Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming

Steve, please explain why a coax needs to be at least 1.25-1.50m long. Thx 

I have the same experience even though my mind doesn't want to accept it - if I rip a CD to AIFF (1411 kbps), transfer it to my iPod Classic, and play it through a Cambridge iD100 dock to my Rega DAC-R it doesn't sound as enjoyable as the same CD played from my old Rotel RCD-02  transport to the Rega DAC-R (both using Chord Clearline Digital Coax inter-connects). They should sound identical but consistently they don't and I can flip back and forth at the press of a button to compare them (rest of the pipeline is Rega Elex-R and Spendor A4). I have been wondering about replacing the iPod/Cambridge with one of the Astell & Kern's that offer digital out. (Anyone have any thoughts?)

I often compare a vinyl track against MQA, ripped CD, and Tidal High Res. To 70 year old ears, vinyl sounds the most natural and the best.  

I rate DSD straight through to my MyTek Liberty DAC second, and in some cases first. Tidal MQA through a NAD M12 BluOS module third, with Tidal High Res, CDs ripped to FLAC to my Zenith MKII, and MQA converted to PCM on my MyTek DAC last and a toss up.   

When it comes to digital music files, I’ve found sound quality and volume levels vary widely regardless of file type or source.  But to answer the OP’s question, I’ll take Tidal streaming over Redbook CDs any day.

I use a WireWorld Cat-8 Ethernet cable to the Zenith, WireWorld USB from the Zenith to the MyTek DAC, and AudioQuest RCA cables to the M12.  Ortofon Phono cable to M12 Phone jack.  And a mix of VooDoo and WireWorld power cables.

I have all my CD's ripped to a laptop in FLAC and played with the latest JRiver feeding a Benchmark DAC2 HGC.  When I listen to Radio Paradise through the same laptop and DAC with their new FLAC format I'm in awe of how good it sounds.  Goosebumps.  I don't sense any sonic improvement on the local ripped CDs, and when I had a Wadia transport, I thought the ripped CD's sounded better than the Wadia source.

In my rig CDs ripped to Antipodes DX3 server (WAV) (Roon) sounded superior to CDs played on an Oppo 105D transport to the very same DAC. So much so, I sold the Oppo 105D. I listen to the CDs at 24/96. BTW I believe @audioengr Steve N. has noted elsewhere that WAV files sound better than FLAC files. I tested this assertion in my old system and couldn't hear a difference between them. Then I upgraded my components significantly and I now can hear a significant positive difference between WAV and FLAC files. I tested about 25 CDs comparing WAV/FLAC versions. Turns out @audioengr Steve N. was spot on. Equipment can make a difference.