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Why is Streaming so much better than anything else?

mrehorst said:
Last night my girlfriend (I mean my HOT girlfriend) was telling me about how she finds volume level changes on vinyl records annoying compared to apple music streaming where everything seems to play at the same volume level. Do they compress the hell out of everything, or use something like replaygain tags?
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Some streaming services have volume equalization. There's usually an option to turn it on or off.
 
There is an option in Apple Music to equalize the volume between tracks, so that all of the songs you're listening to are played at relatively the same volume. Without this option, if you have a playlist made of songs by various artists, from various albums, you may need to reach for the volume knob after each song - just like it happens on TV when movies are interrupted by commercials. Apple's app scans the tracks to find their average loudness and then adjusts the volume accordingly.
But this doesn't alter the songs themselves. It only works at global level, meaning it turns the main volume up or down. It makes the entire song louder or quieter, not just parts of it. If there's dynamic compression in a song, then it's actually in the file to begin with, it's not added during playback.

Now, whether the dynamic compression is added by the streaming service provider, or by the bands/producers, is debatable. Personally, I tend to give the streaming services the benefit of the doubt and to blame the producers, but I could be wrong.
 
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I have over 6K CDs ripped as FLAC files to a server, and a few dozen albums that I bought as downloads. I haven't played a CD in the sense of putting the disc in a player for years now, and haven't played an LP in more years. My listening is about 40% classical now, and the rest a mix of rock, jazz, Americana, and "other." I do not hear a consistent advantage either for streaming (Qobuz or Deezer) or playback from my server when I am reasonably sure it's the same master. It is not clear to me whether those who do are using the same DAC and preamp for both streaming and CD, but that is critical. I very much like having access to almost everything, though I do worry about the low payments to artists. I'd happily pay more than I am for my streaming subscriptions. I do think that threads like this are useful because not everyone is aware of all the points raised here.
 
Vlad Soare said:
There is an option in Apple Music to equalize the volume between tracks, so that all of the songs you're listening to are played at relatively the same volume. Without this option, if you have a playlist made of songs by various artists, from various albums, you may need to reach for the volume knob after each song - just like it happens on TV when movies are interrupted by commercials. Apple's app scans the tracks to find their average loudness and then adjusts the volume accordingly.
But this doesn't alter the songs themselves. It only works at global level, meaning it turns the main volume up or down. It makes the entire song louder or quieter, not just parts of it. If there's dynamic compression in a song, then it's actually in the file to begin with, it's not added during playback.

Now, whether the dynamic compression is added by the streaming service provider, or by the bands/producers, is debatable. Personally, I tend to give the streaming services the benefit of the doubt and to blame the producers, but I could be wrong.
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Do you have any information that would indicate any of the major streaming services are applying DRC to the music files in their libraries?
 
Apple Music streaming through an Apple TV (streaming box not a television). I listen to the Dolby ATMOS mixes which are often so much better than anything else. I also like that one can display lyrics for many of the songs.
 
Streaming on one of the newer platforms with their high-resolution files and large album art on a big screen TV using a good standalone DAC feeding a HQ audio system is nothing short of amazing these days. There was perhaps a time when it sucked or sounded bad, but that time is no more when you find/ integrate the better pieces of equipment into your setup that support streaming. Yes, there is a monthly fee to contend with which is annoying but it does give instant access to tens of thousands of HQ songs easily accessible at your fingertips -so there's that. It's also a good way to discover new music, and by new music (for me) I mean older music I've never heard before that I really like.
 
