CD or High Res Streaming | Which Sounds Better? 

I prefer CDs. I use streaming to FIND/TRY new music and artists, and if I like it, I usually purchase it on CD/SACD.

I listen to both, but there is something to be said about the experience of listening to a CD, reading the liner notes, lyrics and artwork in the CD case. When I want to do critical listening I use a CD because I don't have to worry about band width or possible drop outs. I have been a Metallica fan since the early 80s and I have a decent collection of their CDs. I don't have the last two though. Loved the subject of your video.

No easy answer indeed... bottom line is to just enjoy the music / performance. Streaming is so convenient especially for discovering new music.

BEST, honest, and practical explanation I’ve heard in my many years playing with audio. Thanks Mike, and keep up the great work!

My god I love your voice. I highly recommend selling your voice to marketing companies. Incredibly clear and smooth to listen to... Yes I am this impressed right now. Use your gift in more ways than "just" youtube.

At the end of the day the CD gives you a competent physical copy of the music. It's quality while very good could still improve if only the industry would accept that a large portion of people still want that hard copy to have and hold.

CD is better than hi res streaming. I have tried streamers up to £15k and cd players up to £10k. It is not close. If you value 3d, CD should be your friend. We are being sold a lie....

I think it comes down to mastering. Sometimes the CD is mastered better, sometimes the hires is mastered better.

Thank you Sir, you described both sides of the CD VS Streaming divide with aplomb, and I now feel much better about (what I'd previously imagined to be) being able to hear the difference. Thanks again.

Seems to me that the most important thing in audio quality with good equipment is how well the music is recorded and mastered. I’ve heard bad recordings in multiple formats. Resolution makes no difference. Likewise great recordings sound terrific in cd or high res.

This is why I stream or play vinyl. Best of both worlds.

Great video Mike, definitely one of your more informative and level approach ones. I learnt some new things watching this and being a CD fanatic with new found knowledge I guess if my streaming buddies want to debate they better be "sleeping with one eye open"

I found it is more important how recording is produced to high quality than so much the format. Of course I would not include a substandard format like mp3. If a recording is produced poorly or recorded poorly it won't matter if you put it on SACD or High Res it's still going to sound poor. For real high-resolution recording you need to capture it at the time of the original performance using high-resolution equipment. Many specialty audiophile labels actually produce and release hi-res music. But the major labels generally do not. They repackage, remaster, and rerelease analog albums in hi-res, digital bit buckets but the fidelity of their reissued catalog will never reach the potential of a bona fide HD recording. And new productions are rarely recorded at greater than 48 kHz/24-bits, mastered to within a bit of their “dynamic range”

Beyond the CD/Streaming 'quality' debate is the bigger issue (for me anyway) of listening to entire albums in sequence. The musician agonises massively about the final content and order of the pieces. Streaming totally ignores that. I'm a photographer, and if I exhibited my work in a gallery the TOTAL content and the SEQUENCE of work is integral to my work as an artist. If someone only viewed a few photos out of order I'd be p*ssed.... same goes for music artists.

in my humble experience: CD, CD and CD. Hands down.

I struggle to comprehend this concept, which is why I prefer buying CDs instead of downloading 24-bit files for purchase. Streaming is mainly for discovering new music. In my setup, I have a Cambridge Audio transport (cx family variety) connected to my Cambridge Audio Azur streamer. Additionally, I use a hard drive to play ripped CDs and purchased 24-bit files through the streamer. Surprisingly, when I compare playing a CD with the same DAC to playing 24-bit files from the hard drive with the same DAC, the CD always sounds better. One might expect the mechanical nature of an optical reader to reduce sound quality compared to reading data directly from a solid-state hard drive, but it’s actually the opposite. I’m puzzled by this, even when comparing albums that have been mastered identically. The cd has a much wider sound stage with a lot more depth. X10. The only thing I can think of is that the cx cd transport separates the signal is a superior way before sending to the optical external cable. Maybe that’s the power of a decent cd transport. Very surprising.

personally i still love owning & holding a tangible medium, so for me, if i like the artist enough, ill buy the cd ...but now, if i only like, say one song on an album, ill usually just stick with a download... always enjoy ur videos, thank u sir

Cd's anytime!

