Streaming Tidal/Qbuzz Vs Internet Radio

I think Radio Paradise sounds pretty good but in my system Qobuz sounds best generally with Tidal being very close. 

I would expect the Innuos to be pretty good across the board.  Any chance they are not set to max resolution in the set up menu?  

My Vault 2 does not let me select quality but my Aurender does in the log in screen for paid services.   In fact i just checked mine and somehow Tidal was set to HiFi instead of Max  Must have happened at last update....  wondering if it's something simple

@buellrider97 

In my audio system, I listen to a few radio channels from time-to-time via Roon Nucleus Plus Music Server and Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Streaming DAC.  In my audio system, Tidal and Qobuz always sounds better than any of the radio channels to me.  Also, although I just recently did a big write-up on this forum about how much I liked the sound quality of Qobuz over Tidal through my audio system, turns out, I was wrong.  Ultimately, Tidal sounds best overall in my system.  I still use Qobuz when an album isn't available on Tidal.  Happy listening.    

buellrider97

why do some of the radio channels on my streamer sound better than Tidal or Qbuzz ? ... I listen to Radio Paradise and Dot 1 FM , and they have better sound quality than the paid services.

I'm not familiar with Dot 1 FM, but Radio Paradise sounds like it uses compression, even on its lossless streams. Many people prefer a compressed sound.

@buellrider97, FYI I have noticed the same thing on all three of my systems, which are vastly different other than all having Bluesound Streamers.  Radio Paradise also has wider and deeper soundstage.  According to my DAC, RP sample rates never exceed 44.1kHz (!?).

  I’m currently streaming with Innuos, to a Schiit Yiggy with a Gen 5 USB card. I’m using a Wireworld Starlight Platinum cable. Single ended from DAC to Rogue Hera to Rogue M-180’s dark. The sound of these stations Vs Tidal/Qbuzz is very noticeable. My DAC only has a couple of lights to show the streaming rate. Usually doesn’t change between the two. I don’t run ROON so I’m not getting much info. I have the streamer set to max resolution. I control this from my iPhone. The two brands of radio show a 192 Kbps frequency rate. Qbuzz shows 96 kHz /  24 bit. BTW I’m technically challenged. 😆 However my lesser system and my Headphone setup with the Project streamer and Audeze LCD’s is the same way. If the radio is compressed it certainly has better overall clarity , soundstage and depth. However the other 98% of the stations I’ve tried certainly fall short of Tidal/Qbuzz. Maybe I’m to ignorant to understand what’s in play , but it certainly sounds better. 

buellrider97

The sound of these stations Vs Tidal/Qbuzz is very noticeable ... The two brands of radio show a 192 Kbps frequency rate. 

That’s not just compressed audio, that’s lossy compression, like mp3 files.

Qbuzz shows 96 kHz /24 bit.

Those are presumably hi-res files. (It’s spelled Qobuz, btw.)

If the radio is compressed it certainly has better overall clarity, soundstage and depth.

Some people prefer compressed audio. There’s nothing wrong with that preference. You might try listening to a Radio Paradise lossless FLAC stream. It would be interesting to see if you prefer that to the lo-res stream.

@cleeds Thanks for schooling me. I smoked too much pot in the 70’s and default to BUZZ over BUZ. 😆 I’m not tech savvy and I appreciate your gracious guidance. I have a few Radio Paradise ( 320k aac ) stations tagged as well. The two stations sound similar to me. I prefer Dot 1 based on their song selection. I’ll spend some time trying to discern a difference. I do like the sound and because I liked it more ASSUMED it was better rather than different. Always something to learn. Regards , Mike B. 

@buellrider97 I’m glad to hear Internet Radio discussed on the forum. It’s all I stream for music. I like Dot.1 stations as well, for the same reasons. I also find the  ABC Jazz station very entertaining, that’s Australian Broadcasting Co. [not sure if it’s a company or a corporation). I run a Yggdrasil as well, and if you get up really close, the lights tell you whether it’s 41 or 48 base frequency, and then what multiple of that base frequency. Or at least my original Yggdrasil did, my new downsized version is showing both 41 and 48 lit up playing ABC Jazz which streams at 64 Kbps AAC. The DAC in my McIntosh SACD player reports 44.1 Kbps for the same stream, but I have seen it come across at 176 Kbps or so, which, when I worked it out corresponded with the multiple reported on the old Yggdrasil.

So, what I’m saying is that the speed stream as reported by the source may not be the same as the speed of the stream your pre-amp / amp is receiving. I think my Yggdrasil automatically upsamples the stream, although I think Schiit recently added the ability to turn the upsampling off. 
I can’t speak to the compression issue. I heard that engineers make wide use of compression and expansion in the recording and/or mastering process. 
Other than that, Internet radio sounds pretty good on my equipment, to my ears (which aren’t very sophisticated). Only when I start hearing static, or the music starts to sound ragged around the edges do I have to change the station. My biggest rap against the Internet Radio is the same one I have against the broadcast stations— a limited selection of music! I’ll never forget one of my co-workers exclaiming one day, “Change the tapes, why don’t ha!” talking to station that played Rolling Sones every Tuesday at 2:00p. 
Have a great night listening to music I am. 

@oldrooney Thanks for the info. My Yiggy is a low number A000058. Schitt was surprised how low of a number it was when I sent it in a few months ago. The original usb card was failing and wouldn’t connect with my streamer. They did the Gen 5 usb upgrade. When it came back it was in a new chassis with a new serial number and not in the original factory box I sent. I thought it was the wrong unit. So new box , new chassis, and new serial number. The old serial number sticker was on the build receipt and after 3 emails I never got a clear answer. I think it was damaged in transit and they just rebuilt it. I was also told that they stripped the screws on the inner chassis trying to upgrade it. I am so glad I didn’t try doing it myself. Anyway back to the thread. I was thinking about Supertramp COTC album and how the song “ School “ sounds. When I stream it in high resolution from Tidal or Qbuz , the crescendos sound more extended, almost distorted. With the radio stream it’s smoother, but maybe it’s subdued by the format. I’m digesting what Cleeds said , and it makes perfect sense. I regard myself as knowledgeable, and I’m definitely mistaken. I think the comment “ I need to learn how to listen “ definitely applies. Cheers , Mike B. 

   @cleeds   So I’m sitting here listening to Radio Paradise and the same channel comes at 192k Ogg/Vorbis and in FLAC + , so I’m sitting here doing an A/B comparison and I prefer the 192k over the FLAC +. I’m also realizing how ignorant I am in regards to streaming. But I don’t know what I don’t know. What’s nice is I’ve reached about 200 hrs on freshly rebuilt amps and new tubes and I’m really starting to hear the subtle differences. Wife leaves tomorrow for two weeks and I can set up the recently acquired gear in an optimal situation that totally violates the Wife Factor. Thanks again , life is good. 

buellrider97

... doing an A/B comparison and I prefer the 192k over the FLAC ...

That is cool there's no issue with having a preference. 

You might want to consider that sometimes what sounds best short term is not what satisfies long term.

The man, William Goldsmith, has spent the last 20 years of his life dedicated to making Radio Paradise what it is today.  Check out this interview with him. Later in the vid he talks about his dedication to SQ.  

https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Path-Paradise-An-Interview-with-Radio-Paradise-Founder-William-Goldsmith.shtml