[peterpa]

I am a relic from the '50's & '60's in the UK when I built my first stereo vacuum tube amplifiers using two steel self-made chasses with hefty output transformers and heater transformers for the tubes. I made the tone arm from aluminum tube and fitted Ortofon cartridges. I bought electrostatic speakers made by an ex-BBC sound engineer because I couldn't afford the “best” electrostatics ("Quad" in those days in the UK).
So I have a collection of LPs and CDs and now I have a system I bought in 2018 for $7000 in Maryland, and it is excellent by my standards.
My question is what is the best way to get HiFi classical music now? I suspect it is by streaming or on-line download. What app and what device is required? The input to my sound system is via a preamp and its only spare input is a second optical input. I may have to sacrifice something. I am completely naive as to modern HiFi methods. Please understand that I'm not even sure what streaming is.

[GeorgeAb]

Peter,

Lets talk about streaming and our digital music playback. A iphone or Android is a simple playback device. At its core it is a computer and interface that allows you to select the music you have loaded into it for playback, or you can stream with applications such as youtube, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Spotify, etc. Some of these aps are a subscription service. One of my dearest friends who is also a vintage relic has a $20K integrated amplifier and he uses a iphone for playback and is happy. Now from the simplest example of an iphone we can repurpose a computer to also playback using those apps or our own music stored in memory. Those devices usually do not have the most sophisticated digital to analog (DAC) converters and we have to get up to select the music we want. We could use these computers to send the information out to a DAC which would then be fed into our system. Streamers are essentially a computer that we interface with using our computer or ipad or iphone or android device to control (select music, etc.) so we do not have to get up. They can access our music we have ripped from our CD’s and put into a memory device or stream pretty much any music that is out there. Some come with a DAC built in and others are meant to be used with an external DAC. There are some inexpensive streamers that are a good starting point. Below is a youtube tutorial to get you started on understanding streaming. That is followed by some examples of streamers from inexpensive to expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAWYFysbD_Q

Article on inexpensive streamers. https://hifitrends.com/2023/03/23/5-best-music-streamers-under-500-audiophile-sound-on-a-budget/

Steve Guttenberg on the Bluesound Node https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F31RAuvik8g

The Bluesound Node is is a popular streamer that has optical output. https://www.bluesound.com/products/node/

Used prices in UK: https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=bluesound+node

https://www.themasterswitch.com/best-music-streamers

[GeorgeAb]

If this was posted in the "discless circle" it would get a lot more input. https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=133.0

[Doublej]

What audio equipment are you using and what computer do you have? I think the simplest was to explore streaming is to connect an existing computer to your audio system. The very low cost way of doing this is with a headphone (3.5mm) to RCA cable. The 3.5mm plug goes into the headphone jack on the computer and the RCA plugs go into one of the non-phono inputs of your audio system.

Then you decide where you want to source your music from. Apple, Tidal, Spotify, Quobuz, Amazon are some of the sources for music. You create an account (some have free and/or trial options), pick your music, press play and music comes out your audio system.