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Is there a difference in sound quality when streaming TIDAL Vs CD player

I hard wired my modem located in my family room using Cad6 cable to my Apple TV and direct wired my Apple TV to my ARCAM AVR550.  I have an OPPO 203 connected by both an RCA cable and by HDMI to my ARCAM.  

The dealer I purchased my ARCAM from told me to play my CD’s through my RCA connection and to watch DVD’s through HDMI.  If I listen to CD’s through the RCA, aren’t I using the DAC on the OPPO player rather than the DAC on my ARCAM and wouldn’t the DAC on my ARCAM be a better DAC.  My friend told me I should use a digital cable rather than an RCA to improve sound quality to utilize the DAC on my ARCAM?  If this is the case, wouldn’t the HDMI be the same as by using a specific digital cable?  I listened to my CD’s through the RCA Vs the RCA cable and I thought it sounded better through my HDMI cable.

i will be looking forward to your responses.

Thank you,
128x128larry5729
erik_squires
15,705 posts
 
You should listen for yourself. No difference = no worries.

The big advantage of HDMI in this case is the multi-channel and bass management in your receiver.

Best,
E
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larry5729's avatar
larry5729 OP
1,000 posts
 
Would the sound quality have been better had I purchased a Parasound integrated amp as opposed to the ARCAM AVR550 I purchased.
mahler123
3,041 posts
 
I have not heard the Arcam so I can’t really answer your question about how it sounds vs a Parasound integrated.  I do have Parasound pre  and power amps in my two channel system and a Parasound 5 channel amp in one of my HT systems, but sorry can’t compare to something that for me is an unknown.  I will say that the reviews on the Arcam which I read after reading your initial post were pretty good, that Arcam is a respected company, and that for $3500, which was the price quoted for the Arcam, you probably have a top of the line, fine sounding AVR.  Some of the money spent on the Arcam went into making it a multi channel component, and if you don’t choose to listen to Multichannel, you are paying for functionality that is wasted.  Whether or not you prefer the House Parasound Sound vs the Arcam sound will significantly be a matter of personal preference.
You sound like you have what we call Audiophilia Nervosa,  a type of Buyers Remorse that is common in this hobby.  I am sure that you have a fine sounding piece of gear.  Relax and enjoy the music.
mahler123
3,041 posts
 
Regarding the Oppo connectivity issue: The 203 should have digital outs in every flavor m HDMI, coax, toslink, usb....I am not sure which one The Arcam will accept, but AVRs at that price will usually do it all.  I use HDMI to connect my Oppo 105 to my Bryston DAC3 in my 2 channel system , because I have a large SACD collection and Oppo can output the DSD from SACDS into an HDMI DAC such as the Bryston.  I find that CDs from the 105 into the same HDMI input on the Bryston also sound excellent, although I have experimented with the coax, optical and usb connections between the two components as well, the HDMI sounds as good as any of them so I’ve just settled on using that.
  In my MC system with the Oppo 203 I use HDMI into my Anthem AVR and haven’t really experimented with other connections 
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