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Internet radio

Why are so many internet stations broadcasting with high bit rates yet the audio quality is so poor? For example I recently came across WQOK AM 1440 in Greenvile SC that is broadcasting at 256bps mp3 yet the quality of it’s stream did not seem very clean. I recorded a song off the station and quickly discovered that the stream is compressed. The same song recorded of WCSY FM (COSY FM) in South Haven that broadcasts at 96bps mp3 sounded far cleaner. A quick test of the dynamic range of both recordings, South City Mifdnight Lady by the Doobie Brothers, showed a big difference in audio quality. WQOK was 10.5 while WCSY was a 13.5. The same song recorded of the actual album with my Linn Sondek is a 14. My question is why compress a signal then broadcast it at a high bit rate when they could broadcast an uncompressed stream at a far lower bit rate that would sound so much better and maybe save the station a few bucks in the process. Am I missing something?

symbadawg
ghdprentice
7,372 posts
 

What streamer and DAC are you using? What service to receive them?

 

I use Qobuz and while I have not tried the stations you talk about… I listen to Paradise Radio most of the time… and the fidelity in my system is at the CD or better range. I never find myself questioning the quality.  

symbadawg OP
1 posts
 

I have a Cambridge CXN Network Player and I use my Sennheiser HDVD headphone amp as my DAC. I find that the website players on many of the stations when looped back through the HDVD sound just as good as the CXN. I agree that Paradise Radio sounds good but I am not into much of the music I found there. I'm a classic rock kind of guy although I enjoy some blues and classic country as well. 

raysmtb1's avatar
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raysmtb1
802 posts
 

I’ve often wondered about the quality of the stream. I swear it sounds better on a Sunday morning when there’s not a lot of people all the streaming movies and businesses are closed. I think when Trump was in office, the new Internet standards got changed. You used to get 100% of the signal before they change the law. Now I think the quality of your signal is dependent on who you have as a provider and how much you spend every month. In other words, if you get the best package, you get the best signal. If you don’t have any money, the provider knows this and they send you a crappy your signal. This is all just a guess on my part from what I’ve seen on the news. I am sure that I’m not exact in my explanation , but I think I have the general idea correct? . I’m fortunate, and I get a good signal most of the time, but I have a expensive cable bill.

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