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Internet Radio sounds better than ripped CDs. Why

My friend and I agree that Internet Radio sounds more alive and dimensional thru our Squeezeboxes than do our ripped Apple Lossless CD files which are streamed from external hard drives.

Why would this be? Internet Radio is usually low bitrate mp3, while our audio files are supposedly CD quality.

Anyone have the same perception?
kenl
stefanl
296 posts
 
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.
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Radio stations will process the sound - so you may like their processing...
kenl OP
131 posts
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I ripped the files in Apple Lossless using iTunes. I'm wirelessly streaming the audio from my PC to a SB3 using it's coax digital out to a digital input on my Integra 8.8 AVR, so I'm using the built-in dacs on the Integra for both Internet Radio & my music files. So in essense, all things are equal.

I'm taking delivery today on a Rowland Concerto integrated. If I can borrow a friend's dac, I'll do a comparison.

Shadorne - My friend has the same theory as you do regarding the processing of IR stations. Perhaps that's the answer.

I'll post again after I listen to the Rowland. Thanks again.
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Shadorne - My friend has the same theory as you do regarding the processing of IR stations. Perhaps that's the answer.

Yes - radio stations have compressors and limiters and all kinds of stuff to create their "house-sound". Depending on the target market they can enhance various aspects of the sound in a way that suites their listeners. For example, a Rock Station will typically target commuters in their automobiles and compress the music to get it to sound loud over the car and road noise. Meanwhile a late night show may enhance the bass frequencies and smooth the highs for a laid back relaxing smooth sound at lower listening levels...
kenl OP
131 posts
 
My IR experience has been that the dynamics are less compressed than my ripped files. Perhaps it's a case of my listening primarily to electronic ambient music on IR, which as the genre implies, lends itself to ambience.

The volume levels between the two are also greatly different. When listening to my ripped music, I have to turn up the volume a good 10dB in order to achieve the same volume level as IR. Both inputs are set to the default level of "0" in the AVR.
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