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Mr. Obvious (?) - digital source (burn)

After decades of improved CD players, I’ve been enjoying an Oppo BDP-103, on audio only.   I now ponder the idea of a home music server, replacing the silver discs.  After reading about the burning process (pit impressions and blank/land space), I’m thinking this front-end physical step creates the same coding on a CD Master Disc, on a hard drive, and on my burned discs via my home Mac.  Home music servers use a hard drive, as do streaming services.  They all use the exact same coding, via a hard drive or 4.7 inch disc.  Correct?   As to the all important sound quality, is the Only variable the DAC doing the de-coding before listening?  I doubt a CD Transport affects sound quality(?).  End question - any need for a home server vs. popping in my manageable group of CDs?   Perhaps there is an engineer out there who can chime in.   Thanks.
bigguy4488

Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,662 posts
 
Um, one major variable is whether you are using a lossy or lossless format.

Losless formats like ALAC, FLAC, WAV, should produce a bit-identical replay to the CD they were ripped from. MP3, Ogg, and others do not. There is some argument as to whether WAV on some streamers sounds better due to how they handle the decompression of ALAC or FLAC files. Again, ALAC and FLAC are lossless, but compressed.

MP3, Ogg are lossy and compressed. You cannot reconstruct a perfect copy from them.

Streaming services vary quite a bit, with Tidal being one of the few offering CD quality.


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