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
128x128rvpiano

I am not a fan of software solutions for room correction other than maybe minimizing unwanted bass resonances. There is no substitute for good speaker selection based on polar response and then optimized placement of those speakers in the room, as well as the right room treatments in the right locations. The speakers must integrate acoustically and efficiently with the room.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

I have always had contact with different  specialists since 1998. Without these people I would never had been so far as we are now at this moment. I needed their insight  and knowledge to be able to understand sound as in its entirety.

The biggest problem in audio is that no one understands sound as a whole. Sound is so much more complex than people can even imagine. I have been aware of this for a long time. This is why I contacted different specialists. 

Manufacturers now understand when I talk to them that they do not understand sound as a whole. They cannot answer the questions which are needed to understand sound. They never have thought so deep in details as I have thought about it. This is the main reason why they cannot answer these questions.

I learned a lot thanks to live music. That is why I will use conservatorium students by presentations in 2019. This makes it a lot more easy for me to explain what intimate sound is and does. And even what 3-dimensional sound is and does to our emotion. 

This makes it possible for me to show that I copy the way sound and instruments sound and behave in a room. And that Tru-Fi sound simmilar to this. 

We can create our own targetcurve with our Statement Audio Pro-measurement. We recently introduced the latest version of our S.A.P.-measurement. It is the biggest step we ever made from the former measurement to a new one. 

S.A.P.- measurement proofs how much more you can get out of a poweramp. This also proofs that what we call 'a 1980 amp or preamp' is very limited in endresult. Each amp or preamp owns a targetcurve. But you cannot change it. And what people do is they gamble with cables to create an improvement by trail and error. 

This will always be very ineffective. Tru-Fi overrules it as it it is audio for little children. The latest version of S.A.P.-measurement proofs that it can adapt the sound based on all the dna of each part what is connected to a system. When we do a measuerment all the parts we use during a measurement influence the endresult.

What I means is that it can adapt the endresult to the dna of the amp(s), loudspeakers and cables which are connected. This is why it can outperform any 1980 poweramp or pre amp. I call an amp or preamp without a measurement-system a 1980 amp or preamp.

They still work rather the same way as they did in 1980. When we visit a show or new clients the facts proof that often there is nothing adapted regarding smog, highfrequent noise and magnetism. Even when people have spend 300.000 dollar or more, it never will help you with the influences of these limitations.

The facts proof that people in audio have very limited insight and knowledge regarding smog, highfrequent noise and magnetism. When you take a look at the brands who have a roomacoustic measurement system they often make the same kind of mistakes.

So it proofs that they copy the way of measuring from eachother. I can proof on facts that the way they measure is the level of a child. They are not able to understand how you need to measure. Trail and error will never make you understand what you do.

They cannot see the connections why the way they measure does not make sense. But in my world it is very easy to understand what they do wrong. I can hear the limitations they create by the way they measure. But they don't see it. I call this audioblindness. It is not even on their radar. 

They do not own a brain to be able to think and make decisions based on connections. When they would have had a brain what sees these connections they would 100% never made these mistakes. For me audio is like a Formula 1 car. I want to improve it all the time and over and over again. To create an even higher level or result for me is like dope.

I have to admit that music is the most addictive thing in life for me. But.....creating sound is the second thing in what I love most. Creating new levels in sound&vision for me is so addictive. Tru-Fi makes it possible for me to make improvements very easy and this never stops.

Tru-Fi is like an enigma machine, you can see it as 3 wheels what can be changed in different combinations.

Wheel 1 are all the different aspects/properties of sound
Wheel 2 are all the parts who infleucnes sound and stage
Wheel 3 are the the aspects which influence the human emotion.

I can make many different combinations with them to create new data. This is how I work. I create new data and compare it with the old data. And when it is better based on all the aspects/properties of sound it becomes the new reference in that part.

This is what I do constantly. Like auditioning new products. To see and hear if they can reveal all the different apects/properties of sound. Each product what is incomplete (misses different aspects/properties of sound) we never will use or sell these products. This counts for over 99% of all audioproducts. This proofs how difficult it is to find the perfect DNA.



When I judge all the other roomacoustic systems there are, I would not even used one of them. In my world they are all useless based on Tru-Fi.

The facts proof the way they measure and the systems they use, they all have too many limitations.

So what are those limitations?

They all loose details in the whole freq. range. What is unacceptable in my world. They all have compression limitations. We don't have these limitations. This is my insight and knowledge and when you want to use it, you are going to pay.

When I would not have a photographic memory in sound. Or I would not be able to reveal the DNA of each single part I would never had been able to understand it and create it. It is that simple. Then I would have done sound&vision just like the rest of the world by trail and error.
@bo1972,
What kind of trail does Tru-Fi leave behind? Is it by error? Just curious.
geoffkait understands it very well. And yes portable audio with a headphone is a lot easier to create a stunning level in sound without acoustic limitations.

When I audition a more expensive Astell&Kern (even a SP1000) with a Jerry Harvey audio headphone it is really stunning. I would prefer this over almost any trial and error created system.

My clients ask me often what to do when I would not be there anymore. They never want to go back to a trial and error system without S.A.P.-measurement ever. I advised them to sell everything and go to portable.

Trial and error systems with acoustic limitations is not a nice world you would want to live in for a long time. 4 weeks ago we had discussions with different distributers and manufacturers about that audio is often not a nice hobby?

They all agreed, they meet the people like we do. And most are more busy wihgt their system than with music. I visited hundreds of systems of people. And the thing what had the most impact on me is how less music most people own.

Without music audio is useless and never worth the money you did spend. I give an example, in 2006 I met a person wiht a system of over 80.000 euro. He owned 40 cd's. So I said to him: I cannot help you?

He was surprrised about my reaction and said: I don't hope I invited you for nothing.

I said; that will not be the case. But...I cannot help you when you only own 40 cd's. The money you spend will never be worth it when you just own 40 cd''s.

He was surprised about my reaction. And yess I can be very direct. You always get the truth even when you didn't ask for it. Because I don't believe in a fake world full of lies.

He agreed that he was not happy. I said; even when I improve your system you still will not be happy. I tried to explain to him that without music audio is 100% ueseless. And after some time he understood what I meant. And said; I think you are right.

I always want to help people. You only can really help other people when you are 100% honest. I want people to become aware that sometimes  their decisions they made limit them in their happiness. We see that working by Tru-Fi made all people use their system so much more.

I only work and believe in making audio systems complete regarding the aspects/properties of sound. I have seen and met many people with incomplete audio-systems. And often with a lot of acoustic limitations. And no one was happy. I will never accept incomplete audiosystems. I would directly stop doing what I do now.

In my world each person owns a system what can reveall all the details and aspects/properties of each recording. And without acoustic limitations. Music is for me the most emotional thing you can buy and experience. That is why it is my goal to give this to everyone who would like to own it.