A hi-fi for your Spotify?
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2020
- This video is sponsored by high-quality streaming service Qobuz: qob.uz/darko-qobuz-2020
Camera: Olaf von Voss | Editor: John Darko
Should I buy a hi-fi system if all I listen to is Spotify? Or Apple Music? Or any other lossy streaming service? You betcha.
Some suggestions to get you started:
**Loudspeakers**
Q Acoustics 3030i:
www.qacoustics.co.uk/q-acoust...
Monitor Audio Monitor 100:
www.monitoraudio.com/en/produ...
Wharfedale Diamond 11.2:
www.wharfedale.co.uk/diamond-...
ELAC Debut 2.0 5.2:
www.elac.com/series/debut-2-0/
Klipsch The Fives (no external amplifier required):
www.klipsch.com/products/the-...
**Amplifiers**
NAD C 316BEE V2:
nadelectronics.com/product/c-...
Emotiva BasX A-100:
emotiva.com/collections/amps/...
Onkyo A9110-S:
eu.onkyo.com/en-GLOBAL/c/a-91...
Cambridge Audio AXA25:
www.cambridgeaudio.com/deu/en...
Rotel A10:
www.rotel.com/en-gb/product/a10
#spotify #applemusic #hifi
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![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](/img/n.gif)
Thanks for not being an audiophile snob, and making us "budget" people feel like we are on the right path to enjoying quality music
on higher end stuff, difference between music files gets smaller.
In fact, if you have a perfect DAC, CD quality is all you need.
I truly dont get your reaction. Dont get me wrong, i think Donny Jarko is a sweet and sympathetic man, and i aggree with him. But why would you thank him and thus seek his or anyones approval for listening to your kind of music, be it quality or the more shitty kind. Simply enjoy 'd say.
Here here!
@@por4258 It's a strawman, the vast majority of audiophiles are not snobs. Most audiophiles I've met, many whom were rich or at least wealthy compared to most people, always got excited when they heard about affordable quality audio equipment. It's true that lossless is way better than Spotify, it's also true that Tidal is better than Spotify, people need to accept that it is fine to accept they don't have the best stuff.
A Mazda is not a Porsche, and that's fine, no need to get offended if the Porsche driver is excited about his toy and not yours.
That said, enjoy your stuff, and when someone else is excited about theirs, even if you don't appreciate it, enjoy their enjoyment!
@@allanshaw5884 CD Quality is better than most streaming services
I went from Spotify to Tidal, and now back to Spotify. Even with my high-end setup, I had to critically listen to hear any subtle differences.
In the end, I decided it wasn't worth bothering over it and sacrificing the catalog and UI of Spotify for something that I had to really focus on to spot a subtle difference.. and this wasn't the case with every song, only just a few were there benefits present.
Also, I have a family plan. :) I would love it if Spotify came out with a Hi-Fi tier
I found that Tidal didn't have as much in the way of electronic music. As a result, I went back to Spotify and buy lossless tracks from Band camp.
Tidal has a Family Plan as well - which is a few bucks more. I can live without a to-go latte once a month. Spotify sounds good, but there are certain tracks (same mastering) that Tidal clearly pulls ahead. That is enough for me to justify that extra coin.... unless you need to Spotify library (which is why I am currently subscribed to both lol).
asplmn just went through the same process. If Tidal or Qobuz could match Spotify’s UI I would try them again. Until then I am sticking with Spotify. And like you I would love if they offered a lossless plan.
asplmn ❣️
If Spotify had a HiFi tier I would switch back from tidal. I like the Spotify curation more but I can tell the difference in quality between it and tidal and prefer tidal.
Wouldn't mind paying more if spotify had a HiFi option
same here
If Spotify had CD quality option I'd pay more, but not twice as much.
Tidal exists ...
Spotify has the best music discovery algorithms by far.
@@audioaficionado9494 if you say so you don't know tidal mate
As an audiophile of 30 years who really cares about sound , I say "True!"
Bruce W Good listeners can understand exactly what’s going on in the music, even on AirPods. Their brains can make up the lost information.
I am musically illiterate, so I only listen to Qobuz and TIDAL.
How about deezer?
@@sheanreal deezer's a tiny upgrade from spotify. I'm actually listening both, deezer's a little crispier sound, and it has higher volume. But spotify's more comfortable. I'm keeping spotify.
