Streaming Tidal/Qbuzz Vs Internet Radio

audiostick

... my DAC (LAIV Harmony) always shows nothing higher than 44.1kHz. The sound is fantastic, and I would assume that I am listening to something with higher resolution. Am I missing something here?

I don't think so. You're not going to get better than 44.1 from Radio Paradise.

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.

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.

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.