CD Quality Versus Streaming Quality

Streaming is wonderful for discovering new music much like Youtube.  However as has been stated previously your listening to overly compressed music where much of the detail has been lost. The music supplied by Tidal/Quboz are not original mixes/masters that were mostly carefully done in the 1980's by people like George Marino at Sterling Sound. Your getting what the Record Labels are currently supplying which is Remastered crapola.  Do your research instead of spreading myths.  Go buy a 1985 CD of any title you want...compare the DR to your streaming options. I doubt any of these streaming guys have ever heard a TOTL Esoteric/MSB/Luxman/DCS system with Original master recordings. Your in denial or just plain lazy. In todays world everybody wants convenience and not quality.  One of the Posters put a link in as to declining CD sales....so what does that mean?? Did you do that to prove your point that the masses are turning away from CD's because of the sound quality? Going by that logic I guess since Britney Spears has sold more Records/CD's than most of the Classic Rock bands I grew up listening to she's more talented?? LOL  

Since 1987 I have been dealing with Hundreds of people in the music industry from every possible avenue...Recording Engineers, Producers, A+R, etc  Thats how Ive gotten over 9000 Gold/Platinum Record awards (Featured on my Facebook page). These people will tell you exactly what I said above. You arent getting the Primo original recordings....especially since the Fire 15 years ago where a Huge portion of the Universal Archives went up in smoke.  You do know that there are only 3 Major Record Companies left right???...and the largest one lost Thousands and Thousands of the Masters before streaming even existed.  So what copies do you think you are listening to?? HIGH RES means nothing if the Source has been compromised.   Your never going to find the best recordings streaming for titles prior to the turn of the century.  You spend so much time stressing over your gear and what amp to pair with your speakers, cables etc....but then completely DROP THE BALL and cant be bothered to listen to the best sound possible of your favorite recordings.  In my book thats doing yourself a grave injustice. Convenience + Quality is rarely  synonymous and it sure isnt in this hobby but hey believe what you want. Your paying for your own ignorance/false beliefs based on no factual foundation.

Thanks for the Link George. That is indeed DISTURBING.  Especially the QOBUZ one. Has almost the worst score possible and losses over 1/3 of the Values of the CD's from 1985/86. Ignore science people at your own peril.

As to the gentlemen that said his streaming service is as good as his buddies K-01XD. Well if they are exactly the same that proves my point. The K-01XD is not the TOTL Esoteric model....its not even the best All in one Box Model. That would be the Grandioso which is MUCH better and should be for the extra 10K. Then you have the 2 Box Esoteric Model which is better than that. Does your buddy have the MASTER CLOCK to go with his K-01XD?? If not that also brings his player to another level. So if your streamer is exactly the same as his BASE MODEL K-01XD your streamer doesnt beat the TOTL Esoteric Spinners....nor will it beat the MSB/DCS which are on a completely different level. Many prefer the Laid back presentation of the LUXMAN D-10X to the Esoteric K-01XD so there's another one for you.

Only way streaming will be better is if the Record Companies find replacements for all the Master Recordings that have either been lost, burned up in the fire already mentioned OR start buying up the digital transfers they started doing back in the early 1980's....and then dont compress them to death. (Good luck with that). My guess is that NONE of the above ever happen.  Im certainly not talking about recordings made in the past 20 years which I care nothing about at all.

When the streaming services start offering up all the Quadraphonic, Audio Fidelity, Mobile Fidelity, Analog Productions, DCC, Intervention Records, Rhino and Dutton/Vocalion recordings....and all those to follow...then I might just have to subscribe. Im sure most of these probably arent on any of those services.

The following info is over a decade old. Just an example of how many times the record labels have Remastered (Messed with) a particular recording. God only know how many MORE times since then when Streaming became the "norm".  Which version(s) are offered on your service??

Bruce Springsteen Born To Run masterings and their DR Values.
                              . EAC levels : 60.5, 75.3, 52.2, etc.

1. All have 35DP-21 in the matrix and should have pre-emphasis.
   -Original Japanese issue with catalog number 35DP 21.
   -Japan-for-U.S. pressing with catalog number CK 33795, Matrix 35DP-21 41A2
   -Japan-for-Europe pressing with catalog number CDCBS 80959.
   
