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Grimm findings on streaming audio

I just wanted people here to know that Eelco Gimm, who makes Grimm streamers, spoke to a reviewer where he addressed the reason why most streaming from the likes of iTunes, Tidal and Qobuz sounds different from CD playback.  It's that the music is watermarked before you get it. It accounts for what he deems to be a fluttering around the edges of music. Everyone thought it was compression.

Also, when music is streamed, the first block you get is lossy, followed by blocks of lossless, so if the content is too much for the carrier, the lossy will get through without the listener's knowledge of the switch, unless you're monitoring it on a regular basis.

I understand why some streamers charge for the product, but to go further and mess with the content in the name of licensing, permanently degrading the content, is beyond me. This was from a very short article and more is said to follow.

I also want to add that all of this is over my head but I thought it would be of interest to those who stream and for those who wonder which is the best way to listen.

All the best,
Nonoise
128x128nonoise
wrenth
26 posts
 
Yes, the degradation is audible. The more decent equipment you have the easier to catch it. In case of 44kHz 16bit very. MQA has near CD quality but not the same. I hear it as roughness mostly without the clear echos and thinner soundstage. It become so obvious when you put CD to the player after 2-3h Tidal session. The revelation is that you somehow waist your time. It is better to not do it. Oh... anyway Tidal has no competition at the moment. Qoubuz perhaps... i threat as a great fishing area, and exchange the prey for the  CD or SACD when is worth.

bosssound's avatar
bosssound
120 posts
 
+1 mr_m+1 steaksters

rbstehno
1,444 posts
 
+1 for tidal sounding better especially with MQA.
There is no roughness or thinner soundstage with MQA and I would say it has just the opposite: neutral to a warmer sound, more dynamic: highs and lows and a broader soundstage. The benefits of streaming increased when I went with a 1G fiber internet and using Ethernet to the ps audio DS sr dac. When I was using copper for my internet connection, the music was rougher or not as clean sounding and was definitely noisier. 
cycles2
207 posts
 
I recently switched from TIDAL HiFi to Qobuz after trialing Qobuz for 30 days.  Qobuz seems to have more hirez titles compared to TIDAL's MQA titles and you avoid the whole MQA debate. 
ishkabibil
422 posts
 
Of course shenanigans are going on...what I thought were problems with my system are actually the delivery of content....I hear it all the time....

Some days it is worse than others so much so I cease to listen.

This problem will be around fof a long time.


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