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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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georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
+1 same for me on my system Linn CD12, I’ve yet to get a better 16/44 or 24/96 from recorded downloads when owners bring them around.
Even the owners start making excuses, that don’t ad up, why the Linn is sounding better than their downloads .

Cheers George
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Who knows the provenance (where they came from) of those streaming bits? What generation of the master tape (if at all) was used? That's why I'll stick with physical media (LPs,CDs,RTRs), thank you!
reubent
7,030 posts
 
@rvpiano - What is the source of the files you are streaming? Ripped CD's store on a hard drive? Spotify? Tidal? If it is from a streaming service, is it their low-res or hi-res offering?
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