble articulating my thoughts on the subject. I grew up in a live sound world - Mom sang jazz, and taught music. Dad played anything percussion. Our state-of-the-art was reel to reel, And I traded a good many bootleg recordings. Not really a typical audiophile upbringing as the range of (subjectively) good and bad placement, volumes, and analog then electric varied quite a bit. Quite a bit indeed. My suspicions about recording studios exist to this day, as do my bias after working in the music industry as a "grunt" (AKA: Roadie). That time is gone now, and my daughter really presented streaming as the rescue from my audio desert. (As a side note, I never lived anywhere long enough to amass any sort of recorded collection. I totally missed that boat.) But your spot on, as they say on that side of the pond. Thank you for your kind assistance.

A few thoughts. First, why not take your existing cd’s and rip them to a hard drive with a lossless format? I believe that would result in effectively the same quality without having to load a disc all the time. The node 2i is able to attach an ssd or hard drive to it. Second, while I do agree to some degree on the preponderance of listening to tracks instead of whole albums (and I’m mostly a phono person at this point), I’ve taken my whole jazz collection and ripped it and find myself listening to more whole jazz albums these days through the streamer (I have the NAD M33). The blueos app has also turned me onto some albums I haven’t heard before or forgot about over the years. Anyway - overall a really good analysis.

Hi Kevin, where are you ? hope everything is ok . regards Symon Australia

Hey what happened to this channel no video in 4 months

Where did he go?I miss his videos.

Hello Kelvin, miss your reviews buddy, hope you are well 👍 Picking up a pair of Rogers Ls7t tomorrow and remembered you did a video on them ❤️

Hey Kelvin, are you okay? Been a while since you uploaded

Not seen any new videos for a while , trust you are well ?

Where you at Calvin...

Man 11 months, are you okay ?

Checking back in and wishing you all the best.

Kelvin as always great review. I have not seen any new reviews from you in a little while hope all ok. Maybe you are just listening and enjoying. Hope so.

Another great review and thank you Kelvin 😊 you inspired me to give a wiim pro plus a go which I now use running optical into a Benchmark DAC1 HDR as the Dac great sound as you say not quite top CD i use an MF A5 CDP retail £2500 I think back in the day and then amp Yamaha CA1000 onto Klipsch quartets so like you I’m more of a vintage guy , I use Qobuz which is all cd plus quality I understand and it’s very acceptable for streaming stuff I might buy as vinyl or cd or indeed might just be curious about so once again thank you and keep well

Long time no see, are you ok?

Fair play Kelvin for at least giving the Bluesound a decent try. I have a different opinion of streaming and chose Qobuz over Tidal but agree with your views of Spotify. The interface and integration of Qobuz into the bluesound os is very good and makes use a pleasure. I actually find myself listening to a bigger variety of music than before. The flawless two way bluetooth in the Node2i make it an invaluable swiss army knife of a product.

The restaurant menu analogy at 8:35 is an absolute gem 😀

I've got a Node 2i in my bedroom system. Like it alot. I had Tidal, I changed to Qobuz because, a) it is much cheaper. b) I don't like being lied to by Tidal that MQA is a lossless master file when it is not. Node 2i feeds a Naim 5i integrated and a pair of Focal Chora 806. The only tweak I've made is to get a good mains cable. Using favourites, I have the same stuff saved on Qobuz as my LP's and CD's and the playlists are also very good in many cases.

Great points Kelvin. I often use the restaurant analogy, but the “menu” is only meals you love, so it’s just what you’re feeling like in the moment. Seriously though, I use Tidal for portable music and to find albums. If a reviewer mentions a track they like, I’ll pause the review to listen to it so I can relate to the review more closely. Also, for all it’s a pain to navigate, it does throw up some surprising suggestions and I’ve ended up buying music I’d never heard of previously.

Thanks Kelvin -- I am old school and I have had the earlier NODE which I sold a few months ago.. I have a great collection of CDs and Vinyl going back to the 1970s and 1980s and I continue to buy these formats -- mostly Bandcamp to help support artists. I have Apple Music and Spotify accounts which I find very handy for reference purposes or when I am mobile/traveling. I am on the fence with the NODE and currently in the process of an upgrade to my Amp ( Rega Elicit ticks a lot of boxes for me and I have had a few demos with it - ) but I will never walk away from CDs.. greetings from Ireland

Kelvin, where have you been?

