CD transport vs.streaming

If your streamer and CD Player sound the same then I would advise you to purchase the ENO ethernet filter from Network Acoustics and you will be blown away by how much better your Streamer could be.

I think this is a 3-horse race, not a 2-horse race:

CD

locally streamed files from a hard drive or NAS

files streamed from a service

IMHO the last two aren't the same quality, and without knowing the details about the streamed masters, it's hard to even know if you're comparing apples/apples. 

IME, on locally streamed rips vs. the same CDs, the files always sounded better. Ripped SACDs vs. the same SACD, same result, the files win. YMMV.  Cheers,

Spencer

You can't improve on the original source so if your ripped files sound better it's the equipment chain, not the source. 

rvpiano -- Hey, we’re bruddahs! I got a CXN v2, too, a replacement for my now recycle-binned Mytek. Not quite as 3D as the Mytek was, but the tonality is wonderful. And it seems to work, too.😂 I’m listening happy to an Idagio stream of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella at this very moment.