@@sheanreal Deezer's a poor choice compared to Qobuz or Tidal for hi fi audio. I've tried all three on my setup (Sony str-dh790 Dayton towers and bookshelf surrounds, Polk center). I don't even have a "high end" hi fi system, it's basically entry level hi fi but you can hear the difference immediately.
Quality-wise Qobuz and Tidal are nigh identical excepting Tidal's atmos music in some cases (some are waaay better, some are worse). But Deezer sounds worse in all cases. Sort of a tinny, cold sound, like it was mastered in a metal box. And every track on the service sounds this way when compared with others. I'd literally take Spotify over Deezer any day of the week, let alone the other hi fi services.
@@marcosbarrera6431 Deezer, although a nice service, seems to have too many bugs for my comfort. Music not playing, missing downloads, explicit music not shown correctly, etc.
mastering>file size.
Bad mastering with flac files is nothing.
Hearing that is like 1 + 1 = 2 for me. In fact, Mastering >> file size. But I am sure it's not nearly as obvious for a lot of people.
This is what most people don’t understand. An MP3 192 KBPS excellent mastered track can sound better than a poor mastered FLAC 24 bit track.
Recently upgraded hardware: amp and speakers to a system 10x the price of the previous. Mainly use Spotify and huge difference in enjoyment!
Yes! I use Spotify, and listen through my iPhone, a decent set of earbuds, Grado SR-60 headphones, ELAC B-6.2s, and, most recently, a pair of ’90s Klipsches. Other sources include vinyl, CDs, and local lossless files, but I love Spotify for music discovery and much of my listening! 🔥
an old Sansui 9090DB, large Advents and a LG V20 along with a a bottle of Mateus Rose, a joint of great weed and a cool girl works for me.
@@1020donny u lucky bstrd....an old sansui...
I'm trying Qobuz right now, but I can't use the native app with my streamer which is a big negative. I can use Spotify Connect though and get all the suggestions and search functions. Plus there is Spotify kids for my young children who love music, but are too young for everything. I don't see going away from Spotify right now even if it doesn't sound quite as good.
Got a sub-€500 amplifier or loudspeaker suggestion? Let's hear it!
(My suggestions are in the description box)
NAD Amp 1.
Audiophonics MPA-S250NC, cleanest Class D around :)
John Darko Yamaha RN-402D 110w 2channel multi room reciever
Is it LG V40? Great choice. I have it too.
Yamaha AS-301/501 as a classic old school made in the modern day
Dad here. That was brilliantly clear and down-to-earth.
Cheers, John 👍😉
This is so true. I have a dedicated listening room with a valve amplifier and good speakers. I have to say Spotify blows me away with how good it can sound. The ready and endless access to all genres of music, and intelligently recorded and mastered music is just outstanding. The equipment makes a huge difference to any source you listen to including streaming sources. I haven’t touched my CD collection in years, and yet I am enjoying my Hi Fi system more then ever.
As someone who recently moved from Spotify to Tidal, even I can admit that it's not as big of a jump as people swear it is. Good work as always, and I'm looking forward to that DAC video! :)
It is a diff story jumping from Sound Cloud and Apple Music. imo, the 2 platforms with the lowest fidelity make a big dif in the transition. I do think youtube music has really interesting sounding in comparison for whatever reason on many songs on youtube it seems to stretch out the sound stage and imaging on a lot of songs and Im not sure if they have some sort of stereoscopic compression algorithm that causes this to happen or whatever compression magic is going on. YT fidelity may be poor somewhat but it seems to have some interesting effects.
I found Pandora impossible to listen to . . . I finally switched to Amazon HD Music. It is great for previewing music before buying the CD or LP. In the final analysis, as Darko said around 3:30, the quality of the production and engineering is far more important to the listening experience than how much data is streamed through your DAC.
for me the difference is not worth the price difference, i would prefer to download real HIres files an listen to them on musicbee, much more options and the sound seems better.
It wasn't often I could hear the difference and tidal interface sucks.
@@leonarddaneman810 Amazon hd for me was much better then tidal.
