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
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geoffkait understands it very well. And yes portable audio with a headphone is a lot easier to create a stunning level in sound without acoustic limitations.

When I audition a more expensive Astell&Kern (even a SP1000) with a Jerry Harvey audio headphone it is really stunning. I would prefer this over almost any trial and error created system.

My clients ask me often what to do when I would not be there anymore. They never want to go back to a trial and error system without S.A.P.-measurement ever. I advised them to sell everything and go to portable.

Trial and error systems with acoustic limitations is not a nice world you would want to live in for a long time. 4 weeks ago we had discussions with different distributers and manufacturers about that audio is often not a nice hobby?

They all agreed, they meet the people like we do. And most are more busy wihgt their system than with music. I visited hundreds of systems of people. And the thing what had the most impact on me is how less music most people own.

Without music audio is useless and never worth the money you did spend. I give an example, in 2006 I met a person wiht a system of over 80.000 euro. He owned 40 cd's. So I said to him: I cannot help you?

He was surprrised about my reaction and said: I don't hope I invited you for nothing.

I said; that will not be the case. But...I cannot help you when you only own 40 cd's. The money you spend will never be worth it when you just own 40 cd''s.

He was surprised about my reaction. And yess I can be very direct. You always get the truth even when you didn't ask for it. Because I don't believe in a fake world full of lies.

He agreed that he was not happy. I said; even when I improve your system you still will not be happy. I tried to explain to him that without music audio is 100% ueseless. And after some time he understood what I meant. And said; I think you are right.

I always want to help people. You only can really help other people when you are 100% honest. I want people to become aware that sometimes  their decisions they made limit them in their happiness. We see that working by Tru-Fi made all people use their system so much more.

I only work and believe in making audio systems complete regarding the aspects/properties of sound. I have seen and met many people with incomplete audio-systems. And often with a lot of acoustic limitations. And no one was happy. I will never accept incomplete audiosystems. I would directly stop doing what I do now.

In my world each person owns a system what can reveall all the details and aspects/properties of each recording. And without acoustic limitations. Music is for me the most emotional thing you can buy and experience. That is why it is my goal to give this to everyone who would like to own it.


I had the luck that I could be busy with audio 80 hours a week. I had the freedom to use everything we sold. I had in 1999 already a highend system what was a lot more expensive than the products we sold.

But I could lend everything I wanted from distributers. I was lending expensive stuff all the time. It is like a child in a candy store. And you have the freedom to try everything you would like.

Live music made me understand sound and music a lot better. A friend of mine had a room for 60 people with a Steinway wing. He gave classical concerts. These days I use those concerts a lot for Tru-Fi.

Here I learned that voices and instruments are very direct and small. I call it intimate focus. I can demo this with music. When you have a 2-dimensional system and a 3-dimensional system at the same place. You can learn people that when an audiosystem is able to reveal depth, voices become more close to you and stands fully free in space.

When you play the same song in a 2-dimensionals system. What is sold in over 99% in audioshops.The conenction with the instruments and voices are gone. People often describe it as: the music stands further from me.

I can let people experience this with conservatorium students. After this I will demo a Tru-Fi system. So they will understand that it creates the same kind of emotion and the feeling of a more intimate experience.

This has a huge influence on our emotion. What I do these days, is that I talk about one property of sound. And I will use music so people will understand what this property can do with your emotion.

The people who own a Tru-Fi system understand so much better why a recording is recorded the way it sounds. A Tru-Fi systems can reveal all the different aspect of sound so much more easy. These clients do not want to go to audio shows anymore.

They get irritated very fast when they audition an incomplete system. It doesn’t make sense for them anymore. I give you an example. 2 months ago there was an audio show in my country.

They had 70 rooms with audio systems. Different clients of mine visit this event. They said: 68 systems where 2-dimensional. This is what trial and error creates. They will never take these systems serious ever in their life again.

This is what Tru-Fi does with people. There are not a lot of loudspeakers for sale in the world who also can create diversity in height. In Munic highend audio there was only one system what was able to reveal diversity in height. But this one costs over 700.000 euro.

Diversity in height not only let you hear the differences in height of voices and instruments. It also creates a much better harmonic sound of a recording. This even has a big influence on our emotion. Also this we can learn people what it is and what it does to their emotion.

We judge each system and single product on all the different aspects/properties of sound. And when one or more aspects/properties are missing I am not interested anymore. Each incomplete audioproduct will always create a limitation.
I know a lot of people who work in the world of audio. I have no idea of the people who visit Audiogon so now and then are aware that most reviews are paid ones these days. And that they write things what is not the truth.

When I speak to new clients many of them buy things based on reviews. So it proofs how easy it is to make people believe that those reviews are true. Most maganzines or websites live from that money.

But the question is: do you care more about the money than being honest?

I think far over 95% will choose for the money. I am 180 degrees the opposite of these people. But makes this me a better person?

I don’t see myself as a better person. I am who I am and do things my way. I can only do it this way. Like the people who own a company in audio or a magazine in audio first focus on being able to pay the people who work for them.

I would never want to change my life with theirs. Because I believe and focus on long term thinking. The audio industry is decreasing now for many years in a row. I think and believe that trial and error will make it decrease even more.

Trial and error will not create a better quality for consumers. It is and will always be very ineffective to create a quality what never will become stunning. And I think and believe that only a superior level in quality and emotion can change a demand.

