• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

David Chesky on Streaming Convenience vs Sound Quality

To be fair, I do prefer having music stored locally as well. Not because a lossless FLAC stored locally sounds any different than one streamed from Tidal, though.
 
“because I get more money” is his only honest answer. He’s not just an artist, but also the CEO of HDtracks :facepalm:

Damn you @Madlop26 ;)
I admit I have spent close to $1000 on HDtracks, I did multiple comparative testing to CD versions, after many months of trying (volume level matching was challenging) I could not tell a clear difference at the end; I conclude my hearing is not at audiophile level, so I stop buying HD tracks. haha
 
I admit I have spent close to $1000 on HDtracks, I did multiple comparative testing to CD versions, after many months of trying (volume level matching was challenging) I could not tell a clear difference at the end; I conclude my hearing is not at audiophile level, so I stop buying HD tracks. haha
Well that's the thing: no one's hearing is actually at audiophile level. And you don't want it to be, since that level of hearing generally involves hearing things that aren't actually there. It's quite handy for selling heavily marked up gear and reselling people their music over again.
 
Now I have to unsubscribe after reading so much nonsense...

I got as far as the end of his opening paragraph, I knew enough by that point to realise he’s disappeared up his own arse
 
The real mystery to me is that when we capture both files in a Digital Audio Workstation, they null out. So what causes the difference in sound? Even though it’s a digital signal, could it be some triboelectric effect over long wires? Could all the complex connections across the web be picking up electrical noise along the way, degrading the sound during playback?
Naturally he’s ignoring the most likely explanation in favor of ludicrous theorizing.
 
Well obviously it's some triboelectric effect from the long wires. What other explanation could there possibly be? :facepalm:
 
After downloading and confirming that the files were identical, the streamed version still sounded different in real-time playback. Perhaps there's an "X factor" not yet captured in current scientific testing.

Dis is da best!! Identical yet different ;) ;)
 
I admit I thought about it too: CD or streaming or file? Which is the best. I have dedicated a lot of time and many tests have been done. Many systems have changed in my environment but above all the way of building and positioning the systems has changed over time.

The turntable is the only different one, if by different we want to consider a sound that is easily recognizable even with your eyes closed, without too much effort.
I have always thought that the CD, when well implemented, was superior to the "liquid" digital. Then I started using third millennium devices, and slowly I arrived at a substantial neutrality.
One thing I can say, however: my old, original CDs present some differences, compared to the same streaming songs. But I think these differences are more attributable to the quality of the recording/master, diffusion.
We have also seen some album reviews here on ASR where very often some frequencies are cut and leveled in the resampling.
But we are always talking about the seasoning of the dish. Let's say we have some spices and a pinch of salt more or less depending on the version, it's hard to say that the dish is ruined.

To all this has been added a fact in recent times. My ears and my hearing.
They are no longer what they once were, but are those of a forty-eight year old. I admit that I'm starting to re-evaluate, when I listening, that light patina of distortion that like a light November fog makes the contours of what you see fade.
Yes, I need a more relaxing, less detailed sound. I listen in the evening, usually, after long and boring days of work. I just want to relax now and, if I didn't have to get up every 15 minutes, I would put on a nice vinyl record and let myself be lulled by the clicks and pops that are so reminiscent of the crackling of a lit fireplace...

does streaming or file sound better? I'm not very interested in these issues anymore, I prefer to devour a few dozen good songs and go to bed with a smile... thinking about the next speakers to buy or a new modification in my room, to make it more friendly with my system...
even if I discovered scientifically tomorrow morning that a file is 0. % better than streaming, I wouldn't care, my listening experience would remain almost identical... I repeat, it's like having two more rosemary needles on the Florentine steak...
I think that the average level of digital of each format is now totally very high, and that finding and looking for differences between competent digital devices has become very difficult...
 
a, I forgot, the intervention made by the gentleman and reported by the op... sorry, I got carried away by the keyboard!
Is he right, is he wrong?
Is the concept correct or wrong?
I don't know, it's not up to me to judge other people's experiences.
I think that as for each of us, there is enough scientific evidence that can explain in good part every result obtained.
Everyone is free to stick to this evidence or if they are prepared enough, bring new, proven and scientifically contextualized evidence though.
Otherwise there remains one more reading to do, one more story to read from which to take inspiration and compare peacefully. An everyday fact, in short...
 
65 with slight tinnitus here and all of this seems quite moot. Redbook level reproduction works just fine for me. No need to purchase HD Tracks or any more SACDs. I've even given up on Spotify ever implementing hi-res. And still enjoying LPs and cassettes quite often. It's all good. Just enjoy the music!
 
What credibility?
I wonder if this is somehow to help his son sell speakers that might not measure well.
Fascinating that he did a null test which produced no difference yet he still believes.
Agreed! I stumbled across a difference between streaming high res and physical media based with the watermarking on the streaming…

 
The speaker that his son is selling

That actually looks interesting. $1000/pair, US made, 8” woofer…

“Chesky’s exposure to advanced damping materials at Princeton’s labs inspired him to incorporate these into 3D-printed cabinetry to create a more optimized loudspeaker housing, free from the resonances that can impact a speaker’s performance. And, from what we’ve seen and heard so far, he seems to be onto something.”

They went for 83 dB efficiency to get the bass output needed. Not a bad idea given readily available power.


Playing Devil’s Advocate, this could be an elaborate marketing plan for the speaker company. Say something outlandish, get people to talk about it on YouTube and message boards like this, and then it is easy to later fix it and say there is no difference once we discovered “x” difference in the two setups.

David Chesky regains his credibility. Lucca Chesky got publicity…
 
Okay, put away the torches and pitch forks a moment. I'm just asking a question. Is it just remotely possible he's experiencing re-clocking problems in his streaming set-up which he does not experience with local files? As for the two being identical, is it also possible the manner in which he made the comparison might remove (i.e., ignore) re-clocking errors? Filling a bucket from a well is not the same as filling it from a firehose, but once in the bucket, water is water.

I'm very likely wrong granting absolution, but I prefer not jumping the gun (and shark) just because something activates my BS detector.
 
This makes as much sense as saying my $10 is numerically different if I deposit the cash by ATM versus the same amount by internet transfer.

Interesting:rolleyes:.....send $10 to my PayPal account [email protected] and I will test your hypothesis

;)
 
Back
Top Bottom