I used to be an audiophile, but low end or even middle quality audio equipment is great these days. More important to find good music than audiophile level equipment imo
Thank you! I cannot express how much I appreciate your attitude, point-of-view, clarity, and humor. Darko, you are truly the most helpful person I know when it comes to thinking about audio equipment. Gratefully and best etc
I went into Hi-Fi about 20 years ago. Basically I have now downgraded my system to the point that I enjoy the music more than the recording. Much more fun and I listen to a much wider range of music and sources as well.
I really enjoy hearing your point of view about these issues. Thank you!
I find “audiophiles” often tend to worry too much about the source material and not enough about what it’s played back on. I’ve been a Spotify Premium subscriber since 2014 and think it sounds great. My main 2 channel rig is decently resolving, with Sonus faber Liuto towers, REL S/5 sub, and Sony A1ES integrated amp. I access Spotify using Connect to a Sonos ZP90 run coax into an external Wadia DAC. I’ve plugged my laptop in and A-B’d between Spotify, Tidal/Masters, Qobuz, and stuff ripped from CD. Spotify sounded, to me, pretty much indistinguishable from Hi Res services or lossless CD rips. The couple of outlying cases where I perceived a quality difference were, at best, negligible. I’d take Spotify’s vastly superior interface, wider selection, and music discovery engine over a “well, maybe...” difference on a handful of songs any day. If Spotify launched a HiFi tier, I’d surely upgrade my plan for good measure, but they don’t seem too interested in it.
This reflects my experience pretty much exactly except I had Proacs driven by Bryston amps. My mate has a $100k system he runs Spotify through and it sounds amazing.
@@thomcrown900 i hav the same experience too. i compred my high res files with spotify tidal qobuz and i dont hear a difference.
I believe sportify is getting ready to offer hi fi recordings
I agree with your opening statement. I am an audiophile of nearly 40 years now and when I was younger, I found myself deliberately playing well-recorded music because it shows off the system to a greater degree. I did this despite not always enjoying what I was listening too. Being waaaaay older now, obviously, this is not the case. I think that many audiophiles will go through this stage until they realize that they have their priority a bit backward. Listening to Spotify with its superior catalog, in many ways helped to solidify this mistake. I like Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz and find the differences between them mostly livable due, as you say, to the resolving nature of good audio equipment that can easily be purchased.
I’ve listened to Spotify for the last 5 years. My first audiophile headphones were the HD58x and wow it was amazing. When I got a dac/amp it wasn’t as wow as the headphones but it opened up the soundstage even more and brought even more clarity and nuances to the sound.
I feel most people tend to seek out higher quality when their equipment can handle higher quality sources because its reveals more details in the music. Good audio gear also widens your horizons when it comes to music some stuff just needs that extra resolution to be appreciated like classical music and pop, metal being the exception sounds about the same on most everything.
Dude, you started off strong but lost it with the metal part. Metal is in most cases faster with more songs and more instruments. A good pair of loudspeakers make ALL the difference. From metal being just noise on Apple headphones to very intricate and complex music on a good pair of loudspeakers.
Lukas T I completely agree!
@@Lukas-kh5gu i like metal myself but most of the main stream stuff im aware of is masterd horribly do you have any bands you would recommend that hold up well?
@@hamsterwolf That's a very valid point, the mastering of Metal is very poor in general. I spotted that by listening to Metal with my brand new Focal Clear, and it's quite sad to hear this compressed dynamic in most of metal songs :(
@@hamsterwolf while I disagree to your primary comment, your mention of the genre being mastered horribly is apparent with mainstream metal. I wouldn't say metal is the exception but it's more of a hit or miss genre.
Hi John have been watching your channel for last 6 months. Thanks for all your information. Never really had my own hifi system. But a month ago have weighed things up and always enjoyed music . Brought a bluesound powernode 2I and bowers and wilkins 607. Didn't really have space for much else. Very pleased with it especially with tidal which was free for a month
👍👍👍
Its so nice to hear those things. I live in brazil, and high end gear its very expensive, and for many years I used to listen to music in computer speakers, and thank to people like you I gained courage to try to improve my listening experience. Its not like its much today, but now I know I dont need to put a shitload of money to enjoy listening to music (most mp3's and streaming). Thank you.
May I know where you getting this kind of Topic Ideas from..? You are one of the very few reviewers who wants to transform casual music listeners to entry level Audiophiles..👌👍
Probably because most reviewers are audiophiles, who think their audience are audiophiles only, which is not true. I think there are plenty on the fringe who don't know how to start or can't afford to yet. Well done John for not being audiophile-centric.
