Can happen, especially of the music gets remastered for streaming. That's why there is no one true master of something - you often get mastering a for radio, CD, iTunes, vinyl and other streaming media. Each has different requirements and may have the music levels adjusted for their service or medium.
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Ahhh-
Religion
Politics
Stream vs physical Media
The 3 things you shouldn't talk about in social settings
Having commented on streaming vs discs (DVD/BD/UHD BD) for video in several threads here over the years, guess its time to chime in re: stream vs discs for audio.
For convenience, it is tough to beat audio stream services like Amazon (lossy currently, plan to offer lossless sometime) or Qobuz (good reports from local picky audiophiles).
However, if you do the math tracking your listening time/month vs the cost of lossless services like Tidal/Qobuz, it's probably lower cost to buy used CD's and rip to flac and store on an SD card (phone) or SSD/2.5" HD for your car, plus home NAS of course.
In the past year or so, CD's have been 5/dollar (20 cents each!) at Salvation Army around SE MI! Yes, selection is random and conditon may be iffy, but I've picked up hundreds in the past couple years.
Filled out a large collection of Telarc/Naxos/Blue Note/etc orchestral/soundtrack/jazz/vocalist recordings this way. Lots of classic rock/pop/folk too.
Even at the current price of 50 cents-dollar at thrift, 25 cents or so at yard sales, that's a lot of lossless listening for low cost. Resell what you don't like/want later via Discogs/ebay/classifieds/trade in local mom & pop music store, often at a profit, sometimes significant for OOP/rare/niche finds.
Scored many SACD's, BluRay and DVD concerts for similar costs- no differentiation at thrift.
Even at ebay/used Amazon prices with shipping, the math still works out re: listening time vs cost of ownership.
Oh wait, with streaming you don't have ownership
The other issue with streamed audio is provenance- how can you verify the bits are lossless (transcoded from lossy at some time in the past? Or somewhere along the path from provider to your device?
Perhaps provider is unaware), or what actual master the provider used? US, European, Japanese master tape? Who knows
Even if today the streamed bits are verified from a known master and not processed to harm the lossless audio, next month/year it may not be with new owners, changing license agreements, etc.
The "Happy medium" I came up with- pay $8/month for a large lossy library (Amazon Music with Prime) for convenience, listening in car (cell data, downloaded to phone), exercising, new release album auditions, etc, then followup with a disc purchase (CD/SACD/BD Audio/concert video disc) if I like it for the lossless.
$5-$10/month is my justifiable limit for music stream services. Used disc media for any amount higher.
Religion
Politics
Stream vs physical Media
The 3 things you shouldn't talk about in social settings
Having commented on streaming vs discs (DVD/BD/UHD BD) for video in several threads here over the years, guess its time to chime in re: stream vs discs for audio.
For convenience, it is tough to beat audio stream services like Amazon (lossy currently, plan to offer lossless sometime) or Qobuz (good reports from local picky audiophiles).
However, if you do the math tracking your listening time/month vs the cost of lossless services like Tidal/Qobuz, it's probably lower cost to buy used CD's and rip to flac and store on an SD card (phone) or SSD/2.5" HD for your car, plus home NAS of course.
In the past year or so, CD's have been 5/dollar (20 cents each!) at Salvation Army around SE MI! Yes, selection is random and conditon may be iffy, but I've picked up hundreds in the past couple years.
Filled out a large collection of Telarc/Naxos/Blue Note/etc orchestral/soundtrack/jazz/vocalist recordings this way. Lots of classic rock/pop/folk too.
Even at the current price of 50 cents-dollar at thrift, 25 cents or so at yard sales, that's a lot of lossless listening for low cost. Resell what you don't like/want later via Discogs/ebay/classifieds/trade in local mom & pop music store, often at a profit, sometimes significant for OOP/rare/niche finds.
Scored many SACD's, BluRay and DVD concerts for similar costs- no differentiation at thrift.
Even at ebay/used Amazon prices with shipping, the math still works out re: listening time vs cost of ownership.
Oh wait, with streaming you don't have ownership
The other issue with streamed audio is provenance- how can you verify the bits are lossless (transcoded from lossy at some time in the past? Or somewhere along the path from provider to your device?
Perhaps provider is unaware), or what actual master the provider used? US, European, Japanese master tape? Who knows
Even if today the streamed bits are verified from a known master and not processed to harm the lossless audio, next month/year it may not be with new owners, changing license agreements, etc.
The "Happy medium" I came up with- pay $8/month for a large lossy library (Amazon Music with Prime) for convenience, listening in car (cell data, downloaded to phone), exercising, new release album auditions, etc, then followup with a disc purchase (CD/SACD/BD Audio/concert video disc) if I like it for the lossless.
$5-$10/month is my justifiable limit for music stream services. Used disc media for any amount higher.
Still need to audition my recently acquired Panny 820
Were you listening via analog or digital (coax/optical/HDMI) outputs?
This is true. But it's not the ONLY thing that's true... It's "convenient discovery". It's how I figure out what I want to buy next... I keep various "AIWTB" (albums I want to buy) playlists on streaming services I use...
Oh wait, with streaming you don't have ownership
Another "bonus" to ownership, for me at least, and I know it might sound silly to some, but I genuinely like having access to "all the information" that comes with the file when I "own" it and rip it rather than stream it... I like to see the waveform. I like the info about average loudness, peak loudness, dynamic range, etc. It gives me visual confirmation of what I think I'm hearing/enjoying about certain songs. I like it. TIFWIW.
+1. I do similar (but with different services for streaming).
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