Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming

@audioengr

You don’t give specs as to what dBFS or psec your product is; you’ve stated 7psec before, so I’ll assume that, the ChromeCast Audio has less than 4psec (better than -275dBFS / 45Bit). If your product is better, I’ll retract my statement. Again though, even if your re-clocker was 0psec, the differences are not even close to audible, so spending $700 one one would be waste of money in this instance.

Even the $100 Khadas Tone board DAC has a J-test result of -135dBFS, which allows for more dynamic range than we can hear in a room (say 140dB max and a room noise floor of 30dB, so 110dB; and that 140dB is generous, most music is mastered to 105dB, with some orchestral/classical getting to 120dB).

A ChromeCast Audio hooked up to a “cheap” Topping D50 DAC, using normal cables, produced a J-test of better than -130dBFS, also better than our hearing in a room.

Try Idagio.  The largest catalog of classical music I know of,  and you can get uncompressed CD-quality streaming.

If the quality of the sound we hear was only based on which gear measured the best, we would all have Benchmark components in our systems. Every other manufacturer would close shop, certainly the ones with tube electronics. There's a lot more than just measurements that creates the emotional engagement that music brings to our lives.  

@rvpiano
Are you serious about what will artists do if CDs go away? Digital recording and streaming have opened the door for hundreds of artists that can't afford the cost and bureaucracy of getting their songs onto CD or vinyl. Many artists are discovered via a streaming service such as Tidal or other music channels from digital files they put together in their home studios for a fraction of what it cost 10 years ago.

I haven't purchased a CD ever since I got a decent network streamer (sorry, BlueSound Node 2's are not decent streamers), got rid of any extra equipment in the signal path such as a computer that introduces jitter and other unwanted sonic artifacts and purchased a Tidal HiFi subscription (the standard $10/month won't do as these music files are compressed).

I have an Ayre CD transport and none of my HiFi friends can tell the difference between Redbook CDs on the Ayre of via Tidal HiFi.  You also get the benefit of listening to Tidal remotely via your phone and anywhere you have a BlueTooth audio connection such as your car.

Streaming is truly one of the biggest values we audiophiles have going for us.

I agree about Tidal.  I find myself listening to it most of the time.  I am blessed that I can't tell the difference between the same digital file presented to my DAC by different digital sources.

cycles2:  your comments regarding artists is smack on.  For years we have been bullied by record companies feeding us whatever they can sell profitably, and hyping up photogenic pop stars and producing massively compressed recordings seems to be the best way they can maximize their profit.  The democratization of quality recording and digital distribution has changed the game.  Music is supposed to be fun and participatory, not the sole domain of record companies and over-payed pop stars trying to make money.