Do people still use home stereo systems?

[The motor guy]

I have a couple of these big receivers things, but they don't have bluetooth. Most times I just play music through my computer, but if I wanted to get more of a full sized stereo receiver with big speakers, I guess I just have to buy a new one with bluetooth audio? Do people still use these though?

 

[OVERKILL]

I have a couple of these big receivers things, but they don't have bluetooth. Most times I just play music through my computer, but if I wanted to get more of a full sized stereo receiver with big speakers, I guess I just have to buy a new one with bluetooth audio? Do people still use these though?

Absolutely! Both my AVR's support Apple AirPlay, so I stream directly from my old Mac Pro to them using Apple Music (formerly iTunes). This also works when I'm booted into Windows.

 

[supton]

I have one that I rescued. Fixed it and pipe the computer into it.

But I have no idea of what fidelity is, so it is more of a background noise generator.

 

[rijndael]

Higher end sound bars, with airplay / bluetooth / wifi, solve a lot of people's needs.

 

[Quattro Pete]

but if I wanted to get more of a full sized stereo receiver with big speakers, I guess I just have to buy a new one with bluetooth audio? Do people still use these though?

You can just buy a bluetooth adapter and plug it into your existing receiver.
https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Adapter-Streaming-Wireless-Speakers/dp/B016NUTG5K



Or you could go all out and buy a proper media streamer, which again, can easily connect to your existing receiver.

 

[thunderfog]

If you're into sound quality, nothing touches a CD. I still use my Denon receiver and 5-disc changer with Polk speakers.

 

[The motor guy]

If you're into sound quality, nothing touches a CD. I still use my Denon receiver and 5-disc changer with Polk speakers.

Yeah I have a sony 5 disc changer from probably 1995 with a 5 disc changer underneath it.

 

[dubber09]

CD or FLAC files are best source. There are BT adapters that plug into older stereos.

 

[OVERKILL]

CD or FLAC files are best source. There are BT adapters that plug into older stereos.

Yeah, problem is the loss of fidelity going from those sources to BT. AirPlay is better, but still not quite as good as straight digital.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Get one of these:
https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/integrated-amplifiers/MSA5500

And a pair of these:
https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/speakers/XRT21K

And you check off audiophile, connectivity, multiple formats, Made In USA, unfathomable power and ease, and many other things off your bucket list. That’s my goal.

 

[Hermann]

Use my big stereo a lot in the winter. Used it yesterday. I have lots of vinyl, an Echo with a audio out connected and real good CDP. A bonus is the Carver amp adds a lot of heat to the living room in the winter.

 

[Lubener]

I have a couple of these big receivers things, but they don't have bluetooth. Most times I just play music through my computer, but if I wanted to get more of a full sized stereo receiver with big speakers, I guess I just have to buy a new one with bluetooth audio? Do people still use these though?

I still have and use my component system from the late 70's. The 15 inch woofers had to be replaced about 12 years ago due to the foam surrounds disintegrating. Everything else is original.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yeah, problem is the loss of fidelity going from those sources to BT. AirPlay is better, but still not quite as good as straight digital.

If OP needs AirPlay support on a budget, WiiM Mini would work well. It can also be connected via optical cable to the receiver and supports lossless.

https://www.amazon.com/WiiM-Mini-Multiroom-Preamplifier-Assistants/dp/B09HC5GRKY


I have an old Chromecast Audio connected via optical to my receiver. My ancient Logitech Media Server recognizes it as a player, so I can stream my entire local audio library (mostly FLAC and some MP3) through it.

 

[dubber09]

Yeah, problem is the loss of fidelity going from those sources to BT. AirPlay is better, but still not quite as good as straight digital.

Agree with that, BT connection is not for best sound quality but a solution to play wirelessly thru a system that doesn't come with the feature. I normally use headphones and play from CD, cassette or USB (via Blu-ray player that came with the feature).

 

[eljefino]

Yup, have a mongrel system made from yard sale and goodwill finds. DVD (used as CD), tape, records. Speakers are Sears brand, about 3 feet tall with 12" woofers. Probably $50 all in. Just rocked out to some RATM a couple hours ago. Still loud.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

Sure do, bought nice speakers last year for an Onyko system, plus bluetooth reciever and old cell phone for streaming duty. Love the setup, sounds better than most portable bluetooth speakers.

 

[Jetronic]

I have a couple of these big receivers things, but they don't have bluetooth. Most times I just play music through my computer, but if I wanted to get more of a full sized stereo receiver with big speakers, I guess I just have to buy a new one with bluetooth audio? Do people still use these though?

Yes, every day. I dn't use bluetooth but a bluetooth reveiver hooked up to one of the source connections would do it.

 

[02SE]

I've enjoyed listening to music for decades. I inherited a serious audiophile quality stereo system from an Uncle, a system I never would've bought for myself. It is a real treat to fire up eight tube amplifiers, tube Pre-amp, and tube CD player, or turntable, and listen to music through top of the line B&W speakers The sound is simply incredible.

I have some lower-end standalone stereo systems which I did buy myself, which still sound very good. At the lowest end a receiver which is part of an entertainment system. Speakers for my desktop computer are adequate for Youtube videos at most.

Not everyone is as interested in high quality music reproduction as I am. I have a good friend who listens to music only through his Amazon Alexa device. It sounds like crap (IMO), but it's good enough according to him. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[y_p_w]

If you're into sound quality, nothing touches a CD. I still use my Denon receiver and 5-disc changer with Polk speakers.

CD audio was a compromise, although it's pretty good. But there were choices made when it was developed in the 80s because of the cost of components at the time. The biggest one would be that the audio timing isn't perfect. Digital recordings are made with a crystal oscillator based clock and the bit values stored as data. Nothing wrong with that. That's almost perfect timing.

However, CD audio extracts the playback timing clock from the bitstream, so that's dependent on the accuracy of the transport mechanism. I had heard of some CD players in the 90s that pulled out the data and retimed it with a crystal oscillator based clock, like the Sony CDP-XA7ES and the Meridian 508.24.

Ideally, digital audio would come from a data source, be loaded into a buffer, and then get timed with a crystal oscillator based clock. But in reality it's mostly going to be synced to video these days.

 

[ripcord]

We haven't turned on our component system in years as headphones and earbuds have replaced it. The main reason is that everyone has their own media going on and streaming and personal devices have resulted in everyone's tastes diverging, and we no longer consume media together.

I don't want to listen to Taylor Swift or Arianna Mucho Grande (or whoever she is), and no one wants to listen to my Flatt and Scruggs, Live at Carnegie Hall CD, ect. My workaholic wife can't stand the distraction of the stereo being on and only wants to consume media in bed with her laptop. Even the TV stays off most of the time.


I suspect we're not too far from the norm.