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  3. 165087-110341

More Detail From a CD?

So I think by most accounts here I'm a pretty entry-level audiophile. I've only gotten serious about my equipment over the last 4 years as budget allowed. But I've finally got a simple system I'll be happy with for a while. I have a Pass Labs XA30.5, a PS Audio Directstream DAC w/bridge, and Tekton Pendragon speakers. I've ripped (AIFF) my entire CD collection to a Drobo NAS and I stream through Tidal. Both of those go through Roon for convenience. But along the way I also picked up an NAD 516BEE CD player that I only used a couple of times before getting the Directstream DAC. I pulled it out the other day and played a few CDs and thought I was hearing more than from ripped or streaming. So I did A/B comparisons and to my ears there was definitely more detail. I really did not expect any difference as "digital is digital" but it was there. Would that be the consensus? I'd say I spent countless hours ripping for nothing but playlists are very convenient.
128x128ratboysr

Showing 1 response by james37

james37
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So the 'ripped' CD sounds more detailed than the same CD played through the NAD player.  I would think that a file played from a hard drive or flash drive would sound as good or better.  Could it be a difference in DAC's or interconnects?
I have an Arcam DV135 and I thought that CD's played through it sounded better than the same ripped CD played from a flash drive connected to a Bluesound Node 2.  I later got a Wadia 121 dac for the Bluesound and it and the Arcam are close in sound quality but different.

As far as streaming I agree with antigrunge2.  I have tried Deezer, Tidal, and Qobuz (all at cd-quality) and I like Qobuz the best.  Just wish they had playlists/channels as nice as Slacker (now LiveXLive).

I am window-shopping speakers and am thinking about the Tekton Pendragon; that is how I came across this thread.
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