Here's another interesting thing that can happen. Take Amazon Music Unlimited for instance which is what I use the most. I noticed that lately, many of the original recordings of popular standards I have saved to my 'Favorites' have disappeared off my list or have changed to newer re-recordings of the same songs that aren't as good. It has to be the case that musicians don't make a lot of money from streaming or perhaps the streaming services don't want to pay out as much to the artists for their best recordings, so they change their libraries to include other versions of their popular songs that aren't as good. It's not as much of a deal-breaker for me as it might be for some as I just move on and find something else I like within a few seconds, but it's something to be aware of with AMU and perhaps other streaming services. At the same time, they are also adding new content constantly. So for me, it is somewhat of a wash and I am happy with it. It's the "Play Similar Music" feature I like the best which is somewhat similar to iTunes old "Genius" feature. I just wish I could permanently disable 'Loudness Normalization' as I hate that feature and it is always re-enabled automatically every time I start the app.
 
onanysunday said:
Here's another interesting thing that can happen. Take Amazon Music Unlimited for instance which is what I use the most. I noticed that lately, many of the original recordings of popular standards I have saved to my 'Favorites' have disappeared off my list
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Interesting, I have never had this happen.
Then again, I seldom listen to older stuff. Way too much great stuff released daily.
 
I've had this happen with Apple Music also. Many times, not just once. I would drive around, listening to one of my playlists over CarPlay, and notice that one song has started sounding very strange and unpleasant, completely different from how I remembered it. I would go home, check the playlist on my Mac, and discover that the song had been replaced with a "radio mix edit" or something like that.
I have no idea why this happens, but it does happen. And when it does, it annoys the hell out of me.
Not to mention that some songs simply disappear. Just like that. Sometimes I get a vague feeling that I haven't heard a certain song in quite some time, although it should be in one of my frequently played playlists. I then open the Music app and see that it's indeed in the playlist, but it's greyed out. And it doesn't play. And it doesn't appear in searches anymore, so removing and re-adding it doesn't work. Well, the removal does, but I can't add it back because it's not in Apple Music anymore.
 
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I like to think I have some very high-quality audio inputs that I listen to and use, like CD/SACD player, HD Radio, turntable. But, it is my smart tv and especially music streaming source that sounds the best of all of them via outboard DAC. In this case, a Pro-Ject DAC Box RS2. Before that, a very analog sounding Denafrips Pontus II which was perhaps "the answer" to the notion of digital artificiality, coldness or sterility.

** The one thing I wish I had more of was SACD to compare it to high-res streaming, but the library is limited (and only from a particular era) and titles are so expensive that it just remains a curiosity more than anything else but would probably give the best streaming a run for its money fidelity-wise (if it could). Also, some SACD and SACD players had built in multi-channel. Do any streaming services offer that? I guess SACD was just too far ahead of its time and the full potential of it was never realized before it sadly faded away.
 
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Dunno.

Streaming Tidal and Qobuz have definitely replaced my beloved FM radio simply as a convenience. I turn it on and do something else. I really don't listen to it for anything other than that.

Oh, I do use it to preview New-To-Me music before I purchase. It has saved me considerable cash in stopping me from buying physical music that I wouldn't like once I got it home. There's already a big crate for that.

I'm a vinyl guy. Whenever I mention the quality or sound of streaming some Digg-Head tells me that's because I need to spend more. Their 3k DAC is light-years ahead of my $1500.00 DAC but I really need to hear the 6k one. Mnno I don't. IMHO, If there was ever a classic case study of diminishing returns the modern DAC would win, or lose depending on your position.

It all boils down to the source. If someone invents a streaming system that can make Clapton's Layla album sound well recorded I'd love to hear it.
 
Wow. Given the equipment you've got I'm sure it sounds great. To me, streaming is about access to virtually unlimited content. The sound quality is pretty variable depending on where it's coming from so I don't obsess about it but the potential is certainly there. I indulge in as many formats as I can because it's fun but streaming has taken over as my primary source of music. It's so easy. I waited a long time for the technology to catch up with fidelity but we're definitely there. Adequately compensating the artists is about the only thing I worry about anymore.
 
My thoughts about the "poor" artist.

The artist are grown people that signed, or thier people did, the bottom of a contract.

Boo Hoo

I personally know people who have been putting more butt's in sets and had to "press" more CDs to sell on their site since putting their stuff on the Streaming services. The biggest whiners are the ones that already made it.

It's the new radio for the little guys!
 
I think this chart says it all.

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Music has been commodified. The majority will always follow the cost curve as it goes down. Buying physical media seems absurd now to the streaming user.
 
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