Streaming vs Apple Lossless vs CD

[Boomer]

Hi everyone,

Ive got a question that has been bugging me. What in your opinion is best, high quality streaming, Apple lossles via DAC or Good quality cd player?

Things to consider are, the music streamer/device, Dac + Computer and Cd player are all of the same price so you have to bear that in mind.

Music streamer.

Dac and Computer.

CD Player.

Which combination is the best source(sound quality) and how can you describe your experiance?

Thanks in advance guys

 

[CnoEvil]

I prefer Streaming to CDPs and a Streamer over a Laptop and DAC...but that's me.

 

[Boomer]

I prefer Streaming to CDPs and a Streamer over a Laptop and DAC...but that's me.

And do you find that gives you greater sound quality or is it just more convenient?

 

[chebby]

No difference between CD and Apple lossless and that's my experience over three systems and 8 years since I started using a DAC.

 

[CnoEvil]

I prefer Streaming to CDPs and a Streamer over a Laptop and DAC...but that's me.

And do you find that gives you greater sound quality or is it just more convenient?

I think you get better sound quality from streaming.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Mmmm,I'm not so sure on this one.you can get a very good cd player for the price of a pc and dac.you did say best sq and not convenience.I suppose it depends on what and how much you want to spend . it's all subjective at the end of the day and your not going to get a definitive answer.VINYL!

 

[chebby]

Mmmm,I'm not so sure on this one.you can get a very good cd player for the price of a pc and dac.

Most people have a computer already - whether they have a hi-fi or not - so we shouldn't really count it's cost.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

For me CD trumps them all.

I use the dac in my modest av amp using digital coax out of the player (imo it sounds more refined than the one in my cdplayer the NAD c660 when I've toyed with the analog out) subtle differences but it sounds better.

I have tried various methods of soft sources via coax and HDMI 3mm Jack - I honestly don't know if it's expectation bias but cd's deliver in a way soft sources don't.

But those are my findings. I may be the equivalent of a vinyl enthusiast though.

 

[matthewpiano]

Vinyl wins the format sound quality battle for me, especially the way it sounds in my system at present.

After that, I think CD and streaming run each other closely for sound, but I prefer physical formats so for me the choice is always CD. The only time I do any kind of streaming it is with Spotify Premium to try music out before purchasing.

 

[Boomer]

Great replies, thanks. Im thinking of going to streaming. It sounds like a very good idea but I love my CDs, do you think they will ever phase out? Is a quality cd player a good investment?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Well,if the Internet every breaks,we'll still have our cd's and vinyl to listen to.never rely on one source.

 

[Boomer]

I do exactly the same, have spotify to try albums out then buy them on CD. Its a great way to find new music.

 

[Boomer]

Well,if the Internet every breaks,we'll still have our cd's and vinyl to listen to.never rely on one source.

Good Point *yes3*

 

[chebby]

Well,if the Internet every breaks ...

There will be rioting and looting and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.

 

[Boomer]

Well,if the Internet every breaks ...

There will be rioting and looting and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.

Another good point *biggrin*

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Do you honestly think people will riot on the streets if they can't put up there latest posts on Facebook or whf.lol

 

[philandsue]

In my case, the single most significant upgrade I made was moving from a decent CD player (£300 ish) to an ARCAM IRDAC. The clarity was vastly improved.

i ripped all my CDs to Apple lossless and just use my iPad now.

 

[Rethep]

Several tests led to the conclusion that the difference is hardly audible, even for professional studio-soundtechnicians.

Instead of trying to hear the difference, enjoy the music!

 

[MajorFubar]

Everyone (mostly) may well have a computer but using one as a source in your hifi usually means buying one especially for that task, so suddenly it's not just a case of a decent USB DAC and boom you're sorted. Also if you have a large existing CD collection the pain and heartache of ripping it to a computer or NAS cannot be underestimated, especially if you own a lot of classical music that requires a lot of tagging; part way through you may come to wish you'd started a task slightly less brain-numbingly tedious such as counting the grains of sand in the Sahara desert.

But accepting those caveats, once it's all done there's no going back to a CDP really. Every album you own, instantly accessible, and if you choose the computer route, potentially across multiple devices and platforms because of services like iTunes Match and Google Play Music. Ignore anyone who tells you CD players will inherrently sound better than computer-based systems or streamers; it's not subjective or just a matter of one person's opinion vs another, they're just wrong, plus it shows their understanding of how music has been recorded and mastered by-and-large for at least 30 years is worryingly lacking.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I'll say that through my system you have to be listening very carefully to differentiate between my Amazon fire tv streaming 320 kbs Spotify to the arcam ir dac and the naim cd 5i mk2,which is quite an accomplished cd player . it's very close and I can't say with confidence that I'd pick the cd player in a blind test.but I've no intention of getting rid of the trusty cd player or turntable for that matter.I enjoy having different bits and pieces within my hi-fi.

 

[MajorFubar]

As usual things have gotten messy.

I think the OP is referring to internet streaming services like Tidal while you are talking about streaming over your home network etc. from a NAS

I made the same mistake...

 

[Al ears]

As usual things have gotten messy.

I think the OP is referring to internet streaming services like Tidal while you are talking about streaming over your home network etc. from a NAS

I made the same mistake...

If that's what he is indeed on about I would say that, through an average system, he's unlikely to hear any difference between any of them.

 

[ID.]

I agree that there should be little difference between an online service and other digital sources (streaming or otherwise).

it's just that I've seen so many threads where the OP says streaming and talks about, for example, streaming Apple lossless files ripped from a CD and someone comes along talking about internet streaming services, and vice verse.

 

[Boomer]

When you start spending big money on Hifi I think the slightest change can make a difference. Its about tweaking the system to gain optimum performance. That's why we are audiophiles.

CD players sound different from one another.
DACs sound different from one another.
Streamers sound different from one another,
So surely as a whole different source its got to have a difference in sound, maybe not better or worse, just different.

 

[ID.]

For what it's worth, I've done away with CD players. I still buy CDs, but rip them to lossless straight away and play everything back from my Mac Mini via a DAC. In my living room I either stream to my DAC using AirPlay or stream Apple Music online using my phone. I've never run a CD player or my Mac directly into my living room DAC or preamp and speakers so I couldn't say what the difference might be between AirPlay and a CD player or a wired connection from my Mac. There is a slight difference between Apple Music and lossless files over AirPlay, but I have to listen pretty carefully and even then I'm not sure I could pick the difference 100% of the time without using a few set tracks and training myself for specific things to listen for.

I guess that arguably a dedicated streamer could be better because it is effectively a computer dedicated solely to streaming music while other computers may have extraneous other things going on that may impact on the sound, but this is purely theoretical for me as I haven't done comparisons between a streamer and NAS vs. something like my Mac Mini and Audirvana or similar software, etc.