Streaming Tidal/Qbuzz Vs Internet Radio
My question is, why do some of the radio channels on my streamer sound better than Tidal or Qbuzz ? I have an Innuos streamer to a Schiit Yiggy and subscribe to both Tidal and Qbuzz. I listen to Radio Paradise and Dot 1 FM , and they have better sound quality than the paid services. Although this is not the case with most radio stations these two sound very good to me. Granted they play at a slightly higher volume, but when I adjust for this I still get a better soundstage, more detail and greater bass. When I play the radio channels on my small system I have to lower the subwoofer volume. On my larger system I do not run subs. So I’m curious if you’ve noticed this too, and any explanations would be appreciated. Cheers , Mike B.
I don't think so. You're not going to get better than 44.1 from Radio Paradise. |
https://www.hiresaudio.online/radio-paradise/ 4th paragraph: "In April 2021, they announced that they had teamed up with BluOS and MQA to provide 24-bit 96kHz HiRes on BluOS enabled hardware such as Bluesound, NAD Electronics, DALI loudspeakers and Monitor Audio. So far, the station is still only broadcasting MQA encoded CD Quality files via BluOS commenting on their Listener Forum that until there is a greater availability of HiRes originals they will continue with 16-bit files."
|
As I’ve demonstrated in this thread I’m not that knowledgeable about platforms. I have a few random pieces one being a Project Stream Box Ultra II and the other a Cambridge DAC Magic 200M. MQA was still functional on Tidal and I used the pair to stream to my Audeze LCD’s. I could tell occasionally with MQA, but didn’t devote much time to comparing. My main DAC is a Schiit Yiggy which doesn’t support MQA. I’m not sure when I did play with MQA if it was fully unfolded. What I did notice AFTER MQA, was when I altered the bit rate to the highest settings with the Cambridge the SQ suffered. My main system being a Pulse Mini with LPS to the Yiggy is pretty limited as far as tweaking. I do not have Roon, and with the Innuos software the setting changes produce little if any change. @jbuhl I noticed your picture of Union Station, my son lives in Wheat Ridge. 2 years ago he rented the coffee bar that has the TT’s with Line Magnetic and Klipsch for his clients Christmas party. Regards , Mike B. |
The best resource I've ever seen about higher quality internet radio: https://www.hiresaudio.online/cd-quality-internet-radio/ Some of the 192k streams can be surprisingly good, and 320k streams can be excellent. It helps when they are streaming a track which was recorded/mastered really well in the first place. That part of the equation is arguably more critical than the bitrate/format. |
@996turbo911 , Thank you for the tip, I will check it out. BTW , you have a nice car. My favorite is the 917-10 that I watched Mark Donahue drive. My buddy took a pic of me helping Al Holbert push the Lowenbrau 962 into the garage at Riverside. I’m just an enthusiastic fan. Cheers , Mike B. |
