Apple TV Streaming Sound Quality vs Streamer?
I have not been able to get streamed hi-res files to sound anywhere near as good as my CDs and LPs. I really wish that wasn't the case. The streamer you use and the playback software is the usual culprit, but also FLAC encoding will never sound as good as .wav files, like the CD playback. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
There must be something else holding your system back if you don't hear the benefits of lower jitter. Active preamps are the usual culprit. The uRendu is a good choice BTW, but I have gotten away from USB after designing 6 generations of it. Ethernet is easier to make stellar. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
Steve N (and anyone else with streaming experience): Thanks for the info, Steve, I've been trying to decide whether to expand my CD collection (which can be very affordable right now), or begin streaming, where there is unlimited music available. The issue is that I like a large, room-filling, sound-stage, with good detail in the instruments/vocals, and so far, CDs and LPs are the only sources that have provided that for me. And from what you are saying; even with a leading streaming service, and a good playback software, it's still not going to be as good as my CDs. Would one of the new DSs help? The good ones are kinda pricey, tho. Dave |
Streaming is FLAC files so far, so it will never be quite as good as wav files. The difference I hear with wav files is soundstage and high-frequency reflections off the venue. Whether you will hear this difference depends on your system. I personally like owning my content rather than renting it, however it is nice to have access to a lot of new material. If you stay with a transport and DAC, at least lower the jitter by adding a good reclocker in the coax cable, like the Synchro-Mesh. 8psec of measured jitter. If you go with a streamer, it is critically important to get low jitter. The kind of imaging and soundstage you are wanting has everything to do with extremely low jitter. Here is a renderer that gets you to ~10psec at all sample-rates from 44.1-192: https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156409.0 See the plots at the end of the posts. If you find one that achieves lower than this at the end of a 4 foot coax cable, I'd like to know about it. thanks, Steve N. Empirical Audio |
