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How to make low end digital sound "not terrible" on higher end systems?

Hi all,
So when I listen to my hyperion CD of Rachmaninov’s Vespers (Corydon Singers with Matthew Best) or The Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" on the below system it’s utterly fantastic. The Vespers is just amazing. I could go on about how wonderful it sounds.
However, when trying low end sources (my iPhone or streaming from Spotify) through the below system ....well, it’s essentially so terrible, it’s almost laughable. It’s just offensive to my senses and really can’t be listened to for any length of time as it’s just very annoying.Is there anything I can do to make it tolerable?
And here’s what I mean by "tolerable": when I’m exercising or just out and about, I’ve got some descent LG ear buds bluetoothed to my iPhone and while the music (either from files on the phone or streamed from Spotify) isn’t like the Vespers mentioned above, I enjoy listening to it. It doesn’t annoy me and I’m into it, I’m captured and can lose myself in the music. I’m "rocking." --I’m not gritting my teeth like I do when it’s played over my below home system.
What I want is to occasionally play a lower end source over my home system and not have it suck as bad as it currently does. ....To at least get it to the level of my cheap ear buds streaming Spotify.I know there are many reasons low end sources sound crappy over good systems but are there any fixes? Some EQ adjuster that’ll at least get it up to where my ear buds are? Or something else?Thanks!

PS Audio PerfectWave transport
Chord 2Qute DAC
Modwright SWL 9.0SE Preamp
Butler 2250 Amp
Modified Maggies (by Peter Gunn)
andrew-benn
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,645 posts
 
"streaming is always very-very lossy.
simple red-book cd will easily blow away same tracks played with streamer no matter of streaming resolution quality."

No my experience with streaming MQA sources from Tidal. Then again, it could all depend on the quality of the CD player and the streaming devices, so basically pointless comparison.


audioman58's avatar
audioman58
1,219 posts
 
IFI Audio has a excellent usb plug in device ,as well as AC plug in
units that clean up the digital ,regenerate as well as clean up the power . And not expensive in the $100 range.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
They’re still working on how to make digital from HIGH END sources sound good on high end systems.
ieales's avatar
ieales
297 posts
 
It's not possible.

See Why Lossy Encoding Sounds Bad http://ielogical.com/Lossy/
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
A real tube sound tube preamp. The 'old school' sort of tube preamp like a Conrad Johnson earlier model. Actually just about any tube preamp using 12AX7 12AU7 tubes. avoid tube preamps with later types of tubes. they all are trying to minimize the tube sound. Something the is advertised as sounding sweet. 'Tubey'. The digital grunge will be vacuumed up. LOL
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