Roon uses metadata to help identify a file but then uses its own for the purposes of displaying the file so avoiding WAV is not necessary in Roon. It might be in other music players.
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We can all do the comparison but everyone (EVERYONE) can be influenced by “expectation bias”. To get the most reliable results on if you can hear a difference (and is one actually better or just different) is by using someone else to do the switching so you won’t know which version you are listening to. (And the two sources must be perfectly level matched).
Then if you can consistently hear the differences, then there absolutely is one!!
If you really have to go through that much trouble Just to hear a tiny difference or not what is it worth then? . Nothing in my view. Leave it and concentrate on other aspects of the playback chsin that do make a tremendous difference, room acoustics for instance.
Coming back to this a year later…
I thought I’d try Qobuz again. Discovered some music that I like and bought downloads. Yet again, on my (main) system the download is better every time - and the difference is not even subtle. Streamed vocals seem to have a grainy, slightly indistinct, quality, whereas the download is clean and clear - sometimes almost breathtakingly so.
Out of interest, I also did a comparison using my computer, Meridian Explorer DAC and Beyer Dynamic headphones. Listened to this way, streamed and downloaded files sounded the same. Then again, MP3 files also sound fine using this set up.
All a matter of expectation bias again? Well, maybe, but the reason I keep coming back to this is that I would like to have a streaming service that sounds indistinguishable from local playback, but, so far, I haven’t found it.
Incidentally, bypassing Roon and playing Qobuz using the Mosaic software on my dCS Network Bridge sounded different again - cleaner but uncomfortably bright and analytical
Perplexing…
Not heard any differences for the ones I have bought or streamed myself. You sure it’s exactly the same version of the album thats available to stream?Listening to one now and can’t tell any difference swapping them in and out, listening on my headphone system.
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Streaming is in fact nothing more than downloading per track. At the start of the song your computer downloads the track either completely or in parts and temporarely stores in onto your OS drive. When you playback the data is read from this drive, moved into a memory buffer and played to your audio device. In fact the same sequence as playback from a local drive, only the data source is different. Unless Qobuzz has different version in the buy sector than in the streaming sector there should be no difference.
That is something to watch out for. Their download store and even streaming often has a couple different versions of the same album.
I’m aware that Qobuz often has different versions of the same album - original release/ remaster etc. As far as I can tell, I’m comparing the same versions - ie same master source .
The files are different in that the streamed version is FLAC whereas I download in AIFF, but I know that many will argue (and some are certain) that there is no performance difference between the two formats, assuming the source is the same.
As I said, I also can’t detect a difference when listening on headphones - maybe because, in comparison with speakers, headphones generally favour the mid-range.
I’m sure that there shouldn’t be a difference, but, unfortunately, I’m also sure that, for me, there is one, and it’s significant enough that it doesn’t make sense for me to have a Qobuz subscription. I’ll just carry on buying the music I want.
In terms of value, though, purchasing a single digital download costs about the same as one month of listening to almost everything ever recorded via lossless streaming.
Even if there is the tiniest difference in perceived sound quality (when technically there shouldn’t be), streaming is the better value. At least to me. And I’ve only recently come around to that view. (But, I guess I’m lucky that I don’t hear any difference,.)
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A local uncompressed AIFF definitely sounds better than a streamed compressed FLAC. How subtle a difference it is will depend on the playback system and your hearing.
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Yes, the worse your playback system the bigger the difference,
OK I have to challenge this.
As I said, I can’t hear a difference when listing through headphones and my Meridian Explorer DAC connected to my Windows PC.
I do hear a difference on my main system.
I realise that my system could be poor despite the prestigious brands and high cost, but I’m disinclined to believe this, given that the playback of downloaded files is so good.
The trouble is that the sound quality difference isn’t tiny (to me). Cost is a secondary consideration.
It isn’t the playback system per se. It is your network. If you can tell the difference it is the hop from the ISP’s presentation point to the play back device you need to look at. Now that may be down to how good your network interface is at rejecting certain types of noise. But if you fix the network, you fix the problem.
I have had mojitos. If I had not, I would not have spoken up here!
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So we need to convince our ISPs to buy better cables because we want higher SQ when streaming.
Simplest explanation is your system is poor. There is no good reason two file types or delivery methods should sound different. If you are confident that your DAC gets the same bits, then there is no doubt in my mimd they should sound the same. Have you asked the manufacturers and designers of your “prestigious” system why there are these differences, and what they propose to do about resolving them? If I’d spent a lot of money on a system I would expect absolutely no difference between a streamed and downloaded file.
Do you mean that the streaming part of the system is poor? If the whole system were poor, I’d get poor sound all the time, wouldn’t I? (Incidentally, I’ve been a hi-fi enthusiast for very many years, and, without doubt, this is the best system I’ve ever had.)
There may well be a web interface problem, although I have a gigabit router and switches and CAT 6 cabling, and have no problem streaming UHD video.
As to whether it’s an issue with the dCS Network Bridge, I think I can discount that because I get a similar result if I stream straight from the Roon Nucleus to my DAC.
And the DAC itself just takes what it gets. Downloaded file: superb. Streamed file: OK.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.
Okay, I’ve relented and am sticking with Qobuz for the time being. Further experiment leads me to the conclusion that only some streamed files sound different from downloads (of the same music). Maybe the source files are actually different, though I’d be surprised if that were the case.
Anyway, this is my last word on the subject - for now at least.
maybe this is of interest:
it’s in german.
Both very interesting. Thank you - and thank goodness for Google Translate (I know about six words of German).