Hi Kevin-missing your reviews in New Zealand . Anymore likely in the near future? Hope all is well

Hope all is well and looking forward to your next review. Cheers from Australia.

Best thing about the node is the way it can send a 12v trigger signal to wake your amp and you have something that’s still just about audiophile quality at the convenience and speed of a Sonos I.e. where you don’t have to touch anything to start it up. You can even use an Alexa or Siri shortcut if you can’t be bothered to wake your smartphone

Hi Kelvin.You have not downloaded any recent video.Hope you're going to , soon.Stay safe.God bless.

Are you OK Kelvin?

You have got to RESPECT Kelvins HONESTY AND KNOWLEDGE… it’s invaluable… especially in the day and age of pay me pay me pay me … QUALITY AS ALWAYS …. Keep up the good work Kelvin … 👍HAPPY DAYS 👌

I have a Bluesound Node 2i playing through a Linn Classik Hi-Fi with Monitor Audio RA 7 speakers. But I am using an Alexa Dot to request the songs or albums, through Amazon Music UHD, which eliminates needing to use a screen (phone or tablet) to pick my music from over 50 million songs, which works really well. I would love to see you try out and review that option, Kelvin. Thanks for the Videos, I really look forward to them, as a former fellow 70s Hi-Fi addict.

Hey Kelvin, you know you and your videos have been missed around the world, do you? Hope you’re keeping well and be great if you were back here sooner rather than later! All bests

During the past two years, I got back into music and a modern stereo system, amp, pre-amp, DAC, and music streamer and have never looked back. Streaming is a wonderful way to learn about new musicians and bands from around the world. I’m retired, and love the new technology you just have to embrace it and you will be amazed how your selection and genre of music expands exponentially.

Kelvin you've absolutely nailed it with this review. My preference in the home is to skim through a few vinyl albums decide put it on and listen to it from start to finish. I may but not often, play one side and move on to another Album. I cannot be arsed to spend hours making playlists. I find streaming interesting but I am simply not engaged in a way that I am when I play my vinyl. I have dabbled with streamers and borrowed a few so am trying to decide whether to get a streamer/ Dac or just invest in a really good tube based CD player. At this time I'm leaning more toward a CD player as streamers and the whole interaction is tedious and tiring especially after spending a whole day in front of a couple of screens, spending more time in front of a touch screen or phone screen is not what I want. I also didn't like the variability of sound quality. Just when you thought ok this is quite good, you are then confronted by an album that should sound great but sounds absolutely flat. It's a real turn off.

Hello Kelvin Hope your OK not seen a video for a wile and was thinking hope your keeping safe and well

Hi. You continue to give invaluable advice Mr K. Would it be possible to do another valve amp presentation please! There are loads out there but I find you are v good, honest, likeable etc etc 👍

I've really enjoyed your channel! I have an old Marantz receiver, Technics turntable, KLH speakers, and Klipsch subwoofer. You've been extremely helpful in teaching me to hear quality audio. I was wondering if you would share some of your personal favorites when it comes to nice-sounding albums? If you ever did any videos on the subject you would have my vote. Thank you for all this great content.

Tidal in reimburses the artist at a much higher rate than any other streaming service. Keep that in mind. They don’t get much to begin with from streaming so it’s best to get them the most they can get.

I have all my CDs in several bags for more than a one year and I'm still wondering what to do with them..... I currently stream all day long, although a I have a higher level streamer a dedicated very good dac. but I totally follow you when you say about too many options can be overwhelming, the screens thing and the simplicity of just playing a cd from beginning to end (even if you can also do it with the streamer, this is not the typical usage). cheers!

You might want to try and add an external DAC to the Node - if it's a good DAC I bet there will be improvement. But at the end of the day, mastering will always trump format. Not much you can do when the source is mp3 or hyper compressed mastering.