... too many audiophiles believe themselves to have some kind of advanced hearing mechanism , way beyond that of an average person. You can be trained to hear certain things and know what to listen for, but most teenagers have better hearing than the majority of, certainly older audiophiles. John has great, balanced opinions and perspectives. Fab channel.
Such sensible plain talking and advice. It's so easy to get wrapped up on the nuances especially if you are far down the journey. It's easy to forget what it was like starting out and anything to encourage people to investigate, talk or listen to good audio can only be a good thing. Another great video from JD
Thank you. It's really nice to hear someone actually understand the priority in the audio chain.
Very refreshing to watch. Thanks John, I’ll be sharing this one around!
👍👍👍👍👍
Absolutely right. Then, once you have a good system, by all means compare Spotify with say, Tidal but, if you can't hear the difference between exactly the same version of a song (few can in blind tests) stick with Spotify and save some money.
I've tried comparisons myself. As has my brother. We believe that we hear a difference when we know which service are listening to but, our blind tests are always a fail!!
👍👍👍
You are a breath of fresh air John! Keep up the exceptional content.
Love when the JD notification pops up!
I can hear a difference between Spotify and Tidal but its not as big as people think it is. I went from cheap 30 dollar headphones to 100 dollar Sony MDR's and the difference was insane. Equipment quality is def more important than what service you use.Spotify also sounds great through my Cerwin Vega LS-12's
Good day, John! I more than appreciate your encouragement for the newcomers and enthusiasm bringing them into the world we love. Thank you very much for your work! Karoly, from the country of Bartók
I think streaming services like Spotify are a blessing for someone like me who still buys CDs and other physical media when it comes to music.
I'm not of the 1 percent in society that has an unlimited budget each month to buy music, so streaming is great for exploring and listening to the stuff I don't have on a physical medium while also supporting the artist (It would be nice if the streaming services would fairly compensate the artists though).
Also, from my experience listening to Spotify and CD versions of albums, the mastering is everything. There are albums where you don't hear a difference and there are albums where you clearly do hear the higher fidelity of CD or High Res audio. It's all in the mastering and the technology available at the time.
Jeroen Van Hoof My thoughts exactly! I collect records and I can only buy them maybe every 1-2 months. Spotify has been amazing for me because I can discover great new bands which I will go ahead and buy the albums on vinyl.
I believe Tidal pay artists four times what spotify pay. One reason why i dont mind paying more for Tidal.
As an amplifier, I have the Yamaha A-S301, which was about 290€ and I am really happy with it. For my quite critical ears, it offers decent clarity and transparency and has enough possibilities for using EQ. In my setup, it drives old ASW loudspeakers I got for free. (They were quite expensive in the Nineties and are still good today).
Jan A. I have one too i find it pretty great. I’m also a fan of Yamaha audio gear in the studio. I have a pair of msp5 s with a Adam sub and it’s a killer combination
The thing is for me it's more psychological.
I had a trial on Amazon Music with the “Ultra HD” versions of many of my favorite albums. Yes I swear it sounded AMAZING to me. But it’s not something you’d want to use off Wi-Fi. But was it that great or was it all in my mind?
I use the Bluesound Node 2i and stream from Spotify to there (airplay) and through a DAC to my Rega amp. Sounds fab. I also have a Roon setup and Qobuz
Your common sense approach to all things audiophile is so refreshing. Thanks!
I think of it like this.
There are a few tracks in my collection that warrant the hi-fi experience if possible, 24 bit flac.
I've probably used Spotify to surface those tracks during everyday listening on my commute.
There's a place for both, and both will enrich your life with wonderful music.
Not sure how I missed this video.
Just watching it a month later, so very very true.
Thank you for spreading knowledge
The only humble audio person i have ever seen. Thank you for this video, i hope it will set an example to the communities out there.
Love these down to earth sessions
I've just setup my first DAC, the Schiit Modi 3 and it's transformed my Spotify! Onward and upward! 👍 Thanks for the recommendation!
Have also just upgraded to Tidal 👌😜
you nailed it, run direct digital signal to modi 3 and the holographic imaging comes to life from spotify
Thanks to research largely from your channel & others, purchased the LS50 Wireless & a REL T/9i for nearfield in my office and haven’t been happier!