As an experienced techno-audiophile, I'm so happy to see a youtuber explaining everything accurately and truthfully to the masses. This is important because a war is going on where misinformation is being used to try to PREVENT the masses from getting hi-res music. This campaign is attacking TIDAL, claiming MP3 is equal to CD, that every DAC is equal, and so on. I can vouch that everything this guy says is right. Bottom line here is: improve your source quality, improve your audio components, and you WILL hear noticeable and quite enjoyable improvements in sound quality. The jump in quality can even be so addictive that you might become what's called an "audiophile", someone who is always chasing the dragon on getting better quality. ;) Thanks for the great video Michael.

I currently don’t have a CD player in my possession, but I was blown away by the level of detail I heard when I streamed Hi-Res music on Apple Music when hooked up to a Peachtree Nova 300 stereo integrated amp, and coming out of Aperion Audio Verus Concert towers. But at some point I’d love to get a CD player and compare it on the same system. 😁

I listen to both. Have Qobuz and Tidal plus my Audiolab CDT 6000 cd transport.

Good thing for me, I listen to both and I just enjoy the content, thank you for this type of content.

I listened to the ceo from qobuz talk about this a little bit at axpona last weekend. He kept on saying just a little more emotion with the higher resolution. He’s a cool dude. Just like you Mikey!

You're exactly right mastering and playback equipment (and ears) make the biggest difference. I always try to search for better masterings of my favourite albums. In Metallica's case there were some DCC compact classic mastering's from the early 90s that sound great (master of puppets and ride the lightening). For Death Magnetic there are the Guitar Hero rips. Great video, I love how you are covering different topics with a fresh take.

Thanks Mike. I love the cd format. I think it is the most pure way to reproduce music. Get a good cd transport and dac and the sound reproduction is very hard to beat. Plus I like to own my music collection and get great pleasure from collecting cds. no Metallica for me - Not my thing.

On Saturday I got 9 cds in a charity shop for 3 euro. You can’t beat that !! No streaming for me !!

This is probably one of your best video!!! It explains the CD vs Streaming controversy so so so well. Enough science and common-sense talk. 4 thumbs up (including my toes). Thank YOU. Oh if you choose Eagles or Michael Jackson the next time--I'll be first to comment!! Just subscribed.

Call me a Boomer, but CD is far better. I hate the fact that cities are considered vintage. Now up-and-down for like ever and they've never been vintage to me. I do buy records. I don't listen to records commonly because it's ridiculous. Digital sounds way better, but I do have records.

Whether cd or hi res, I like music mastered in old style. Dynamic range from 12 to 14.

I like cd media personally but good to know that streaming can be as high or higher quality.

My cd's sound better.

OK what about your everyday phone streaming Spotify vs a 50 dollar or less cd player?

You hit the audio nail on the head. The extra head room is great for recording mixing and mastering, not for listening…..mic drop !!!!

I prefer downloading FLAC files to streaming. There is no technical basis for saying that 24/96 FLAC in the home sounds better than CD, or vice versa.

CD's were great until the Loudness Wars. I have cd's I bought in the late 80's - early 90's, they sound fantastic but some later cd's I purchased in the 2000's sound really compressed and are just awful sounding. I have run into the same problem with streaming.

Well said!! Enjoy what you enjoy and forget the rest!! Cheers. ❤🎉

I love Metallica! I love vinyl and Cd’s. The selection of used CD’s in Saskatoon is much better than Vinyl. I have Parkinson’s so CD’s are easier to handle. Great channel Mike!!

WOW! What an AMAZING explanation, very well done. Good job sir!

I wish SACD went mainstream. We may never get a new physical high-res format since it costs money to make the medium. I love CDs, but might be USB thumb drives from here on out

I am probably biased on this issue. Being that I have way too much physical media, I choose CD's - as I rarely stream music.

I stream for the convenience. I listen to CD’s when time allows. When I really have down time I listen to vinyl. The bottom line for me is does it sound good to the listener?

Insightful and delightful! #EnjoyTheMusic

In the 80's and 90's they made real quality hifi cd players I'm pretty sure that Sony cdp x55es I had at the time out performs all modern streaming equipement it was build up on a composite tile with three power supplies one for each audio channel and one for the logic components the stereo signals were completely sepperated in their own copper chassis it was amazing no streamer is build like that

I love CD and cassettes but in the current world its hard to listen to music in a quiet place, and with how quick life is nowadays i prefer streaming and its hard tell the difference. When i got kids around the house and noisy coworkers

Maybe the quality of the DAC is the crucial factor? Would you get a fairer comparison if you fed the signal from the transport stage of your CD player into the same DAC you use for streamed signal? That would surely then be a true comparison between signal sources. But having said that, I’d bet that slight differences in mastering a CD version and a Hi-res version of the same music would swamp everything else. It’s all a bit like counting the number of angels dancing on a pin head, though. The real question always remains exactly the same: “do you enjoy listening to it?”

