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
128x128rvpiano
I can't say if WAV sounds better than FLAC but I did rip all my CD's to WAV since HHD storage is so cheap and I can't tell the difference between streaming the WAV from playing the CD on my CDP both going through the same DAC. TO be honest streaming Tidal in CD or MQA sounds as good as the CDP if not better. Non of this has been tested by a blind comparison doubt I could tell any difference. Perhaps my gear isn't as good as most here nor my ears.
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.
Expensive CD player vs. the cheapest streaming setup you can implement and you are wondering why your cd sounds better? Your current setup couldn’t support the best hires/DSD/MQA streaming services that are available. Also, when was the best sounding sacd inferior to cd redbook? Sure there were some sacd recordings that were just cd’s reripped but most were superior.
IMO, trying to get your chromecast audio/toslink up to a high standard for streaming is like putting lipstick on a pig.
Get rid of USB, reclockers for your usb, and toslink, go with straight Ethernet with a fiber internet connection, get tidal hifi with MQA and you will be selling your CD player. Rip all of your cd’s to a server and use Roon for your GUI interface and you will be wondering why you waited so long to do this.
After investigating, I can see that Ethernet/Roon may well be the wave of the near future for audiophiles.
 But, in general, I’m wondering.  If CDs become obsolete, what will happen to the structure and incentive for performers to record.  Where is the profit motive for them if streaming, at $10-$20 per month for consumers, is their only source of revenue? This is the cart leading the horse. Without recordings being created, where will the music come from?  If current trends continue, Streaming Subscription prices are inevitably going to rise precipitously to much, much higher rates in order to support the creators.

After re-reading what I wrote, I realize this scenario may already be upon us.
But it still seems to me that the cost to the consumer is inevitably going to rise.