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CD or Streaming... am I missing out?

I listen to CD in my headphone office system. Use a Theta Compli transport and a very nice and pricey tube 16/44 DAC. Have thought about a streaming capability and all its benefits but am both limited by SPDF and by 16/44 only. I also love the analog sound of my tube DAC. Does streaming sound far surpass CD? Am I missing out?
mglik
bezmania
11 posts
 
So here's the weird thing... This thread got me comparing stuff. I run Qobuz hi-res through a Cambridge Audio Azure851N streamer/DAC. Today, I hooked up an old, but good CD player (Linn Classik CD, integrated CD/tuner/amp). Not a really upper-upper-high-end device, but not garbage either. I use it as redbook player only, feed SPDIF into the same streamer/DAC. 

Now for the weird bit: the CD player sounds substantially better than the Qobuz FLAC at the same sample rate. Beter soundstage, better definition. How? Why? If i assume that Qobuz doesn't f*ck up the ripping proces, why is there such a difference?

</puzzling>
dankeschon
3 posts
 

The pros and cons with Streaming and Pc/Computer music is that you can mix and choose various artists and playlists, but a Big Con is that you loose the Album feeling from Cd and LP.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,950 posts
 
 

bezmania

... the CD player sounds substantially better than the Qobuz FLAC at the same sample rate. Beter soundstage, better definition. How? Why? If i assume that Qobuz doesn’t f*ck up the ripping proces, why is there such a difference?

Qobuz doesn’t rip files, it receives digital files directly from the record companies. When comparing a streamed file to a CD, it’s often difficult (if not impossible) to determine whether they actually came from the same digital master. So many recordings have been remastered that making comparisons such as yours is a tricky business.

A lot depends on the quality of the streamer, too, and the rest of your digital connection.

quinster
10 posts
 

On my gear, CDs sound far better. If something I like is not available on CD, I buy and burn the AIFFs to CDr. A bit Luddite-ish, I know.

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