I spent some time trying to get my network bridge (ie. a streamer with no dac) to sound as good as my CD transport. I eventually achieved this through cables and adjusting settings on the bridge.
And so in theory there is no need for me to play CDs.
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HOWEVER, and it is a big however, the streaming services usually only have the most recent remastered version of an album for streaming. And for many albums, and in my experience for most albums outside of classical and jazz, the most recent remaster sounds considerably worse than older mastered versions of an album.
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The reason for this is that remasters are created to make recordings sound better through earbuds for modern ears, and for in-car play, they are not designed for high end audiophile equipment on which they often sound worse. This is due to the increased compression and loudness applied to a modern (post mid 90s) remaster.
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So: if your tastes include music from pre-2000 and you are not exclusively listening to jazz and classical you should invest in a CD transport and check out older masterings of CDs. Also have a network bridge to stream Qobuz to the DAC of course. In my experience the DAC is more significant here than the bridge.
The differences you hear between DACs or between streamers is nothing compared to the differences you hear between older and newer mastering iterations of an album. On streaming services you will usually only have the often sonically poorer most recent remaster whereas with a CD transport you can listen to any version you wish.
And so in theory there is no need for me to play CDs.
-
HOWEVER, and it is a big however, the streaming services usually only have the most recent remastered version of an album for streaming. And for many albums, and in my experience for most albums outside of classical and jazz, the most recent remaster sounds considerably worse than older mastered versions of an album.
- .
The reason for this is that remasters are created to make recordings sound better through earbuds for modern ears, and for in-car play, they are not designed for high end audiophile equipment on which they often sound worse. This is due to the increased compression and loudness applied to a modern (post mid 90s) remaster.
-
So: if your tastes include music from pre-2000 and you are not exclusively listening to jazz and classical you should invest in a CD transport and check out older masterings of CDs. Also have a network bridge to stream Qobuz to the DAC of course. In my experience the DAC is more significant here than the bridge.
The differences you hear between DACs or between streamers is nothing compared to the differences you hear between older and newer mastering iterations of an album. On streaming services you will usually only have the often sonically poorer most recent remaster whereas with a CD transport you can listen to any version you wish.