Exactly my path over the years. Top video MR D
Some people like to listen to the MUSIC, not their GEAR. Everything sounds better on proper gear, but only you can define what that means.
I agree so much with this!
Even though I have my library of music in lossless, I still use Spotify for the convenience it has for listening to songs I currently don't have and even with Spotify alone, getting better audio equipment did improve my listening experience.
John, I love your down-to-earth, realistic, priorities-first approach to all matters HI-FI. Audiophiles, (we) need to stop being snobs (and grumpy!) and scare people off good (or better) quality audio. Your approach is beginner-friendly, not scary, nor snobbish and really welcomes all MUSIC lovers, not just audiophiles. Big thumbs up John, keep it up.
John, that was spot on! Thank you. I play music from all sources, including cassete. Will never give up my Spotify. Audirvana streaming Qobuz, wonderful. There's a little software called FxSound that you can tweak in ways that make Spotify more satisfying. If you're streaming from a laptop. And yes, the gear will bring Spotify to another level. Thank you
I uses tidal for personal listening in my listening space...I use Spotify for sharing and social with friends.
Thanks John tot taking me on a journey thru digital audio land. Keep up the good work giving your view on gear, music and the likes. Appreciate it !
I did a comparative test between Spotify Premium, Apple Music and Tidal lossless. My gear is solid, and yet I couldn’t tell a difference between Tidal and the others. I know some people have a critical ear for such things but I feel that the difference in sound quality was so negligible that Tidal wasn’t even worth the consideration. IMHO, spend the money on a good gear. I think lossless music is just for piece of mind.
Hmm, I dunno. I'm not that audiophile dickhead you meet over the internet, but I was a Spotify user for like 3-4 years. Then, a cousin showed me Tidal and I found a really good offer for it and decided to give it a try. When the offer ended, I still used Tidal for a while (1 year or so in all), but then decided to go back to Spotify due to its price. I could really feel the difference and had to go back to Tidal.
It's hard to compare side by side. But our ears adapt to circumstances, so if you listen to hi-fi music for an extended period of time and then go back to the 320kbps, I think you can really feel the difference.
It's pretty much like when we are starting to learn a musical instrument. When you try to learn a new song, you start to discover some parts of it that you wouldn't pay attention at first. After that, you start to listen to other songs differently, too.
@@jaackdanielsful can you share what gear you are using and also what types of music you listens to?
I think the types of songs also makes difference in terms of what streaming quality does.
I myself uses an entry denon avr1600 with mission qx-2, and I couldn't tell meaningful differences between spotify and tidal on the same song.
@@amb86 these days I'm mainly using headphones to listen to music, so I have an external sound card (asus xonar mk II) and an AKG-92. Eventually, I plug my edifier r1280db to these external sound card too.
They aren't expensive gears, so they wouldn't make that difference in sound quality. I guess it's more related to the streaming.
Maybe the types of songs make a difference, because not every song of tidal's library has hi-fi quality. But I listen to a lot of rock music, from led, stones, pink floyd and some of the 80s and 90s like the grunge scene and david bowie... I eventually listen to other genres too
If Spotify only had a Hi-Fi option... the entire music stream game would change.
There would be no reason to use anything else.
I quite enjoy Deezer myself, it's not expensive, has a cd Quality option and you get this awesome thing that is called "flow", if you spend your time looking for new music to listen to, I would recomment using "flow", I can spend the whole day listening to flow and barelly dismissing any suggestion at all...
Tidal is pretty good
A breath of fresh air ! Couple of comments - I’m 66 with tinnitus and can’t hear much beyond 10k , hence I’m fine with Spotify . I recently upgraded my kitchen Audio from a single speaker to a pair of Ruark Mr1s, vast improvement . Keep up the good work !
Yes. Definitely.
My setup is geared towards streaming, but I have a massive collection of CDs that I have ripped in .FLAC format. I use a Bluesound Node 2i as the central "server" for my music; it natively streams Tidal and unfolds MQA, it also has a 256GB USB thumb drive with my .FLAC files on it, it also has network shares to my PC and my Wife's Mac, additionally, I have my Microsoft One Drive storing some music as well, and that is also accessible via my share to my PC. I have a set of B&W Formation Duo speakers, and it all works incredibly well, PLUS it sounds amazing.
