So I don’t have a super high-end system by any means. I have JBL L36 speakers. They sound awesome. There is some music that sounds absolutely incredible on them. The Beatles – Abbey Road. Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests, Robag Wruhme - Thora Vukk, Lorde - The Louvre…
There is some of my favourite music however, that sounds completely non-impactful and wimpy on the speakers as well. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again, and in fact most of their catalogue. Bowie - Berlin trilogy sounds weak but it slams in my car…
I would really love to know if someone has a great system and Depeche Mode/Bowie sound fantastic on it.
Bowie, The Cure and Depeche Mode sound far better on vinyl in my system. It sounds decent/good on digital, far better on wax.
There’s something about the way most of those catalogs were mastered for digital which really takes away from it.
Here’s my advice: see if you can find a old used CD version of violator or let’s dance and compare it to your streaming source. If it’s better, it’s the streaming master that’s your issue.
Also, try listening to Depeche Mode’s Momento Mori album in your setup. How does it sound?