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CD Quality Versus Streaming Quality

I realize this will be a contentious subject, and far be it from me to challenge any of the many expert opinions on this forum, but if I may offer my feedback vis-a-vis what I am hearing, and gain some knowledge in the process.

i will begin saying that my digital front end setup is not state of the art, but i have had the good fortune to listen to a number of really high-end systems. I guess the number one deficit in my digital front end is a streamer server, and no question about it that will improve the sound.

My CD player is a universal player; Pioneer BDP-09fd. It uses Wolfson DACs. It has been modified to a degree. I have bought and sold other players, but kept this one, because it has a beautiful sound that serves the music well.

Recently, i ventured over to my son’s place and we hooked up my player (he doesn’t have one and rely’s on streaming only) We compared tracks / albums of CD quality and master quality streamed on Tidal with ‘redbook’ CDs I have. For example, some Lee Ritenaur CDs and some Indian classical and the wonderful Mozart and Chopin.
His system is highly resolving.

we were both very surprised to find the CDs played on the player to be the better sound. And not just by a little. The sound was clearly superior, with higher resolution and definition, spatial ques, much better and clearer imaging. Very surprising indeed. Shouldn’t there be no difference? This would suggest the streaming service is throttling the bandwidth or compressing the signal?

i am most interested to hear others’ observations, and suggestions as to why this might be? I do love the convenience aspect of streaming, but it IS expensive for a chap like me of fairly modest means. The Tidal HiFi topline service is $30 per month I believe, something the good lady is not too thrilled about. God forbid I should suggest Roon on top of that I may likely get my walking papers. I jest, but only partially LoL. My point is, if I pay this sort of money, isn’t it fair to expect sound to equal the digital stream from the CD player and silver disc?
Thoughts?

AK





4afsanakhan
sd40
40 posts
 
I have a correction to a make (the hazards of writing stuff without checking my notes): The problem with the 1994 Genesis "Definitive Edition" remasters was excessive use of noise reduction.  Their dynamic range was actually pretty respectable.  The heavy-handedness of the noise reduction varied from album to album, with Wind and Wuthering being one of the least affected.
It was the 2007-2008 remasters found on CD and SACD that are generally reviled for their excessive compression and loudness, plus the fact that they are remixed as well.  Circa 2017 releases by Rhino apparently use the 2007-08 mastering.
I replaced the 1994 remasters with mid-1980s releases by Atlantic/Atco and Virgin/Charisma.  An exception is the DCC gold CD of "From Genesis to Revelation."
Phil Collins' "Testify" CD (Atlantic, 2002) has the dubious distinction of the worst dynamic range in my collection--average DR5, ranging from DR4 to DR6.  Five of twelve tracks clip.  Here is an artist who clearly is gunning for the earbud market.



georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 


Phil Collins’ "Testify" CD (Atlantic, 2002) has the dubious distinction of the worst dynamic range in my collection--average DR5, ranging from DR4 to DR6. Five of twelve tracks clip. Here is an artist who clearly is gunning for the earbud market.

I wouldn’t be too hasty to blame the artist even though he’s probably very deaf after all that drumming, more the ones behind him and the ones behind the re-release marketing getting everything compressed, aiming for the earbud/ipod/car/background music. Trouble is, it’s these later re-issues, that the streaming/download companies use to sell to the public!!

Cheers George
highend4me's avatar
highend4me
16 posts
 
Bob Stuart (May, 2017):

"MQA provides the opportunity to deliver the exact sound heard from the real master without actually putting the crown jewels out there to be stolen."

Protecting the "crown jewels" (maintaining control) was the whole pitch to the labels.

Streaming is a convenience, not a replacement for CD. You only need to look so far as eBay and the like, to see how many pre-owned streamers are for sale.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
"MQA provides the opportunity to deliver the exact sound heard from the real master without actually putting the crown jewels out there to be stolen."

Errr,  I don’t think so, just these couple that are downloadable are squashed (compressed) pretty hard also
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=&album=MQA
Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Just to show that the "non mqa" earlier Don Henley Building the perfect beast cd had far more dynamics, the MQA compressed one, Tidal for once being an exception .
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Don+Henley&album=Building+the+Perfect+Beast

And the same with George Harrison Cloud Nine, nothing touches the early cd recordings
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=George+Harrison&album=Cloud+Nine

Cheers George
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