Fast food might well be quick and convenient but it’s not necessarily what your body needs to thrive. To get full nutritional value from your mealtimes, you may need to make a bit more of an effort from time to time.
The same could be said for how we consume music in the digital age. Music streaming services offer instant gratification. They are a brilliant way to discover the next big thing, try out a recommendation from a friend or rustle up a playlist of your favourite tunes.
But when you discover your next melodic fixation (or rediscover an old one), is your streaming service delivering at a high enough quality to properly nourish your new-found appetite? Some “high quality” streams carry just a quarter of the information found on a CD and standard streams less than a tenth. Enough to enjoy a taster maybe, but are you getting a completely wholesome musical experience?
To get the most from the music you love, you may choose to invest in something with more of the good stuff left in. That could well take the shape of a high-resolution digital download.
For both convenience and quality, there’s no question that a hi-res download is an attractive option. Storage is only limited by easily expanded hard drive space rather than finite shelf space and – when played back on good hi-fi equipment – the extra information captured within means voices and instruments can take on an improved clarity and depth of tone. Compared to standard quality streaming, think of hi-res in terms of ordering a sirloin steak rather than a burger.
The only downside can be getting your music player to not only recognise, but actually play the wide variety of available file sizes and formats. Imagine ordering that steak and not being given a steak knife! That’s why Cambridge Audio created the award-winning StreamMagic platform to power our range of networked music players. Not only does StreamMagic easily deal with standard quality digital music files from your favourite streaming services, it can also identify, unpack and decode a vast range of different hi-res file types, making it nice and simple to order from the higher quality section of the musical menu.
Of course, you can still enjoy fast food – we wouldn’t tell you otherwise – but how much better is a sit-down meal in a good restaurant? StreamMagic guarantees your reservation.
In our current line-up you’ll find StreamMagic powering our Edge NQ, 851N, CXN (V2) and CXR products.