Well he did just join today. Perhaps he's gone to the washroom. Or maybe we'll never hear from him,her, it again
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If Bits are Bits
- Thread starter Takaya
- Start date
fpitas
Master Contributor
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
Same mastering played back at the same volume?
Well... once your brain has experienced the idea of physical media being superior, it takes more than common sense to reprogram it.
Not that you necessarily should try to do that. If there's some nostalgia or tactile feel to CDs, that enhances your listening experience, I don't see any reason to avoid it.
No different form lighting a scented candle.
AudiOhm
Senior Member
I can only comment on "bits are bits", what else could they be...
Ohms
Ohms
- Thread Starter
- #25
Sorry folks, my first post. I had a 20+ year old Micromega Stage 6, Now a Bryston BCD-3, First DAC was a Halide HD, was better than Apple headphone jack, then upgraded to lindemann limetree network streamer. i prefer my Dacs to be in the same box as the CD/network device. I am just looking for reasons why the CD player is bang on, and the streamer/dac does not have the same great sound. Are they not both 44.1/16?? There are a few youtubers that love CD's over Streaming for the sound. There has to be a reason. Oh i am using Tidal 44.1 service. Maybe someone can science an answer. Hint intended Amir.
- Thread Starter
- #26
I'm thinking you are correct, but why would they degrade the sound knowing audiophiles are using their service.
fpitas
Master Contributor
That's easy: bandwidth costs money.
Welcome to ASR. You've made an unsupported assertion that most people in this science-oriented forum would disagree with. Please don't take the reactions as overtly hostile. Please do engage with the membership to find an objective, controlled method to support or discard your hypothesis. We'd love to have you, but if all you want is a) to fight or b) to have others cheerlead for your subjective views, I'd suggest you get out now.
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On the subject of streaming quality vs CD, there is a pretty good thread here with some measured evaluation.
tl;dr bit perfect if played from the same master, but very often different master recordings.
tl;dr bit perfect if played from the same master, but very often different master recordings.
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- Thread Starter
- #30
It works, But i really had no idea the post would get responses so quick
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- Thread Starter
- #33
Seriously not trolling, just looking for a science answer.
Welcome to ASR. Don't take us too seriously if you are sincere and not trolling. Many of us Americans have a Thanksgiving day hangover on Black Friday - even if we didn't drink alcohol with our massive turkey dinners yesterday.
Sarcasm however, is my default settingDonR
Major Contributor
The best approach, scientifically, would be to rip the CD and compare both the ripped version and the CD through the same DAC. Most DACs are fairly transparent now but you may have one that isn't quite. Streaming services are rarely bit identical to the CD for the reasons mentioned above.
The science question is missing though. So back to the drawing board for you I’m afraid.
Good luck!
But seriously, the first question should be: are the bits the same bits? Streaming services usually only have one version of an album, and usually they are recent (remasters). Most people with a lot of CD’s had them for decades. Fact is that between then and now, there may have been half a dozen rereleases, and none of them are the same. Just check https://dr.loudness-war.info/ , and see how the dynamic range changed throughout the years. Usually the older releases have the better DR.
Now if you rip your CD’s properly and use a streamer to play the same files, they shouldn’t sound any different.
And if the streaming service has the same master as your CD, I would also not expect any difference, especially when using a lossless service.
Also, read up on how to do a proper listening test. Just a casual listen is not good enough. You’ll need to have some basic controls in place to remove your own biases.
Now if you rip your CD’s properly and use a streamer to play the same files, they shouldn’t sound any different.
And if the streaming service has the same master as your CD, I would also not expect any difference, especially when using a lossless service.
Also, read up on how to do a proper listening test. Just a casual listen is not good enough. You’ll need to have some basic controls in place to remove your own biases.
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