question - recording streaming audio

[garybeck]

i have an audio program that enables me to record whatever is coming out of the speakers as a wav file.

there is something on the net that comes in streaming audio. I want to save a copy of it. I can use the program to save it, but i'm wondering, technically what am I getting?

Can I assume that they are broadcasting a lower quality recording than what I would get if I downloaded the SHN or WAV file? (the link says "hi fi streaming")

and since all those ones and zeros are being sent to the output of the soundcard and then recorded via the audio software, is the recording transformed to various things as it goes through all those processes, resulting in loss of quality?

fyi, the recording i'm interested in is Grateful Dead, which used to be offered for free downloads on archive.org. they recently took down all the soundboard recordings (but left all the audience recordings). they still offer the soundboards but only in streaming audio. I was thinking about using my audio software to record a streaming audio file, but I'm wondering if it would be better to find someone who downloaded the actual SHN or WAV file before they were removed from the archive.

thanks
gb