[Huck]

 Since I bought my streamer 15 months ago,I have not really spun any CD's,maybe to compare streamed vs CD version of a particular title.
I did some listening last night and I was listening to "Animals" by Pink Floyd in Amazon Ultra HD streamed version(24/192) on my main speaker rig and it sounded 'not right',when I thought of the sound of my first issue CD...it's hard to describe. I thought the higher bit-rate was supposed to be 'superior' to just a 'regular' CD?!
 This has happened to other tracks I have listened to (streamed),for which I own the CD of.....streamed versions sound like something is missing,again,hard to describe.
Sorry,I am an old dog and not really up on all this digital lingo and bits and bites,as I go by what I hear,not what the numbers tell me.
Some streamed tracks sound excellent and others,meh.Maybe those ones that sound good are new music I have never heard before,so maybe that's why?!!
Does anyone here who streams hear the same thing from time to time?.Huck

[dpatters]

I ditched my music server several years ago and went back to CDs and vinyl. Bought a dedicated CD transport and DAC, put a new cartridge on my table and have never looked back. I never thought streaming SQ was as good as spinning the CDs or the vinyl.

Don P

[Digi-G]

First, I assume the HD tracks weren't a remix.  That would definitely make things sound different.  Intentionally so.

Next, can you put your finger on what was "not right"?  I wouldn't be surprised if you're hearing compression artifacts - I would think an HD file would be compressed even more than a CD quality file if you're streaming, almost negating any benefit from being HD.  I don't know, I'm not an expert on these things either.

I don't stream music, but if the picture on my tv when I stream is any indication, I can see a definite quality difference when streaming.  The picture and the colors aren't as defined and stable.  I think it's one of those things you get used to and accept but the difference is obvious to me.

Hope you figure it out... good luck.

[rbbert]

Properly set up streaming from local files equals or perhaps slightly exceeds disc playback in sound quality.  This is a totally different thing than streaming from an internet source, which introduces several more potential negative influences on the end result.

I ditched vinyl over 20 years ago and have never looked back.  As one can see in my profile, I have pretty good R2R and digital playback (from both disc and local network)

[Huck]

First, I assume the HD tracks weren't a remix.  That would definitely make things sound different.  Intentionally so.

Next, can you put your finger on what was "not right"?  I wouldn't be surprised if you're hearing compression artifacts - I would think an HD file would be compressed even more than a CD quality file if you're streaming, almost negating any benefit from being HD.  I don't know, I'm not an expert on these things either.

I don't stream music, but if the picture on my tv when I stream is any indication, I can see a definite quality difference when streaming.  The picture and the colors aren't as defined and stable.  I think it's one of those things you get used to and accept but the difference is obvious to me.

Hope you figure it out... good luck.

I could never describe properly into words what my music sounds like,or what I dislike, but I usually use the terms 'flat' and 'lifeless' or 'AM radio' to describe a "meh" title.
I always thought(read) that hi res supposed to be the "cats pyjamas",but not sure,although some tracks sound excellent....weird?! Huck

[jtcf]

I have the same experience. Unless one wants to invest in a really good streamer and dac then it's not unusual for some music to sound rather generic. I'm ok with that and stream to discover new music that I might like to own the physical media of.Stuck in my old school ways I guess:-)

[Huck]

I have the same experience. Unless one wants to invest in a really good streamer and dac then it's not unusual for some music to sound rather generic. I'm ok with that and stream to discover new music that I might like to own the physical media of.Stuck in my old school ways I guess:-)

 In my limited knowledge about all things digital,I don't think a really good streamer and dac would do it.Ever hear the term "garbage in,garbage out"?
That's my opinion of course.Thanks,Huck

[rbbert]

I think "garbage in" is by far an oversimplification.  Yes, there is no doubt that much of today's overmastered sound is "garbage", but that is also true for CD's and local files (and even some LP's).  I think there is also little doubt that the transmission chain from music file to DAC output has many variables that affect the resulting sound to varying degrees, otherwise we would all be listening only to our phones.

[wushuliu]

Since I bought my streamer 15 months ago,I have not really spun any CD's,maybe to compare streamed vs CD version of a particular title.
I did some listening last night and I was listening to "Animals" by Pink Floyd in Amazon Ultra HD streamed version(24/192) on my main speaker rig and it sounded 'not right',when I thought of the sound of my first issue CD...it's hard to describe. I thought the higher bit-rate was supposed to be 'superior' to just a 'regular' CD?!
 This has happened to other tracks I have listened to (streamed),for which I own the CD of.....streamed versions sound like something is missing,again,hard to describe.
Sorry,I am an old dog and not really up on all this digital lingo and bits and bites,as I go by what I hear,not what the numbers tell me.
Some streamed tracks sound excellent and others,meh.Maybe those ones that sound good are new music I have never heard before,so maybe that's why?!!
Does anyone here who streams hear the same thing from time to time?.Huck

I have done round robins of streamers over the years and personally I found Amazon one of the worst sounding of the lot. Fact is when it comes to streamers we have absolutely *zero* transparency as to how the music was provided, the mastering, the compression, etc. No transparency. All we have is whatever the sales pitch is and what's on the tag when we hit play. And this includes some of people's faves like Qobuz, who IMO do a little fiddling on the back end to appeal to audiophiles.

I suggest folks demo different streamers if sq is a priority.

[Huck]

Properly set up streaming from local files equals or perhaps slightly exceeds disc playback in sound quality.  This is a totally different thing than streaming from an internet source, which introduces several more potential negative influences on the end result.

I ditched vinyl over 20 years ago and have never looked back.  As one can see in my profile, I have pretty good R2R and digital playback (from both disc and local network)

Thanks,Huck

[Huck]

I have the same experience. Unless one wants to invest in a really good streamer and dac then it's not unusual for some music to sound rather generic. I'm ok with that and stream to discover new music that I might like to own the physical media of.Stuck in my old school ways I guess:-)

All my main listening gear all belong basically to the quality/price family,so if I were to replace my current streamer and DAC with something better quality and more money (that goes without saying),that would throw off the balance,so I will just put up with some inferior sounding streamed "meh" tunes,although most sound pretty good.Huck