I’m not sure how this translates to home audio but I know my experience with car audio listening to CD sounds significantly better than streaming through my phone with “lossless” Apple Music. I don’t know the nuts and bolts as to why but I do know that the difference is not negligible as stated in this video. Obviously I am not running a stock system and have high quality speakers and LOC and amplifier upgraded components in my car. So maybe if it was a stock audio system the difference wouldn’t be much?

I stream and always choose the highest quality available on Apple Music but I would be lying if I said I could hear the different between CD 16/44 vs Hi Res

So in my case it comes down to whatever song has the better mastering and dynamic range. Both my streaming transport using Amazon music HD and disc transport using cd/sacd/dvd-a go directly into a Topping D90SE DAC. One in the IIS input and the other USB input port.

The thing that concerns me the most is that streaming services can pull the plug and any time or raise the price of your rental music whenever they want.

Great video and thank you for your insight. You are absolutely right that there are just too many variables to say one is definitively better than the other and in the end all that really matters is enjoying the music. Personally I like both - can't beat the convenience of streaming, especially for listening to new artists but I really enjoy owning my music and having that physical medium. And I do like Metallica.

I'm an old school guy with over 2000 CDs and a vinyl record collection. I have a good stereo system. I will never be a streamer regardless of the quality. I like owning the physical media. My CDs and vinyl records both sound great. Sure, they take up space but I don't mind. That's how I grew up. Having said that I have absolutely nothing against streaming and those that enjoy it. If that works for you then so be it. It's just not for me.

I prefer mini discs for the future, cause it’s makes the most sense

Like your channel, material that speaks to all CD collectors. I enjoy everything about CDs, the sound quality, the hunt, the convenience, and again, the sound quality. I use streaming mostly to preview music finds in my record stores. By the way I will love to have Metallica's 72 Seasons, I went with my sons to the live concert streamed to theaters

I will say that after going through a phase (in my mind), of thinking I needed Hi-Res files (not streaming), to enjoy my favorite Music more, I have now come to the conclusion, that 44.1, 24 HI-RES files don't sound much different to me, than CD sound quality. There us less compression, in some of the Hi-Res files, so that makes most of the difference. I do notice more of a difference, when the files are in 48,24, and higher. Bottom line, is most times, it depends on which version you are listening too (Original, Remastered, ect). after going down the sound quality rabbit hole, for several years now.... I have come to the conclusion, that there is never a black and white answer. Just listen to them, and make your own decision.

Nice piece definitely agree that 16/44 is good enough but 24/96 or 24/192 is better but you do need a system worthy of it to notice the differences. You said you wished they'd create a 24/192 CD erm well they did it's called DVD Audio I have a few recordings & they're great, definitely my preference over SACD's as I'm not a fan of DSD.

This comparison can be made even closer - use the same DAC for both the CD and the stream. The thing that is not understood is that even though we can't hear the "standalone" pitch of a >20kHz sound - we *do* have the ability to hear the overtone harmonics of a percussion instrument that *do* contain the higher harmonic frequencies. Any instrument that is *struck* which includes piano - has an "instant" attack, and this *by definition* has a near square wave and this contains much higher frequencies. Higher sampling rates also allow for the required filters to be much higher and be less steep - and this is largely avoids the phase issues that a "brick wall" filter, or even a dithered digital source will inevitably have.

As well as DSD or SACD wins over too

Hey Mike, I would be interested to know what is your personal listening setup and which of the products you’ve reviewed have you held onto. Curious to know if you use room treatment. You have one of the top audio channels out there!

Well presented. Thank you.

Tidal for Hi-Res Audio and Music Videos, Spotify for discovery and JRE, iPod Classic and CDs if I like the album enough like Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us.

