Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming


I’ve found that the SQ of my red book CDs exceeds that of streaming using the identical recordings for comparison. (I’m not including hi res technology here.)
I would like to stop buying CDs, save money, and just stream, but I really find I enjoy the CDs more because of the better overall sonic performance.
 I stream with Chromecast Audio using  the same DAC (Schiit Gumby) as I play CDs through.
I’m wondering if others have had the same experience
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I have done thousands of tests in audio in over 20 years of time. I never met a person so far who also works in audio for over 20 years of time with the same level in effort and time in research in audio.

Audio never has been my work. Music is not a hobby for me, it is an addiction. For me music is my connection to life and emotion. It is a part of who I am as a person. It is my second nature. 

Audio is done all over the world by trial and error. This is a 100% fact. And has nothing to do with a personal taste. When you do audio by trial an error, you connect loudspeakers, a source, an amp and cables togheter. And you will listen to the endresult.

And now comes the facts; Sound is founded by different properties. Which are the different aspects of sound. When you play a recording it owns information and all the different aspects/properties of sound.

So....you need a system what is able to reveal all the details and different asepcts of the recording. Again we are talking about a 100% fact.

When I ask to people who also work in audio: Music is emotion? All people agree. But.......when I ask them how the human emotion works and which parts influence our emotion. They have no idea.

Humans have a personal taste in music, again this is a 100% fact. But......sound and music owns different aspects/properties who individuel can influence the emotion of us during listening to music.

That is why each single audio system what can reveal all the different aspects/properties of sound will be prefered and chosen by each single human being over any incomplete (missing different aspects/properties of sound) audio system created by trial and errror. And yes this can be proven bij sound and shootout.

Now we go back to trail and error? What is the biggest limitation on facts when you create an audio system by trial and error?

This is very easy to explain. When you hear to your system at home, you will listen to all the properties/aspects of each part (amp, source, loudspeaker, cable etc) together and all the different parts who negatively influence the sound and stage.

The acoustic, smog, highfrequent noise annd magnetims all have a big influence on both sound and stage.

You also need to know which 3 parts influence the human emotion. All these different parts proof how complex sound is. You only can understand and guide audio when you understand all these different parts.

Now we go back to trial and error. The limitation of trial and error is that you cannot extract the DNA of each individual part in your system. This is needed to be able to understand why the sound and stage (only 2 aspects/properties of sound) is what we hear.

In 2017 I had aan appointment with a person who also started to work in audio in 1998 like I did. He owns a audioshop these days. I just received a new loudspeakercable and wanted to test it.

So I asked him: this system is here for some time I guess? 

He said: Yes

I asked him: the loudspeakercable which is connected to the system has been there for some time?

He said: yes.

I asked him; when you put that cable out can you tell me which aspects/properties of sound you will take out?

He said: I have no idea.

I asked him; when you replace it whit the new cable, which proerties of sound you will put back?

He said: I have no idea.

So I asked him; when you listen to your own system or the system of a client you have no idea why the stage and sound (only 2 different properties of sound) is what we hear?

He said: I have no idea?

So I said: when you change a part for another part you have no idea what you do and change?

He said: I don't know.

This proofs again on facts that trial and error is pure audiogambling. Based on the fact that there is no real foundation on which you make all your choices.

I had this conversation with many many people who also work in audio for a long time. They all gave the same answers.

I learned to be able to think and work by the properties of sound. In 1998 when I started to work in audio I had the mindset (based on awareness) to learn and understand why amps and loudspeakers all sound so different. 

Einstein: “Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person”

It took me thousands of hours to be able to extract the full DNA of each individuel part in an audio system. Based on the awareness I had in 1998. I knew then that this is needed to understand and guide audio.

The acoustics has the biggest influence on sound and stage. That is why I spent the most time in research on this part in the past 8 years.

Also smog, magnetism and highfrequent noise have a huge negative influence on both sound and stage. I did research and tests on all these different apects. We created modifications and use different tools to minimize the influence of these aspects.

It gives us access to a much higher level/end result of each individual part in any audio system. It also proofs how complex sound is to be able to understand what it does. Since 1998 I gained a lot of insight and knowledge thanks to different kind of specialists in different aspects. An extreme perfectionist loves to cooperate and share knowledge and insight with the best people available in their area. I am aware that this gives me the highest level in effectiveness and result possible. Together you are so much stronger than on your own.

People in audio sell product and brands. We create sound. This is a different level and creates a quality what comes so much closer to how music sounds in real.

We only use and create systems which are able to reveal all the different aspects/properties of sound. The biggest problem in audio is that over 99% of all audioproducts are incomplete in aspects/properties of sound. And what is misisng never can be revealed. 

You need all the aspects/properties of sound to experience and feel all the emotion the music posseses. Each single human being experience an incomplete audio system as less involving and less emotional compared to a system what can reveal all the aspects/properties of sound.

And again this can be proven by sound. The sound you hear will always tell the truth. Music is one of the most exciting parts in life to experience. We want each single client of us to feel all the emotion on their beloved music.

That is why we work by Tru-Fi.