Fully agree. You got squirrelly on us for a while and I just left the channel alone for a bit while you "ranted" about "ones and zeros" and such. I'm back. Great job.
Thank you so much for this video John I have and old Onkyo A-9030 amp , I recently bought a pair of Warfedale Atlantic 500 speakers ( I know not the best ) along with a Yamaha wxc 50 streamer and the quality of my spotify music really jumped up by several notches so yes you are right in what you say, and you have just gained another subscriber.
Yay for you sir! I listen to Spotify all the time on my home stereo. I’ve tried Tidal once and I couldn’t even hear the difference that easily so I’m absolutely fine with Spotify.
I was surprised recently at some amazing sounding CZcams audio. Very impressive, and I’m a regular Tidal/Qobuz user.
Thank you for your words.
My 2 cts: spotify when streaming w/ 320kb/s is really fine, and bigger errors taking reproduction quality down are happening on so many other levels in the system, as said by JD, from dac to speaker. The all important test everybody can do: compare a 320kb/s mp3 vs a lossless flac. -> not easy to tell the difference provided the mp3 has been generated in optimum settings (slowest). Yes, such a comparison cannot be made with BT not at all on iphones which even lack aptX, let alone more sophisticated BT protocols.
So, while most music I listen to is streamed via Spotify at max quality, i do sometimes purchase hires albums and play same from pc into usb dac, and it is indeed a bit nicer, yes. Having said that a jitterbug on the usb cable makes more of a difference than flac vs 320kb/s, so does ifi ac purifier, or a proper ac cable.
With the subscribers database Spotify has, I've often wondered why they don't offer a Hi-Res service along with the current 2 options. Is there any reason why they can't do this with the catalogue they have?
It seems they don't deem it profitable enough. They would likely have to, at least in part, renegotiate the contracts to include a higher bitrate, they'd have to store all the extra resolutions, the extra bandwidth it would demand and so on. That said I wish they would do it, but since their small sneak-pilot to a small bunch of users a few years ago nothing has been heard to my knowledge. Probably not gonna happen for the foreseeable future, sadly. Tidal for me (and a backup Spotify subscription for that one song once in a while that's not on Tidal).
@@JaspisB Thanks for that.
Spotify ran a hi-res beta back in 2017. It doesn’t appear their users could hear a difference between 320 Ogg and hi-res (as expected) and too few were willing to pony up double the price for something that is essentially inaudible. www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15168340/lossless-audio-music-compression-test-spotify-hi-fi-tidal
I always like to hear what you have to say man, another nice video, thank you!
I love your passion for this hobby. I thoroughly enjoy listening to music streamed from CZcams music premium over Bluetooth with a shanling up4. I can switch to any of my headphones and earphones then enjoy all the different characters the speakers present.
Hi John! Hello from Cincinnati, Ohio. Thanks for your time and uploads, I always enjoy watching your videos.
Quite a few years ago I sold my record collection along with Technics turntables, Technics Amp, and Bose reflecting speakers. Later on, I realised what an awful mistake I had made and it constantly bugged me. Fast forward to 2013 and my record collection fetish started again with me buying a turntable, amp, speakers, etc.
This year I got to a point where I sat down and thought, I'm not listening to these records I'm more veering towards my phone and Bluetooth speakers and then it hit me, sell the bloody things which I did. I then bought two Sonos One Gen 2 speakers and hooked my phone up to them and I can say hand on heart that the sound quality is absolutely spot on! I went back and forth from record to CZcams music testing sounds and although the record did sound much lower and warmer the music emitting from YT was excellent and I just could not hear that much of a difference. Now I have a pair of Nuraphones and for me, the way I listen to music has gotten so much better than having to stand and flip a record over every so often.
I got into Vinyl for the first time a few years ago. I went in deep. While it seemed that the mastering of the material was overall more thoughtful, the medium is just simply inferior IMO. Having grown up in the 90s, it wasn't easy to get over the pops and ticks (even after cleaning), and the other hassles.
I eventually replaced all of that with a high-end Raspberry Pi DAC Streamer. I don't regret it. Sure, it was fun to browse a store, physically touch the album, and examine the album art, but it's a lot of money and effort to maintain. I spent more time dealing with the setup than I did just listening to the music itself.
Maybe a tube amp could replace that warmth you miss.
very true. i completely agree.
