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.
Streaming Tidal/Qbuzz Vs Internet Radio
My question is, why do some of the radio channels on my streamer sound better than Tidal or Qbuzz ? I have an Innuos streamer to a Schiit Yiggy and subscribe to both Tidal and Qbuzz. I listen to Radio Paradise and Dot 1 FM , and they have better sound quality than the paid services. Although this is not the case with most radio stations these two sound very good to me. Granted they play at a slightly higher volume, but when I adjust for this I still get a better soundstage, more detail and greater bass. When I play the radio channels on my small system I have to lower the subwoofer volume. On my larger system I do not run subs. So I’m curious if you’ve noticed this too, and any explanations would be appreciated. Cheers , Mike B.
Showing 5 responses by buellrider97
@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. |
@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. |
As I’ve demonstrated in this thread I’m not that knowledgeable about platforms. I have a few random pieces one being a Project Stream Box Ultra II and the other a Cambridge DAC Magic 200M. MQA was still functional on Tidal and I used the pair to stream to my Audeze LCD’s. I could tell occasionally with MQA, but didn’t devote much time to comparing. My main DAC is a Schiit Yiggy which doesn’t support MQA. I’m not sure when I did play with MQA if it was fully unfolded. What I did notice AFTER MQA, was when I altered the bit rate to the highest settings with the Cambridge the SQ suffered. My main system being a Pulse Mini with LPS to the Yiggy is pretty limited as far as tweaking. I do not have Roon, and with the Innuos software the setting changes produce little if any change. @jbuhl I noticed your picture of Union Station, my son lives in Wheat Ridge. 2 years ago he rented the coffee bar that has the TT’s with Line Magnetic and Klipsch for his clients Christmas party. Regards , Mike B. |