Do you stream hi-res music or download hi-res tracks? We want your opinions

What Hi-Fi? · May 1, 2025

Welcome to another instalment of our monthly Ask the Reader column, where we ask our readers for their input on a key topic of discussion.

In this month's discussion, we want to know how you listen to high-resolution music in your home hi-fi set-up. We're talking higher than CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) files, meaning digital files that are in 24-bit quality, going up to 192kHz, as well as DSD files.

It was the case only a few years ago that if you wanted to stream your favourite albums in hi-res quality, then you'd have to buy and download the album from sites such as HDTracks, 7Digital, Qobuz or NativeDSD, store them on a server, hard drive or on your laptop, and then use a hi-res streamer (or network audio player) that could stream those files over your home network and wi-fi.

Do you stream hi-res music or download hi-res tracks? We want your opinions : Read more

michael hoy · May 2, 2025

For me it is internal streaming, I download the album or track to my Server / NAS and stream to my Linn streamer.
I don't use any of the streaming sites to stream music.

busb · May 2, 2025

Until a couple of years ago, I'd say that streaming was my favourite option - renting rather than buying. Using iTunes has enabled me to locally cache a huge amount of music including classical & individual songs.
However, differences in SQ aside, dozens of tracks &/or whole albums suddenly become unavailable, despite d/ling them. "This song is no longer available in your region." Others maybe able to explain the why's but there's no technical reason music can't effectively be available for ever - you don't need to make another batch of CDs or LPs!
If I "buy" music, I don't own it but do have the right to listen to it - you don't get home to find some CDs or LPs are missing.
I do agree that equitable payment needs to be sorted out but politics seems to be intervening. I'd say to anyone thinking of streaming: be aware that your favourite music may suddenly be unavailable!

michael hoy · May 2, 2025

busb said:
Until a couple of years ago, I'd say that streaming was my favourite option - renting rather than buying. Using iTunes has enabled me to locally cache a huge amount of music including classical & individual songs.
However, differences in SQ aside, dozens of tracks &/or whole albums suddenly become unavailable, despite d/ling them. "This song is no longer available in your region." Others maybe able to explain the why's but there's no technical reason music can't effectively be available for ever - you don't need to make another batch of CDs or LPs!
If I "buy" music, I don't own it but do have the right to listen to it - you don't get home to find some CDs or LPs are missing.
I do agree that equitable payment needs to be sorted out but politics seems to be intervening. I'd say to anyone thinking of streaming: be aware that your favourite music may suddenly be unavailable!

That is why i do what i do with my music. It won't disappear (unless i delete it of course 🙂

mavplace64 · May 3, 2025

I grew up in the age of Vinyl, then converted to cd and have returned to vinyl about 15 years ago. So vinyl is my main source for music purchases and preferred way to listen to music. About 4 years ago I set up a streaming system with a streamer and dac using Tidal and Qobuz, this I use only really to discover new music but still stream at the highest quality I can. Storing and purchasing downloads has never interested me as there is no emotional involvement for me. Maybe being of a certain age and listening to an album rather than individual tracks means streaming and downloading will never be for me.

hootywwfc · May 4, 2025

Both. I purchase, mainly from Bandcamp, and stream via Tidal.

DREADZONE · May 13, 2025

I stream via Amazon Music Unlimited using the Alexa app; would not be without it now.

Kenneth Fernandes · May 21, 2025

I want to download Hi-Res albums to a built-in SSD storage on a Streaming Amplifier like the Cambridge Audio Evo 150's successor.
And purchase them through an online personal cloud account of the amplifier manufacturer's unique application with a rich user interface to search and download Hi-Res albums locally on the SSD storage. So, the files can be accessed everywhere on the internet, but can redownload the files only on the secure and encrypted installed hardware.

Cork · Sunday at 9:09 PM

I listen to hi-res for music that I think was well recorded, typically music recorded relatively recently. I like to own the music, so I purchase CDs for non-hi-res and primarily use HDTracks for hi-res (occasionally I use Bandcamp). FWIW, I'm very happy with HDTracks because I *am* an older listener who likes jazz, classical and "dad rock". I like to listen to an album once before I purchase it, so I use Tidal to check out albums; I listen to Tidal's hi-res version if one's available.

Not really part of the thread's qquestion, but I store my music on a NAS drive and stream it either through my Yamaha receivers' MusicCast or using Plex/Jellyfin.

Joe_Christmas · Tuesday at 7:48 PM

I mostly listen to hi-res music streamed online through the Bluesound ecosystem - mostly Tidal, though I have a Zen Innous for all my old CDs. I don't download from Tidal/Spotify and have never really had an issue with disappearing tracks or albums - I mostly listen to jazz/folk/americana.

A game-changer for me was Roon which allows for the proper integration of both my sources - being able to create a playlist from a mixture of Tidal and my own CDs is tremendous and its player functionality is significantly better than Tidal, Spotify and Bluesound.

I do miss Spotify recommendations which are light years better than both Tidal and Roon - but I love Roon functionality and sound quality. If Spotify ever delivered a hi-res tier it would be great - but after all this time, I don't think it's part of their business model.

Sorry - much of that is off-topic !

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Do you stream hi-res music or download hi-res tracks? We want your opinions

What Hi-Fi?

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