As someone who has moved from Spotify to Tidal there’s absolutely zero doubt Tidal quality is superior but the algorithms in Spotify are undefeated. Best way I can put it is that I’ll listen to Tidal when I know exactly what I want to listen to at the time, whereas if I’m flinging on some music but undecided on what I want to listen to or to discover new music, or like you say, out and about, Spotify will always be the go to. If only Spotify could match Tidal’s streaming quality!
I am doing exactly the same. Tidal for targeted listening, Spotify for random fun and discovery.
Thank you VM for taking a stand for for Spotify (and other lossy content like soundcloud, interner radio, etc) users to get speakers and an amp, whether it's a desktop, or a stand mount system. Lossless services will on most cases provide better quality, but the vast selection of music on Spotify may outweigh those services. Could be a nice change from headphone claustrophobia as well. I find that listening to decent stereo improves my well being. That's worth sharing.
First off - Thanks for all your wonderful and intuitive videos, I have learned so much! I listen to Spotify all day using a pair of Zu Audio Dirty Weekends and a Peachtree Audio Decco Sky which I think sounds great. I have sampled several DACs over the past year and to my taste it seems the Denafrips Aries 2 or the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge would be a future upgrade.
Although, I am currently waiting on a Schiit Modius which may provide a stepping stone into larger more expensive Dacs.
Thanks for your time and keep up the wonderful content!
Even I mostly use Spotify (I have Tidal as well) because of their App integration between PC, Chromecast and Phones and also their vast library of Indian Music :)
Really excited about the beginners DAC video, please compare them to Macbook's internal soundcard as well.
When I started investing into my hifi - 5 to 6 years ago - I only had 128k and 256k rips and downloads on my HDD. Was still worth it, and having a better system inspired me to re-rip CDs to FLAC and move to lossless streaming because I could begin to hear the quality difference. I now have FLAC CD rips, and stream Spotify and Qobuz. I’m not a format snob, but love that I can hear the difference between file types and investing in a nice system opened up the door to better quality digital for me.
That's right! The better hardware eventually leads us to better source quality. But the better hardware has to come first!
Just wanted to thank you, I got a HiFi system partially inspired by your vids. Its a TEAC TN 4D turntable and a Allo USBridge Signature (Spotify Connect) --> minidsp DDR24 --> EDGE A2-300 --> Wharfedale Linton 85s
I tried to invest the most into my speakers and get room correction in the cheapest way possible :)
Having just started with Spotify this was very helpful and informative!
Got my first system set up with Yamaha rn303, Fyne audio 302 and tidal and I love it.
I did a similar thing with my tv , hooking up a decent set of speakers and a good amp ..... Now movies are really enjoyable 👍👍😆
Given my space limitations I went with headphone amplifiers and it’s been great. I invested in some headphones for when I’m home and when I’m out and about. For now, I’m very pleased with the results.
Used Spotify for a long time - mainly because of the range of music it has introduced me to. Mainly listen on an Oppo HA-1 with PM1 headphones as well as Cambridge Audio 851n into 851e into 2 x 851w mono blocked, driving Kef R11 and 2 x Rel S2 subs. (also sometimes on Dragonfly Cobalt, B&W P7 Bluetooth, 851a with Kef LS50 with the Rels, Yamaha CX-A5100/MX-A5000 Home Theater system driving older Q Series Kefs and Kef LS50 Wireless with a Kef 30B sub) To me, Spotify has a different sound compared to CD or Vinyl but these differences reflect the capacity of the gear that the music is played on. The differences would be less resolved on more entry-level systems.
To be able to compare all streaming softwares objectively, the first step would be to make them sound at the same level at first. It's easy to think one service is better than the next just because it's a tad louder...
I am using Spotify premium for a while now, and even if I have Flac files on my laptop, Spotify is so great in terms of UI and content, I keep using it even my high end gear. And I hardly hear a difference between file formats, I still think MP3 is great ;D
👍
Thank you Mr. Darko!
I am a seasoned musicpile.
I use Spotify via Spotify connect to my Pioneer N-70A for most of my listening.
Sounds great to me.
Sure flac and wav sounds better, but you can’t beat the convenience, and exposure to soo much music.
So true. Keep on preaching.
Solid info as always. I don't consider myself as a beginner audiophile in any way but i still do enjoy your videos, even the beginner ones.
