[zen87192]

Why is it..... that if one has pretty good home system with good source equipment, cables, mains isolation, source isolation, strong Internet connections etc. that when one plays a Local Radio Station and the same songs that one listens to on the system on a regular basis sounds a bit better and clarity is more noticable via Radio? ie. I play a tune through my streamer that I know well.... all is good... but then I hear it on the radio and I hear a better definition of hi-hat cymbals - percussion very snappy and more pronounced within the tune. I currently stream via Amazon HD, Qobuz and just tried Tidal. My system is Headphone based and also Wireless Floor Speaker Based. Any ideas please?

 

[msing539]

I want to say it's that they EQ it to be perceived as sounding clearer and bassier, but just guessing. Great question and curious if someone knows for sure.

 

[Leporello]

Why is it..... that if one has pretty good system with good source equipment, cables, mains isolation, source isolation, strong Internet connections etc. that when one plays a Local Radio Station and the same songs that one listens to on a regular basis sound a bit better and clarity is more noticable? ie. I play a tune through my streamer that I know well.... all is good... but then I hear it on the radio and I hear a better definition of hi-hat cymbals - more pronounced within the tune. I play via Amazon HD, Qobuz and just tried Tidal. My system is Headphone based and also Wireless Floor Speaker Based. Any ideas please?

Dynamic compression?

 

[danadam]

EQ most probably. One day I captured a song (Luka - Solitude Standing by Suzanne Vega) from some streaming radio and the bass was elevated and treble attenuated when compared to the CD version:

 

[Whazzzup]

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[Leporello]

get a quality music server and streamer, like antipodes

You do not know anything about the OP's system and the possible causes of his problems. Giving baseless shoot-from-the-hip advice is hardly needed.

 

[bigshot]

Dynamic compression?

I think this might be it. The compression is bringing up small details that aren't as prominent in the compressed track. But don't tell that guy who posts here who is coo coo over "the evils of dynamic compression"!

 

[Whazzzup]

You do not know anything about the OP's system and the possible causes of his problems. Giving baseless shoot-from-the-hip advice is hardly needed.

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[Subhasis]

This article might be able to answer the question...
https://integraudio.com/what-radio-stations-do-make-music-sound-better/

 

[zen87192]

This article might be able to answer the question...
https://integraudio.com/what-radio-stations-do-make-music-sound-better/

Brilliant! Thank you. At least I now know I'm not going mad with my system choices (or my ears). I've been thorough quite a few high end Music Servers/Streamers either through ownership or Demo. Still nothing seems to arrive at my expectations (within the realms of affordability but still in the 'multi thousands') for detail. The only thing that has improved a bit is in my choosing of Headphone Cables for my LCD-5's bringing out more of what I like to hear in clarity. Surprisingly, with my Wireless Speakers which are 'all-in-ones' I turned to Tidal and this 'seemed' to improve matters for me very slightly. The delivery sounds more dynamic/detailed.

 

[bfreedma]

Do you?

it’s an opinion, and if he doesn’t then it’s a legit option. oh it’s sound science, this is a nasty forum, bye bye and good luck.

So throw money at a problem before understanding it's origins. Sounds like a plan...

It's interesting that you want someone to blindly spend between $3,500 - $25,000 with zero knowledge as to it's effectiveness, then call this forum "nasty" for suggesting that it would be appropriate to determine if this expense would even address the issue. I think you have it backwards.

 

[Whazzzup]

So throw money at a problem before understanding it's origins. Sounds like a plan...

It's interesting that you want someone to blindly spend between $3,500 - $25,000 with zero knowledge as to it's effectiveness, then call this forum "nasty" for suggesting that it would be appropriate to determine if this expense would even address the issue. I think you have it backwards.

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[bigshot]

you aren't going anywhere. you love our abuse.

 

[tesarpa]

This article might be able to answer the question...
https://integraudio.com/what-radio-stations-do-make-music-sound-better/

Exactly. My favorite czech radio is local alternative music station "Radio 1". I listen to their 192 kbps stream, as they do not have any better. But, my lord, it sound glorious! Yes, I hear some MP3 artifacts on treble, but overall the music sounds just right. I always though they must have some compressors / expanders / whatever in place.

 

[gregorio]

Why is it..... that if one has pretty good home system with good source equipment, cables, mains isolation, source isolation, strong Internet connections etc. that when one plays a Local Radio Station and the same songs that one listens to on the system on a regular basis sounds a bit better and clarity is more noticable via Radio?

There’s two main reasons:

Firstly, all Radio stations (and TV broadcasters) have used a “Broadcast Limiter” since around the end of the Second World War. The FCC in the USA and similar bodies in other countries set legal requirements for broadcast signals, so the use of a broadcast limiter to comply with those legal requirements was mandatory. In the early 1970’s the world of broadcast limiters was revolutionised with the introduction of multi-band broadcast limiters. The audio spectrum was split into bands, each of which had it’s own compressor/limiter. The end result is “EQ like” but maintains levels/loudness within the set limits. Then, around 1980, a company called Orban introduced it’s Optimod broadcast limiter. It had a 6 band limiter, presets for dialogue based stations, other presets for music stations (although many stations tweaked the presets to create their own sound signature) and made it a breeze to automatically comply with FCC regulations. Within a few years, there was hardly a commercial Radio or TV broadcaster on the planet that wasn’t using an Orban Optimod.

Secondly, although it’s not so common these days, at one time virtually all commercial music labels (particularly of the major artists) created a master specifically for radio broadcast. This master was called the “Radio Edit” and was sometimes an actual “edit” of the song/track, to comply with the available radio play time slot. Other times the Radio Edit was a re-mix of the release version or just a re-master, with different EQ/compression than the release version, to work optimally with the broadcast limiters. Occasionally, there were even different Radio Edits for different radio stations, although AFAIK, that wasn’t common.

get a quality music server and streamer, like antipodes

Why, can the antipodes magically turn a release version into the original Radio Edit and emulate the broadcast limiter settings of particular radio stations?

it’s an opinion, and if he doesn’t then it’s a legit option.

Yes it’s an opinion but no, it is NOT a “legit opinion”, unless it actually can magically recreate a radio edit + broadcast limiter settings!

oh it’s sound science, this is a nasty forum, bye bye and good luck.

You’ve got that backwards! A “nasty forum” is one where marketers, shills and those suckered by them recommend a pricy purchase while ignoring or being ignorant of the actual facts!!

So bye bye to you, although I DO NOT wish you good luck in your endeavour to push a pricy product that DOES NOT actually address the OP!

G