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 mkgus

Your experience doesn’t surprise me. I’ve had the same experience over and over. CD sounds better than streaming when comparing apples to apples (price, technology level, etc). I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule. Just follow your ears.