As @cleeds said most streaming services use TCP/IP protocol which delivers bit perfect data/files. Now why streamers sound different (if they do) is another story.
why expensive streamers
@soix and others
I am unclear about the effect on sound of streamers (prior to getting to the dac). Audio (even hi-res) has so little information content relative to the mega and giga bit communication and processing speeds (bandwidth, BW) and cheap buffering supported by modern electronics that it seems that any relatively cheap piece of electronics would never lose an audio bit.
Here is why. Because of the huge amount of BW relative to the BW needs of audio, you can send the same audio chunk 100 times and use a bit checking algorithm (they call this "check sum") to make sure just one of these sets is correct. With this approach you would be assured that the correct bits would be transfered. This high accuracy rate would mean perfect audio bit transfer.
What am I missing? Why are people spending 1000's on streamers?
thx
- ...
- 191 posts total
@nigeltheflash My understanding is from streamer manufacturers. I referenced googling because I thought YOU would believe it better if you read it on the internet. Indeed it is hard to find this info. Jerry |
Thanks Jerry @carlsbad2. Any materials you can point me/us to? I presume this is in the public domain. Best, Nigel |
Don’t be silly. Spotify is a compressed, lossy service. As I mentioned, services such as Qobuz and Tidal are lossless, and use TCP/IP protocol to send bit perfect copies of the files provided to them by the record companies. Note that Tidal’s MQA files are not lossless, but MQA is a whole ’nuther kettle of fish. Tidal’s FLAC files are lossless. |
@nigeltheflash I read it quite a while ago and wish I had bookmarked it as it was quite the revelation to me. I too struggled with explaining why if the excel spreadsheet you send me is perfect, why is the streamed music file imperfect. I'll find it again someday but I'm pretty tied up right now. It was in the public domain, it was a thread on a forum, not this one I don't believe, where some industry people participated. Jerry |
- 191 posts total