Hello! This is probably stupid.
So I have recently gotten rid off my streaming services to save money and I have been into transferring my new and old CDs into MP3 form (320 kbps) and listening to those either on my Sony Walkman (NWZ-B162F or something) or on my PC with the Windows Legacy Media Player/VLC and now the music sounds so, so different than the same songs sounded from Spotify or YouTube Music. (Official apps on Android, iOS and PC or the web version on PC while having the “HD Settings” on.) Headphones and the soundbar is the same as before, no changes there.
Like the MP3 form, that should be much more poorer quality and inferior in all the ways, but it sounds “deeper”? The streaming services have sounded so… flat? Sorry, English isn’t my native language but yeah, flat or shallow? Empty even? Hollow?
Is this because of I now “own” the music and possibly respect it more and that makes it sound better? Am I turning into an audiophile, which I have never had any interest in before? Or is there something real in this? Not complaining really, just been pondering this a while and my fiancé agrees on this as he’s been doing the same on his old iPod…
Thanks in advance or anyways. :)
Adding to all other good info here (mastering, compression rates) one thing old mp3 players had was often a very good DAC!
Digital to Analogue Converter. It is what generates enough “punch” to make your headphones vibrate exactly this or that much, and it makes a world of difference. People buy soundcards and stuff like that because computer and phone DACs are almost always abysmal.
Seconding this. A perfect audio rip will only sound as good as the hardware that is playing it.
Very good add, thank you! And possibly an idea for my next PC build…
My absolute favourite is the Music Streamer II, because it doesn’t need an extra power source, just plug it in a USB port (windows, linux, no drivers needed) and it sounds Fantastic.
I got mine for around 50€ on the second hand market.
Ugly photo:
Uh-huh, uh-huh, taking some notes…