Sound Quality of red book CDs vs.streaming

audioengrI enjoy reading your posts for the most part. I do not see your gear listed nor pics in Virtual Systems?  Happy Listening!

Hi, George. I am familiar with DR measurements and the effects of dynamic compression. I guess my question should have been more pointed: how do you know what mastering you are getting on a streaming service? Are mastering credits provided by the streaming service or are there other indications that match up with hard media versions of a given recording?

Whart,

In streaming services you can’t determine what mastering is used.  What’s worse, most times, there’s no indication of what year a particular CD was released. In classical music there may be multiple performances of the same work by a performer from different years and there’s no way of determining which versions are earlier or later.

I guess my question should have been more pointed: how do you know what mastering you are getting on a streaming service?

You don’t, they usually go with the latest, which unfortunately most are more compressed than the originals 10-20 years ago. That’s why I don’t stream or download, I stick with the silver disc.

Just for interest have a look at Adel 21 on the DR website,  I really liked it in the car on the radio.
I bought the cd played it once when I got it on my home rig, and was shocked how compressed it was, and couldn’t send it back quick enough.
http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Adel&album=21

Cheers George

@rvpiano,

My Aurender conductor app gives me complete details on original album release date, remastered year and the file bits. Aurender streams via Tidal.

For example, Dextor Gordon - Doin’ Allright album released in 1961, remastered in 2015, streaming at 192kHz. And the album sounds pretty darn amazing.