Great video Mike! I am really loving your videos and also your podcasts very informative and helpful especially for those new to the hobby like myself, I am debating whether to get a CD player (probably the Rotel CD11 as everyone inc. you raving about that one for the price) to match my entry level system (Triangle Borea BR03's, NAD C316V2BEE Amp, Pro-Ject Carbon Debut Evo Turntable with a IFI ZEN DAC V2 plugged into the Amp for streaming via Spotify) I think I would get a bump in sound quality vs my current streaming sound (?) happy streaming day to day for casual listening but want to build a CD collection for those albums and artists I love, and whilst I certainly don't regret buying a turntable has made me realize a few things. 1. You need to spend more money both on vinyl and the actual set up - think I need to get pre-Phono amp now to improve sound to make difference between streaming vs turntable better - with CD player you just buy good one with good DAC and hopefully done no changing stylus upgrading tonearms, platter, cartridge etc etc 2. Ease of use with CD's you still have the commitment of listening to one album getting up and putting CD on but that is it then you can just concentrate on listening pleasure without worrying about dusting the record, changing sides etc etc not to mention easier to store, less fragile as well! Vinyl still has a romanticism to it and glad I bought it (should have bought second hand!) especially for old 70's albums but buying an expensive streamer to stream Hi Res seems little crazy to me vs just buying a good quality CD player which I think would still get you great quality sound but maybe that is just me 😁

Hey Mike, good video. I have a reasonable streaming set up using ifi Signature products and for searching for new music or parties it’s the go to source. For listening to my own digital music I use my CD player as the quality is better and I prefer the curated set of songs selected by the artist/producer. Friends who have streamers generally also have hard disk storage too and this is the repository for all their CDs. The interesting comparison for them is to play the CDs directly on a transport via an external DAC to the amp. They then switch in the hard drive stored version through the same DAC and lo and behold they say the sound is identical! So for me, it’s more about whether you like handling the physical media or want the convenience of a single solution to pick from stored CDs or off air using a single interface. In the end what ruined so many CDs was the loudness wars. It’s the reason I have thrown myself so far back down the vinyl route. And before everyone piles on about dynamic range etc, perhaps it’s worth remembering the actual dynamic range of a brick wall mastered CD or stream is about 8db. That’s not a typo, it really is that low. My records may only have a theoretical maximum db range of 60, but much of that is used on most records so they sound better. Not saying it’s cheap, ‘cause it’s anything but, however, it is the best source I now possess, although I still love my CDs.

is it just me or if you listen to Big love by Fleetwood Mac right at the start. The cymbal splash as the sound starts distorts on Spotify? Instead of a clean fade out it warbles as it hits the top end of the "Tish" . Apart from isolated instances like this I really do not notice too much difference in songs.

I've simply just streamed music from youtube for years, and a couple weeks ago I put a cd into a dvd player and listened to it, and was taken back by how good it sounds. I purchased a song in .Flac and was even more impressed by it. I guess after about 15 years of just listening to music uploaded to youtube, I didn't realise how good cds and .flac and wave files are. Even Mp3s at 320 is better then what i was hearing on youtube. I like the idea of purchasing 320 mp3s and Flac files or cds because I can back it up in storage and support the artists.

Thank you. Actually, I have a project I'm recording, and we've discussed streaming vs. CD and the quality. Also discussed recording at 48k and final mix at 44.1k. Thanks for the info, appreciated.

The deciding factor for me is the convenience of streaming literally anything on a whim from Tidal on my phone wherever I am using my Qudelix, Hidizs S3pro or Periodic Rhodium dongle DAC. In the car it's easier letting the CD player play on, but I have a BT receiver if I want to stream. Convenience aside, I do appreciate a physical CD case and booklet and having a collection I can see and feel which is intrinsically more valuable than an icon in an app.

Some like nostalgia, be it vinyl or CD formats, the handling, the equipment, the novelty of going out and searching for music at shows, flea markets, garage sales, etc. These formats with suitable equipment can sound euphonious and one can experience alot of the audiophile attributes such as separation, depth, etc. These people even like looking at their collection arranged on shelves for a variety of reasons including that it shows the time and effort someone puts into this hobby. With streaming, having well matched equipment and streaming services can do much of the same but without the visual effect of the hobby. Provided your favorite recordings are available and in a well recorded/processed file for streaming, it can be just as illuminating into the music and perhaps more from what I have read others' reporting in their experience. While I haven't streamed yet through my equipment, I can see doing so down the road for less clutter, etc., as I move to a smaller space (I'm older) and want less clutter in my life. Would I want to just stream? Don't know as I do like the novelty of searching for really great music I can enjoy and flipping formats to fund the equipment I want to buy. Can't do that with streaming. So I could see myself blending both physical formats and streaming together, having the physical media for music (and movies) for content I experience regularly and streaming for something I would choose once or every so often. I think this is a good blend of consuming media for myself and many others. However, I would like to see a hi resolution physical media format to make media a more lifelike, realistic experience. Something like music on a Bluray format that exceeds the information even on an SACD and would be more durable as well. That would be a commitment by industry to design, produce, and manufacture equipment to make use of this method. It can be done and done profitably. I also like the idea of a print on demand physical form where one can choose their favorite songs and artists and put it all on one of two, or more discs, design your own artwork, etc. One could probably have their own library of their favorite music by genre, period, type, etc. That really appeals to me.

