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CD or Streaming... am I missing out?

I listen to CD in my headphone office system. Use a Theta Compli transport and a very nice and pricey tube 16/44 DAC. Have thought about a streaming capability and all its benefits but am both limited by SPDF and by 16/44 only. I also love the analog sound of my tube DAC. Does streaming sound far surpass CD? Am I missing out?
mglik
dankeschon
3 posts
 

The pros and cons with Streaming and Pc/Computer music is that you can mix and choose various artists and playlists, but a Big Con is that you loose the Album feeling from Cd and LP.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,662 posts
 
 

bezmania

... the CD player sounds substantially better than the Qobuz FLAC at the same sample rate. Beter soundstage, better definition. How? Why? If i assume that Qobuz doesn’t f*ck up the ripping proces, why is there such a difference?

Qobuz doesn’t rip files, it receives digital files directly from the record companies. When comparing a streamed file to a CD, it’s often difficult (if not impossible) to determine whether they actually came from the same digital master. So many recordings have been remastered that making comparisons such as yours is a tricky business.

A lot depends on the quality of the streamer, too, and the rest of your digital connection.

quinster
10 posts
 

On my gear, CDs sound far better. If something I like is not available on CD, I buy and burn the AIFFs to CDr. A bit Luddite-ish, I know.

Post removed 
wsrrsw's avatar
wsrrsw
894 posts
 

 

@jafant

“No- streaming does not surpass the CD.”

In some cases/setups this is/isn’t so.

Lot’s of variables but with a high bit rate on a good/great system steaming has arrived equaling or surpassing CD’s. YMMV.

To dial in steaming getting results of par with high end vinyl or redbook (44,100 kHz) requires a top DAC (internal in streamer or separate), ethernet and the usual goodies but so do all other formats to sound amazing. 
 

On Qobuz music files start out at

16-Bit CD Quality
44.1 kHz - Stereo

and go to

24-Bit
192 kHz - Stereo (lossless files)

Just had a hard core vinyl fiend over. He zinged all over the music universe. He quipped the CD day’s are numbered. Could be? I ripped all the ones I had and sold my CD player (Thanks A Gone).

It’s just a matter of preferences and alas pocketbook girth.

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