Tru-Fi proves that many people who auditioned it wants to own it. Tru-Fi also proved that women are interested in audio. And like to use the system of their partner. Women have a better developed hearing than men own.

But....men have a lot more interest in audio equipment than women have. But....when you talk about music, women also like music. I did run an audio shop and I had a 2-dimenional system always ready for shootout. And a 3-dimensional system ready for shootout.

Most women never liked to be there and give their opinion about a system or loudspeaker. They where only there for the looks. But.....what I learned was when I demoed and presented the 3-dimensional system to women. They could become enthusiastic as well.

Women are more demanding in quality compared to men. Even children are not interested in trial and error systems. But...when we ask children to listen to a Tru-Fi system, we see the same kind of reaction by women. Each person likes emotion and needs emotion.

But....most trial and error sytems are poor in emotion. Many people are not interested anymore in an incomplete system what only can reveal a limited level in emotion. I understand them all, I would not be interested in it as well.






Of course headphones cannot project that big soundstage way out in front of you like speakers can (ideally) but on the plus side headphones can be very transparent and provide that special you are there sound with the right recordings. The performers can be out in front of you on occasion. Many studio recordings that give “performers in the head” sound with headphones provide a relatively unconvincing soundstage. It’s a trade off. What headphones tend to have in spades is dynamics and detail, whilst avoiding the potentially steep cost associated with room treatments, space, electronics, speakers, cables. And years of effort. 😬
No, but the stage what the more expensive Astell&Kern can create with Jerry Harvey Audio headphones is in stage still bigger than all 2-D systems.

I test new products all the time. We want to know the DNA, we are always looking for products who can reveal all the different aspects/properties of sound.

The biggest limitation in audio is that most audioproducts are 2-dimensional. In the Tru-Fi world this means that the level in stage depth is 1 meter or less. I decided not to talk about brands anymore. Because people overhere often feel offended when I talk about brands that are 2D or miss other aspects/properties of sound.

I will never talk about those brands again which are incomplete regarding missing aspects/properties of sound anymore. So I will not answer any question when people ask me if a brand or product is able to reveal all the aspects/properties of sound.

Because it is not my responsibility which aspects/properties of sound they can reveal. Manufacturers need to take care of the quality of their own products. So they are responsible for this. We will only talk about the brands we use and modify. We will take care of those brands. And no I will not talk about these brands at this moment either.

As humans we can perceive sound in a 3-dimensional spectrum. So it would be more than normal that audio systems would be able to create a 3-dimensional stage. But....the facts proof (and they count) that most brands and products are still 2-dimensional.

In 2017 I tested different fuses. And even most fuses are 2-dimensional. When I play digital audio I use 3 different powersupplies. When I used one fuse who owns a 2D stage, I almost lost all the stage depth of my system. And the individuel focus of voices and instruments was also very limited.

It proofs how difficult it is to create a stunning 3-dimensional stage. Because it is an imporant part of Tru-Fi. You cannot make even 1 mistake to limit the stage depth of a system. When I visit an audio show I always count the faults they make.

I walk in a room and I see the products they use, So I see the DNA. I see how they placed it in the room. And I start counting the mistakes they all make. This goes automatically. When they start playing music the list of mistakes grows bigger.

I always focus on the faces of people and I become aware that they cannot see all those individual mistakes they made. It is not on their radar and it never will be on their radar. Based on the fact that they do not own the insight and knowledge what is needed to understand it.

People often ask me if it is possible to learn how I work. I would need young intelligent people and they are prepared to spend thousands of hours to learn it. It is like programming your brain. Knowledge and insight is something you need to learn all by yourself.

Einstein: “Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person”

Since 1998 I had a lot of contact with different specialists. And I still have a lot of contact with specialists in different areas. But....at the end you need to do all the research yourself. But this is what I love and it never costs me a lot of energy. It is in my system and a part of who I am as a person.

Now the end of 2018 is there. We made the biggest steps ever before in both sound&vision. My insight and knowledge becomes bigger each single year. It makes it easier each year to understand it. The speed I can create new upgrades and improvements is growing all the time. It is like you are standing on a higher platform.

After time you can see more information and details which makes it more easy to understand it. The time has come to share it with manufacturers. We want to share it with different manufacturers at different price levels. For us it is important that many people will have the benefit of it.

We also will create a platform in both dutch and in english. We bought a Sony professional 4K camera with different separate professional lenses and different professional microphones. We will show how we work. And we will talk about different products and systems.

It is something what no one does in our world at this moment. It goes so much further in details than you all ever have seen before. We also will give many upgrades and modification options available. Now we only use it for our own clients. But it will become available for everyone.

We modify amps, preamp, sources and powersupplies a lot. But we also started to modify Oled screens. And we can use it for Qled and led screens as well. The results are stunning. We can create a superior level in vision based on our modifications and calibration no other company can even come close.

Also in vision we did a lot of research regarding the influence of smog, magnetism and highfrequent noise to vision. Here we also have a lot of different tools to improve it.

Recently we started to modify subwoofers as well. And in 2019 we will do a lot of more different products as well.

We will introduce Tru-Fi and will proof that we do sound&vision at a new level in quality and result never heard and seen before. For an extreme born perfectionist it is all about outperforming and be better than the best there is now. See it as a mindset and choice you make.