Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming


I’ve found that the SQ of my red book CDs exceeds that of streaming using the identical recordings for comparison. (I’m not including hi res technology here.)
I would like to stop buying CDs, save money, and just stream, but I really find I enjoy the CDs more because of the better overall sonic performance.
 I stream with Chromecast Audio using  the same DAC (Schiit Gumby) as I play CDs through.
I’m wondering if others have had the same experience
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Showing 3 responses by mahler123

I completely agree with the OP, and many Audio  critics have been making the same point recently.  It’s ironic that just as CDs teeter on the brink of extinction, the ability to replay them has developed so far.
Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple have huge catalogs.  I listen to Classical exclusively and generally am able between the 2 to find any recording, provided it is in print.
  Several caveats apply.  Both services have search engines optimized for non classical.  There are many times that the Verdi scenario you described happens, even if you type in the names of the Conductor, performers, etc.  with repeated search attempts you will hit paydirt, but it can be frustrating.  And don’t even think of having Siri find the correct recording; Apple voice recognition is god awful.  Amazon might be better with Alexa, but somehow I doubt that it will be attuned to the subtleties of navigating a Classical catalog, and I have found Amazon Music to have less depth of catalog for Classical compared to Spotify or Apple Music.
  The next caveat is sound quality, as all the services mentioned are essentially MP3 quality. They can still sound pretty darn good, but pale in comparison to High Rez Streaming.  If you live in the U. s., High Rez Streaming means eithe Primephonic, which has a very limited catalog, or Tidal, which is poorly organized for Classical and doesn’t begin to approach the breadth of catalog of Apple or Spotify