Just the info I was looking for
Thank-you-so-much
Thanks John - Amen!
Enjoy the music!! I stream Pandora from my phone ALL the time. I just picked up an "inexpensive" Bluetooth (5.0) receiver/DAC, connected to my "older" Denon AVR. I also added a Bluetooth antenna booster, so I can receive signal throughout my house, and out on the deck. I have multiple speaker systems throughout the house, and a system out on the deck. The "sound quality" is more than acceptable for me. The ease of using my phone to control the music type is also very convenient; I listen to pretty much everything! I like to refer to this as "passive listening". For "active listening", in the living room, I have a "reasonable" 2 channel system set up.
As a 60 year old engineer, with over 35+ years of work in acoustics, I know MY hearing is not what it used to be. In the end, If YOU like the way it sounds, that's more important than specifications and reviews! ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!
I do pretty much the same. When I am working or driving, Spotify is good because you don't have to stand up and change your cd or vinyl... Also while walking in the street but then I don't use the Bluetooth receiver.
If I am relaxing and just listening to music, than I prefer a cd player or turntable. It is so much better.
To each he's own. There is a place for Spotify, and a place for quality mediums
Great advice, or better yet, well said, John. I’ve been into HiFi for a while now, and have put together quite a nice 95% vinyl- centric system, but still listen to and enjoy tunes even through CZcams or Bandcamp going right into my preamp, let alone Spotify or Tidal. I still use Spotify to check out new music, and often support the band by buying their vinyl. So yeah, a good system can absolutely make music still sound enjoyable. Sometimes, it’s just about the content.
spotify via my chromecast audio into my vintage pioneer amp and A/D/S loud speakers.. (my first setup) and im in love..
Thank you for this video!
I've been using a Oppo 205 and Vandersteen 3's with Pandora. The sound is nothing short of amazing !
Thank You ! For Your Honesty...
I used Spotify for many years very happily. 100% agree that some good speakers with proper amplification can make it sound great. I think where it falls down is in integrations and UI. Tidal and Roon together is just too much fun to use, and I find value for my money in more advanced music discovery. I found the bump in quality to only be a bonus to the leap forward in user interface.
Brilliant comments John as ever........
I use Spotify and tidal exactly like you, same scenarios and use cases
Also totally agree with your point about hardware vs the audio file
Thank you. Made sense to me.
John, I have had Sonos for a few years streaming my music collection from a WD My Cloud (not the best thing in the world). I’ve never payed to listen to music & never will. I’ve since ditched the My Cloud & Sonos for a Yamaha AV Amp powering my Monitor Audio Reference Speakers & I now have an external HD plugged into the front USB port on my Yamaha AV Amp & I play my music that way. I’m still buying CD’s & just ripping them & putting them on to this 1TB Seagate External Drive. It suits my needs for now.
Love that Blue Aeroplanes album in your thumbnail.
Thanks for the great advice!👍
I just bought Mackie MR624 6-inch speakers and this has been the biggest difference in my overall music enjoyment. Room acoustics play major role too in sound quality. Investing in these two things make more difference than choosing streaming app. Btw I use Spotify.
Is the low volume as great as people say? Just got a pair of adam T8V. Love them but might buy some mackies aswell for low volume listening
Spot on and good video. It isn’t about dsd this, MQA that, hires here or there, it’s about the quality of the basics and how with great speakers and amps in a stereo image, you can get a lot more and a step up from the iPod dock.
Thanks for being so clear and concise on this. This should really help prevent people from being put off from investing in better gear whatever streaming service they use.
Mood/Drinks>Transducer>Amplifier>Convenience>Comfort>DAC>Mastering>Cable>Format>Everything Else.
That's how I operate on how I put priority on things.
Totally true!
I now own a Cambridge Audio CXA 61 amp and a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 network streamer using Spotify Connect as my main source connected to 20 year old pair of Quad 11L’s. It was a good upgrade from my Onkyo network receiver and I can hear a difference.
Deezer’s hifi plan is lossless and works great. I moved to it after a few years of premium Spotify subscription. I had everything setup on Spotify, but when I finally compared it against Deezer and CZcams Music in terms of quality (at the same bit rates) it came in at a very solid 3rd place.
If all I ever needed it for was casual listening, I wouldn’t bother with a lossless plan, but with it, it doubles as reference for audio work.