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Sound quality issues streaming from Tidal vs CD

I am hoping someone familiar with streaming from Tidal might be able to help.

I have recently installed the Pro-Ject Streambox S2 Ultra, which is a small Raspberry Pi based network bridge. I connect this to my router via ethernet cable and to my Vitus DAC (which is part of the CD player) via USB. My CD player obviously outputs through the same DAC.

The sound quality from CD is so much better than the sound quality from Tidal (I am a Tidal Hifi subscriber).

So my questions are:

1. Is this just a feature of streaming via the internet, it simply is not as good as a good quality CD transport?
2. Or is it an issue with the Pro-Ject - would something like the Autralic Aries G2 (also a network bridge with no DAC) which costs 6 times the price of the Pro-Ject, improve the Tidal stream?
3. Or is it the fact that the USB cable I am using is an entry-level £10 cable?
4. Or is it Tidal? - would Qobuz sound better?

Any advice or knowledge would be welcome.
128x128duckworp

Showing 7 responses by duckworp

duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@big_greg - my internet connection is wired. The Project stream box ultra is a budget network bridge (around $1000) whereas the Vitus CD player is high-end gear. Maybe that is the issue: a top cd transport vs a budget network transport.

I had had not considered the router - what qualities are required for optimal Tidal delivery?
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
Thanks for all your very informative replies. I will certainly try some of the ideas you put forward. Fortunately I don’t get drop out problems with Tidal, the issues are just in sound quality: compared to the CD the music has grit, the top end is not clean, the bass less defined, the music is flatter with no depth. Hopefully with some of your suggestions I can improve this. If not I may have to invest in a better quality network bridge streamer. The DAC I have in the Vitus is very very good, so I will continue to use that, but perhaps I will need to investigate what alternatives there are in the streamers that have no DAC.
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@worldwidewholesales
Is a streamer the same as a server?

i was thinking of demoing an AURALiC Aries G2 - are there others you can recommend to replace the Pro-ject?
I do not need a hard drive nor a DAC. 
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@worldwidewholesales 

thanks for your considered reply. One thing I don’t understand: in my chain (router to Pro-Ject Streambox to DAC) which is the server?
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@worldwidewholesales 
Please could you explain the difference between a streamer and a server?  

I do think the terminology in streaming is wanting.  Sometimes a streamer contains a dac, sometimes it doesn’t (when it sometimes is referred to as a network bridge) sometimes it is a pre-amp too, often it isn’t.  Sometimes it has a hard drive (is that when it becomes a server?).
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
Yes thanks. 
duckworp's avatar
duckworp OP
257 posts
 
@sfine0, please could you explain where a switch sits in the system and it’s function? At present my line of wired connections is modem to router to streamer to dac.  My streamer user interface system communicates to the router via WiFi and hence to the streamer via the wired connection.  
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