The more Digital the Better!?
After a lot of experimenting, I've found that the quality of the music is a big factor. When I play older CDs, or MP3's I've downloaded or converted, the bass & volume isn't as good.
I found this out when I bought a new remastered CD to replace a lost one in my collection. I was surprised by how much clearer it was, and how much better bass punch it delivered.
I think the more digital a recording is might also have something to do with it. Therefore a DDD (digital X 3) recording, or an ADD should sound better than an old AAD - like most older analog CDs.
The JBL is a digital unit, and supposedly the more digital it has, the better the reproduction. OK, but I find it also performs better when listening to a good FM station. However, a freind of mine in the car stereo biz says FM is analog, so it shouldn't make a diff.
All I know is that the newer & more digital CDs, and good FM stations, just sound better than my old CDs! (silly me - I used to think that all digital music was the same, because I thought ones & zeros would never degrade!)