I use both but I enjoy cd’s mostly and use streaming to find new music

Cd is first, along with vinyl record... Then one can stream 🫡😁 And i love 'Tallica 🫶🤘

Enjoyed and slapped !

How about stop stressing and just listen to and enjoy the music rather than the equipment used to reproduce it? Differences are so tiny you'll never notice them.

Thanks for a great video! I stream, listen to cd’s and vinyl. I have high end equipment, and consider myself a budding audiophile. I have come to the conclusion that the best equipment in the world will not be of use if the recording is horrible, no matter which media you choose to listen with! I recently ordered from MOFI, a remastered The Cars cd and it’s sounds better!

From the way I see it - not everyone can afford High Resolution Audio. Additionally, the hi-res audio grift is simply this: our product reproduces double the amount of sound as others, going all the way up to 40khz. Remember, 20khz is the highest tone you could ever hope to hear, and the squeakiest sound you could possibly imagine. Why would you want to reproduce sounds many times higher than that which your ears can’t even perceive?

I prefer DSD, as used with SACD. Somehow the lack of a sharp ‘low pass filter’. I suggest a set of cotton buds to clean your ears if you can’t hear the difference! My turntable sounds supremely better.

I SO agree with your comment on hi-res recording, mixing and mastering. This has a HUGE effect on the quality, irrespective of the support. However, as for the perceived experience, I much prefer vinyl! CD is neither the "endless discovery ... and convenience" of streaming, nor the "high quality and tactile experience" of vinyl with a good deck and cart! But then, to conclude, I also agree that we should embrace not both, but all three formats, especially if you have a good collection of CDs and vinyl. Great educational video too!

DAC DAC DAC ….it’s alway comes down to Turing 1010110…into an analog signal to be used by the rest of the amplification chain. Great video ☕️🍕

I doubt that I can discriminate between CD & Hi Res. However, I enjoy the music in either case.

I have a huge vinyl collection. A substantial CD collection. Vut, these days, I stream most of my music. It’s just so damned convenient! The thing that above all determines the quality of musical reproduction, is the recording, in my humble experience and opinion. Does ‘high res’ playback sound better than ‘standard CD quality’? Well I throw open this challenge to anyone. Compile 2 versions of your favourite playlist. One in high res, the other standard CD quality. Try and compile a lengthy playlist, 4 plus hours long. Then sit down in your favourite listening chair, armed with a glass of your favourite aged single malt, sit back and listen, attentively. Even if you are unable to hear a difference between the 2 formats, I bet you will suffer from listener fatigue much sooner with the CD quality. Try it.

Everyone should do their thing. I have to say with a caveat I do use entry-level audiophile equipment, but I can't hear the difference. If there is, it's small. And I want there to be. I want it to sound like im in the room of the Jazz Masters of Old, and it just doesn't. It's disappointing. I'm willing to pay top dollar for the experience. But Im unsure if it's out there. Maybe its just not out there for me.

When CDs are free, I'll buy more of them.

How does anyone know that the source of what they are listening to isn't CD/16-bit 44.1kHz?

It comes down to the master recording. If that's bad then any format sounds crap. Next it's down to equipment, DAC, amp and speakers or headphones. Also if streaming using bluetooth or wired.

I listen to both, but prefer CD, maybe it's my gear but CD's just sound better. I stream Tidal from my PC and from my Cambridge EVO 150, sounds better on the EVO, but then that's a better set up. I will be getting a better DAC at some point, but right now i'm happy with streaming & CD playback, but CD wins for me. I still play vinyl too, but CD is always 1st. I just love physical media, and being able to own it and helping the bands, where as streaming only really benefits the shareholders. I love having a collection too, it's why I could never part with my CD's/Vinyl, it's a huge part of my life, my history is tied to that collection...I love Metallica, been a fan since Master of Puppets, they aren't the band they once was, but aren't most bands like that? lol

I listen to vinyl, CDs, and stream (qobuz). I tend to stream if I'm doing other things, like working, and use vinyl or cd if I'm critically listening.

