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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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!


I have experienced the apparent superiority of DVDs, Blurays and 4K blurays to streaming 1080 and 4K videos over the internet on a Sony 940D 75" monitor (I employ higher end cabling and a Synergistic Research black duplex with Stillpoints for vibration control under the non-video monitor equipment).  Maybe I just need a better streamer (at 300 Mbs speed) but I prefer the media to the streaming.  I still enjoy streaming video.  

As to audio, I prefer the physical media as well but don't have the streaming capabilities of the video system.  I listen to 78s, LPs and CDs.  I say that my video system is closer to perfection for visual enjoyment than my audio system.  Yet I spend hours per day/night listening to music rather than watching TV.   I get such a high level of emotion out of my audio system that I long to listen to music daily.  I'm addicted to music more than I am to equipment despite being an audiophile.  I rarely change equipment, only tweaks (cables, acoustic treatments and vibration controls).  What I lack in ultimate resolution (such as rampant among the newest high end speakers), I have in tone qualilty, harmonic layering, dynamics and rhythm/pace of the music.  It a sign of how good it is when friends and acquaintances don't want to leave when listening to music in my home-they are immersed in a sonic wonderland.  
I first got the audio/music bug at 5 years old when listening to my uncle's 5 way mono box speaker system with a 15" woofer powered by Heathkit pre-amp and amp and an AR turntable back in 1961.  Sure, it wasn't high resoultion or stereo.  So what?  It was both gorgeous sounding and super dynamic for his average size living room.  I always requested visiting his home to hear his 500 record collection from doo-wap, to opera, classical and pop.  All in glorious mono.
The greatest thing about Tru-Fi is that it creates a level in quality what is affordable for many more people. It proofs that you can get a system what brings you closer to the music for a lot less money.

People have no idea how much the acoustic, smog, highfrequent noise and magnetism limits the effectiveness of each part in your system. You only have accesss to a very limited level of the full potential of each part.

And again we can proof this with sound over and over again. The sound will always proof the truth. The highend shows in Munic proof each single year that money will never help you or give you a stunning level in sound quality.

Diversity (layering) in sound has the biggest influence on our emotion. So even a mono loudspeaker what is able to create a good level in layering in sound will make us experience emotion during listening to music.

But when you let people hear a system what can reveal all the details and aspects of a recording the experience will become a lot more intense.