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. :)
Great answer! Thank you. :)
I do know that some of the albums I like have been not even remastered, but remade when the band changed record studios, so the album has been quietly “swapped” from the crunchy original to the clean and safe new version, so yeah, I’m careful when hunting the CDs. So with some bands (/recording studios) that can be huge and tbh, gross, factor too. (I personally prefer the first few albums and ditch the bands once they learn to play with each other…)
Another factor might be that you may be listening over cable headsets now instead of Bluetooth?
With the MP3 player yes, there is aux. But on PC it’s the same Bluetooth earphones or soundbar. // Edited for grammar lol
FWIW my ears aren’t trained enough to tell the difference b/w bluetooth and cable for my headphones.
Depends a bit on headphones too! Mine can be turned on while they’re also connected by the aux so the ANC and such can be on, or they can be used off with the aux which still does sound great, but obviously doesn’t actively cancel any noises.