Most music you can't hear on streaming at all. Compact disc wins.The benefits of 24 bit Audio are at the studio. You can get the same results with a 24 bit mastered with a 16 bit CD.

I like the tech explanations! Cd, vinyl, or streaming, just the fact we have the discussion points to the fact we are all listening. We are all the same kind of animals! We love audio. Incidentally, Cds and a hard drive and seperate dac for me these days. 😊

What about ripping CD to FLAC file and running through a Dac from PC? Is this still maintaining the audio quality?

I prefer high quality streaming services. I have CDs still so I like to play them from time to time but the convenience and ability to sample almost everything is unbeatable. Using a good streamer with a good dac and fiber internet (literally no drop outs) results in a marvelous experience.

Good explantion. The other element to consider is age and hearing of the listener. I'm 63 and have attended many very loud concerts over my life along with working in some very noisy situations. This translates to somewhat less than perfect hearing now. I have tried to hear the difference between many formats and resolutions of the same track to try hear the differences for myself. Given that the equipment used is of a decent quality and the recording is also good, I can't say that higher resolution files are better than CD recordings. I can hear differences in the mix but that is nothing to do with the resolution of the file. I never listen to Spotify, it just hurts. P.S, I'm not a Metallica fan by the way. Thanks.

I don't care, people can say I have sawdust in my ears(though I'm not that old), and that's fine, but I have listened to Tidal Premium, Qobuz, Amazon Music HD, Spotify whatever their high-quality tier is, and honestly, I can hear no difference between them and a good quality upload of the same song here on RU-vid, and sometimes, YT is actually better, it's certainly easier to use and navigate to find a song. Heck, despite what they say, most people, audiophiles included, cannot hear the difference between 320k mp3 and CD quality. All that being said, I would still rather have a larger uncompressed file in .wav, flac, or whatever lossless codec, but I would think it's more psychological than actual, the differences in sound that are perceived.

Great video - everything sounds better than Spotify, lol!

I DON'T LISTEN TO METALICA. I KNOW PAT BOONE LIKES IT. ...BUT I JUST LOVE THE WAY YOU EXPLAIN HOW TECHNOLOGY WORKS ! AUDIOPHILIK IN EVERY WAY. LOOKING FAST FWD TO YOUR NEXT EDUCATIONAL VIDEO, . . GREETINGS from CHICAGO.🤩

Is it fair to compare this audio subject vs the video streaming? Let's say an episode of game of thrones through streaming is gonna be as satisfactory -in terms of good picture and audio- as the same episode played in dvd -or bluray.? Tell me our opinions please.

I just bought disc player to play 4K blu rays. This player will play anything. I’m astonished how much better my cds sound through the same dac than my nas drive will the same albums on it.

Really outstanding reviews!

Great question and great video! I generally prefer a cd over a remastered (aka very very very loud and eq'ed) version of the same album in Tidal. But the other day I was listening to Whitney Houston's first cd (sorry, I'm not into Metallica) and I noticed it was full of "original master tape problems". I don't know if it's only my copy, but I realized that the Tidal version (remastered) sounded much cleaner. Same issue with "the turn of a friendly card" by Alan Parsons Project. So, I agree you have to take advantage of the best of both worlds and always look for the best recording possible. And gapless playback is much better in the cd for me.

i am an avid collector of physical discs (SACDs) and a qobuz subscriber. Any titles I like on Qobuz I get to purchase at less than what that CD would have been, so the $15/month sublime subscription pays for itself.

For the most listeners by far, their ears or speakers are the factor limiting the quality, not the digital audio format.

Great video there’s something about only paying 12 bucks for a cd like Eagles greatest hits. Some day those prices will double it’s inevitable . I have Apple Music Spotify and You tube music. If I just dropped one of those services and bought one brand new cd a month I’d have a growing collection . 🤔

Is there not a standard measurable value that can be used to judge reproduction of a signal? It sounds like the higher bit depths can only potentially resolve signals more precisely but has nothing to do with how accurately this is done. It's like saying I have a scale that can measure my weight to the nearest 10th of a LB but is 3 LB off. It's much better to then have a scale that only measure my weight to the nearest LB while being maybe less than 1 lb inaccurate. The answer then would be to use a known weight to compare the two.