   2. EAC levels: 73.4, 89.4, 69.8, etc.
   Made in USA by Digital Audio Corp Matrix: DIDP 50021 21A3
   
   
   3. EAC levels: 93.5, 99.9, 86.4, etc.
   Japan 32DP
   Japan 25DP
   Made in Switzerland Matrix 33 795 1124 263 01
   Made in USA Matrix 1A CK33795 15B
   Made in USA Matrix DIDP 050021 4
   Made in USA Matrix DIDP 050021 -05
   Made in USA by Digital Audio Corp Matrix: DIDP 50021 21B1
   Made in USA by Digital Audio Corp Matrix: DIDP 50021 21B10
   
   4. EAC levels: 93.2, 97.2, 97.2, etc.
   -Mastersound Gold CK 52859
   -COL 511301 2 [Made in Austria, Red Columbia label on CD itself. Matrix: S0148041610-0101 25 or -0101 31]
   -SRCS 7907 Mini LP CD -Made in Japan (1997)
   
   5. EAC levels: 98.4, 98.8, 97.8, etc.
   CK 94175 from the 30th Anniversary boxset remaster
   
   6. EAC levels: 99.9, 99.9, 99.9, etc.
   MHCP 723 Mini LP CD - Made in Japan (2005)

These are all SACD or BLU-RAY companies...which is why I mentioned them. Audio Fidelity, Mobile Fidelity, Analog Productions, DCC, Intervention Records, Rhino and Dutton/Vocalion recordings

Money has nothing to do with it...in my case anyway.  If I wanted to spend another 20K-30K on a TOTL streamer its no big deal. I rather handpick the best possible recordings available WITHOUT resorting to Vinyl or Reel to Reel which are the best mediums hands down IMO. Dont have the space (or the back) to manage those collections.

Whats the point in me spending 6 figures on a system and then I feed it overcompressed inferior recordings for the most part? I primarily listen to Classic Rock so Im behind the 8 Ball already as far as quality and care put into recordings at their inception (Dire Straits and Alan Parsons notwithstanding).   I have no issues with people that dont want to do the homework or put in the effort to search them out. Maybe their hearing is shot due to age or other factors and they cant notice a difference between different mixes/masterings. More power to them. They can use all the extra cash on other pleasurable pursuits.  I really dont think there is a right way or wrong way. Like everything else its personal choice and whatever works for you is whats best.  I dont get the personal attacks at all on this issue.  People wouldnt be spending $250 each for Black Sabbath Japanese SACD's as an example if they sounded the same as whats being offered by Tidal/Qobuz etc.

I find it amusing that Mr Prentice gives a thumbs up to somebody that doesnt even list what CD Player or DAC is being used for the comparison. As long as somebody agrees with you WHO CARES right?? :)

Given the components offered Im pretty sure that a High End CD Player (Esoteric/MSB/DCS/Luxman/Gryphon etc) isnt being used for the comparison. Probably an OPPO or some other mediocre piece of gear in the chain.
If your gonna do a fair shootout one way or the other by all means use high end products that are at the top of the spectrum for BOTH types.
Mike at Suncoast for example has a VERY diverse group of High End Brands at his disposal. MSB, Esoteric, Aurender, TAIKO, T+A and 40-50 other brands

He will be more than happy to tell you that with his TOTL Gear he prefers CD’s over streaming services. He has mentioned it on several occasions on the Audio Shark Forums. Again just one mans opinion BUT at least he has the best of the best gear on hand to make his call. If he went the other way and preferred streaming I wouldnt question him at all....and maybe that will happen in the future somehow. Just dont see how those services are ever going to be able to offer the best possible recordings given their limitations of being fed whatever the Record labels CURRENTLY have at their disposal.
Grannyring....Completely agree that having all that "unknown" music at your disposal is a Godsend.  I currently use YOUTUBE to discover stuff from the 70's I never heard of (Mostly Progressive Rock from European countries that flew under the radar back in the day).  Not sure how much of that is in Qobuz/Tidal but Yep it sure would save a bundle of cash vs Buying the Scarce CD's that in many cases are only available from Europe/Japan Sellers. The postage itself is a KILLER anymore buying Overseas only CD's.

Red,
Your ASSUMING that the labels arent giving the services the data. Perhaps the info IS given and the services are choosing not to give you that info. Could be they dont WANT you to see the data so you cant do your due diligence and compare different master/remaster versions.  Certainly not saying this is true but it is in the realm of possibility.

Ive got 6 or 7 Oppo’s. Ive heard em as is...not even close..not even in the same state let alone the same ballpark. Wish I had your ears cause I would save a ton of cash. Sucks to be me!! Good for you thou...Congrats

I still have SEALED Oppo 105D's from back in the day. When OPPO announced they were no longer making the 203/205's I purchased about 15 of the 205's from my Local Best Buy as well as the store Demo Models. Flipped most of them for around $3200 each. Still have a bunch laying around collecting dust. Only use to me is as a Transport for Multi Channel purposes. Bypass the mediocre Dac completely.

  Dac Chips are a thing of the past. Not gonna find any High End Dac's or CD players that use them anymore.  Its good to be content with what you have. You'll retire earlier in life that way.

Why dont you just send him a Private Message to begin with??