Internet Radio sounds better than ripped CDs. Why

Agree with all above - something is wrong, and you should be taking all conversions out of the computer and using an external DAC with no digital processing or volume control. If you are already doing all that then I'm dumbfounded at your results.

I'm with Jax2, I'm dumbfounded too.

Is the internet radio station doing equalization?

Maybe it was the Cuervo Gold and the fine Colombian!!!!

The ripping program you used might be at fault here.Have you bit corrected the files using a ripping program such as EAC or Foobar 2000.Rips that are not offset by your ripping drives default factory offsets,will sound better than the original badly pressed CD,but if you are not correcting for the bits displaced by the ripping drive your rips will sound worse.

Radio stations will process the sound - so you may like their processing...