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Downloads Versus Streaming

Hi Again,

I’ve been streaming Qobuz through my Bryston Pi to my Ayre QB9 Twenty. Despite being told that streaming quality is every bit as good sounding as my local library on an external SSD, my ears tell me otherwise. Even at higher bit rates and resolutions. Yes, a better streamer and/or tweaks and upgrades would have effective results, at this stage I believe I’m better off with downloads. I’m just wondering what you folks out there have experienced regarding this matter and what you’ve done to make improvements.

goofyfoot
jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl
1,020 posts
 

’Upgrading to a mesh network and having the Pi connected directly to a node’.

 

It’s moot point if your Pi is hardwired ethernet. Mesh networks use nodes that you place around your house. They create an improved network environment with a single access point. I just have one of the nodes placed at my rig and can run ethernet cable directly to the node.

 

 

What were you using to run the ROON Core?

 

Mesh

Mesh-Wiki

goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,388 posts
 

@jbuhl I was using an M1 Mac Mini.

jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl
1,020 posts
 

Yeah I tested on a MAC mini.  After reading here and other places I finally took a leap of faith and put the core on a dedicated host (SGC ST i5) sitting at the rig and also hard wired to the Mesh Node. Made enough difference that I stuck with ROON over the Pi/MPD.

christianb5s4
238 posts
 

I'll echo the experience others have shared. This past week I decided to buy digital copies of a few of my favorite albums and had a chance to compare to the streaming versions (via Qobuz). Both had the sample bit and sample rates. My GF also listened and her impression was the same as mine.

 

I found that to my ears, there are slight differences but can't say if one is better than the other. The local copy had more detail, was slightly more analytical, bass was more nuanced, and overall sounded cleaner. The streamed version was a bit softer and 95% of the detail and clarity. Both have their place and on certain songs, the softer nature of the streaming version was preferable over local and vice versa.

 

Besides having local copies of select favorite albums, it's more so a compliment to streaming achieving a high level. The convenience factor, breadth of choice, and overall sound makes me not pine for local copies.

ghdprentice
7,557 posts
 

@christianb5s4 

Thanks for your observations. It sounds to me you confirm the state of the art. The components you choose determine the sound you hear and they can be close in sound quality. Therefore, carefully chosen streaming can probably equal or exceed the fidelity of stored files. Your choice of components determine the sound quality. In the past, CDs, then stored files would trump streaming. Today… it depends.

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