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Sound quality issues streaming from Tidal vs CD

I am hoping someone familiar with streaming from Tidal might be able to help.

I have recently installed the Pro-Ject Streambox S2 Ultra, which is a small Raspberry Pi based network bridge. I connect this to my router via ethernet cable and to my Vitus DAC (which is part of the CD player) via USB. My CD player obviously outputs through the same DAC.

The sound quality from CD is so much better than the sound quality from Tidal (I am a Tidal Hifi subscriber).

So my questions are:

1. Is this just a feature of streaming via the internet, it simply is not as good as a good quality CD transport?
2. Or is it an issue with the Pro-Ject - would something like the Autralic Aries G2 (also a network bridge with no DAC) which costs 6 times the price of the Pro-Ject, improve the Tidal stream?
3. Or is it the fact that the USB cable I am using is an entry-level £10 cable?
4. Or is it Tidal? - would Qobuz sound better?

Any advice or knowledge would be welcome.
128x128duckworp
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@worldwidewholesales
Is a streamer the same as a server?

i was thinking of demoing an AURALiC Aries G2 - are there others you can recommend to replace the Pro-ject?
I do not need a hard drive nor a DAC. 
canibefrank
406 posts
 
get a TEAC NT-505
your ears will never be so happy
bsimpson
167 posts
 
@duckworp:

Streamer is not the same as server.  
worldwidewholesales
134 posts
 
Hi,

Streamers and servers are different and again I can highly recommend Andrew at Little Green Computers. The Auralic is another option but we prefer Sonore, sound wise. The very best server/streamer we have tested is the Rockna WD Net and this is our current reference.

Cheers,

duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@worldwidewholesales 
Please could you explain the difference between a streamer and a server?  

I do think the terminology in streaming is wanting.  Sometimes a streamer contains a dac, sometimes it doesn’t (when it sometimes is referred to as a network bridge) sometimes it is a pre-amp too, often it isn’t.  Sometimes it has a hard drive (is that when it becomes a server?).
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