Streaming Tidal/Qbuzz Vs Internet Radio
My question is, why do some of the radio channels on my streamer sound better than Tidal or Qbuzz ? I have an Innuos streamer to a Schiit Yiggy and subscribe to both Tidal and Qbuzz. I listen to Radio Paradise and Dot 1 FM , and they have better sound quality than the paid services. Although this is not the case with most radio stations these two sound very good to me. Granted they play at a slightly higher volume, but when I adjust for this I still get a better soundstage, more detail and greater bass. When I play the radio channels on my small system I have to lower the subwoofer volume. On my larger system I do not run subs. So I’m curious if you’ve noticed this too, and any explanations would be appreciated. Cheers , Mike B.
I'm not familiar with Dot 1 FM, but Radio Paradise sounds like it uses compression, even on its lossless streams. Many people prefer a compressed sound. |
@buellrider97, FYI I have noticed the same thing on all three of my systems, which are vastly different other than all having Bluesound Streamers. Radio Paradise also has wider and deeper soundstage. According to my DAC, RP sample rates never exceed 44.1kHz (!?). |
I’m currently streaming with Innuos, to a Schiit Yiggy with a Gen 5 USB card. I’m using a Wireworld Starlight Platinum cable. Single ended from DAC to Rogue Hera to Rogue M-180’s dark. The sound of these stations Vs Tidal/Qbuzz is very noticeable. My DAC only has a couple of lights to show the streaming rate. Usually doesn’t change between the two. I don’t run ROON so I’m not getting much info. I have the streamer set to max resolution. I control this from my iPhone. The two brands of radio show a 192 Kbps frequency rate. Qbuzz shows 96 kHz / 24 bit. BTW I’m technically challenged. 😆 However my lesser system and my Headphone setup with the Project streamer and Audeze LCD’s is the same way. If the radio is compressed it certainly has better overall clarity , soundstage and depth. However the other 98% of the stations I’ve tried certainly fall short of Tidal/Qbuzz. Maybe I’m to ignorant to understand what’s in play , but it certainly sounds better. |
That’s not just compressed audio, that’s lossy compression, like mp3 files.
Those are presumably hi-res files. (It’s spelled Qobuz, btw.)
Some people prefer compressed audio. There’s nothing wrong with that preference. You might try listening to a Radio Paradise lossless FLAC stream. It would be interesting to see if you prefer that to the lo-res stream. |
@cleeds Thanks for schooling me. I smoked too much pot in the 70’s and default to BUZZ over BUZ. 😆 I’m not tech savvy and I appreciate your gracious guidance. I have a few Radio Paradise ( 320k aac ) stations tagged as well. The two stations sound similar to me. I prefer Dot 1 based on their song selection. I’ll spend some time trying to discern a difference. I do like the sound and because I liked it more ASSUMED it was better rather than different. Always something to learn. Regards , Mike B. |