Tru-Fi is music playback, such as music actually sounds. Tru-Fi revolves around the emotion that triggers music, because the music is true to nature. Pure natural music reproduction. Everyone wishes to experience music as real as possible. As if you were present at a live performance. This will bring you fully into the music and you become one with the music.


With this you will experience up to the emotion that the music can give you. And brings you into an atmosphere with your own music, in which you feel free with all your emotions. Because the music is completely separate and tangible in space. Never before did you feel so connected with your own music. And the music was so close to yourself. And each voice and instrument stands free and physically in your space. That's what True Fidelity is all about.






Each product and even brands own their DNA. When you look at the differerent aspects/propertis of sound, we can extract each single product on the DNA it owns.

Most audio products cannot reveal all the different aspects of sound. Because they do no own them. And what is misisng never will be there.

Most people do not understand what they miss in their system. But for everything there is a reason why......

Most audiosystems which are sold worldwide are 2-dimensional and miss different aspects/properties of sound. This is the main reason why people experience and miss the emotion they are looking for.

I spend a lot of time in reading about how our brian works regarding the emotion by music. I made me understand so much better why different asepcts/properties of sound are so important during listening to music.

How do we work?

New clients send the list of their system to us. So we cab see what we can use and what has to go. We create sound by Tru-Fi. This means that we only use products which own all the different aspects/properties of sound.

When you connect a product what is incomplete it will limit each single system on the endresult. We make systems of new clients complete regarding the aspects/properties their systems do not own.

We often send new clients to clients of us who already own a Tru-Fi system. The new clients alsways take their music with them. When new clients experience a Tru-Fi system they understand often even in a few minutes how big the differences are in emotion and intensity compared to their own trial and error created system.

Emotion is the key to succes in audio. That is why you need all the different asepcts/properties of sound to be connected to the emotion of the music.
The thing I love most about audio is outperforming. A born perfectionist always wants to win and outperform all other competitors.

Audio works by shootout. And each human being will always choose the sound what influence their emotion the most. That is why we work by Tru-Fi.

"True Fidelity, either" Tru-Fi "

Tru-Fi gives us access to all the details and aspects of each recording. 
Tru-Fi.  Give me a break already.  There is no absolute truth in anything, let alone sound reproduction.  Those who think there is some kind of "perfect truth" that only can be brought out using the most "accurate system" are wrong.

I would advise anybody to get this notion out of their head and proceed along more sensible lines.

It can be vexing to pick out the "perfect" system.  Depending on why you are reproducing music in the first place, that "perfect" goal is a moving target.  I have a number of audio systems available for me to listen to; different needs can be best addressed with different systems.

My advice is to first determine what you are trying to accomplish.  Are you looking for a car stereo?  Home Theater?  Kitchen radio?  Headphone system?  The second step is to go out and listen to different gear that is designed for those identified applications.  You may end up with a Meridian Signature Studio system in your car, a Focal Sib Evo home theater, a Tivoli radio for your kitchen, and a Schiit Stack with some Senn 800s for you headphone listening.  You might end up with BAT electronics and a pair of Wilsons for your 2-channel system in your listening room.  They will all sound different, none of them will be "true" to anything, and they can all be eminently satisfying for the application they were designed for.
Audio is all about sound. And sound contains of different properties. We are not talking about rocket science.

Tru-Fi proofs on facts that people use their systems a lot more and even for a much longer time at the same moment. The biggest limitation in audio is the acoustic influence of a room.

We created Statement Audio Pro-measurement. It not only limits the problems caused by the room. It gives us access to a bigger freq. response. And a lot more layers in the whole freq. range.

Diversity in sound is the most important property based on the fact that it has the biggest influence on our emotion.

The harmonics in sound are very important to experience the emotion of music. And again this has nothing to do with a personal taste. When an audio system can reveal more layers in the whole freq. range it will effect the human emotion a lot more.

When I read this thread, many experience cd-players as more musical. And I understand them all. But....it is based on the fact that many dacs and networkplayers are so limited in diversity in sound. This is not due to streaming. We tested many dacs and networkplayers.

Many where poor in diversity in sound. This is the main reason why a lot of people still use their cd-players. When a source has an inbuild dac, it is a lot more easy to create diversity (layering) in sound.

USB is an imporant reason why many people experience their music lacking emotion. Again this has nothing to do with personal taste. The facts proof that it limits the level in layering in sound. And again it can be easily proven by shootout and sound.

Tru-Fi systems outperform incomplete trail and error systems. Over and over again as often you would like to hear. Due to the superior level in intensity and emotion. People should start to read about sound and also about our brain regarding the emotion we experience with music.

It will make you aware and be able to understand audio a lot better than you understand it at this moment. Audio needs parameters so it becomes more easy for people to understand what sound is and does to our emotion.

When you add a different loudspeaker, source, cable, amp or cable, you add new DNA. So it influence the sound and stage differently. But...when you have no idea what is changed and why. You are making choices by pure guessing.

The real reason why so many people are not satisfied with their system is based on the lack of different properties of sound who are missing. And even this can be proven by sound. Trial and error is audiogambling. This makes it very easy to understand why the systems are far from perfect.

They own a low level in emotion, and again we are talking about facts!