Is the I phone 11 a good source ?

[russm535il]

Hi all ! I am trying to decide if I need a better source vrs my Apple I phone 11 connected via USB to my DAC or if I should consider a new DAC? ?
We are paid subscribers to Amazon music . I don’t want to store anything just stream through our Verizon 5G home network.
As a retirement gift to myself I purchased a new audio system aprox 5 years ago . Here is the system -
Rogue Audio Cronus magnum 2 tube integrated amp Golden Ear Triton 2 plus speakers Musical Fidelity DAC V90 Cambridge CD player Rega Planar 1 w Red Ortofon cartridge.

While streaming Amazon some tracks list my equipment as not sufficient to play at the best high res level . I would appreciate any recommendations the group can offer
Thank you ! Russ Dejulio Pittsburgh PA USA

 

[shipworm-archaism-recede]

Welcome to the forum.

Amazon's help pages suggest that your iPhone should be fine especially with a DAC connected. I'd open a ticket with Amazon regarding that error. If your DAC is showing that it is playing the higher-resolution streams, then the error is bogus.

I don't intend to incite a furore of debate on here, but it is unlikely you will be able to notice any improvement on resolutions above CD quality 16-bit/44.1KHz.

 

[russm535il]

Thank you for your response and the welcome! Yes it shows my phone can go up to 92 k but not the highest resolution the three song is playing I believe it is 192 k . The message says the limitation is because of my system .

 

[shipworm-archaism-recede]

Sorry, I don't quite understand what you've written.

That help page says your iPhone 11 can do 24-bit/192kHz with an external DAC that supports it. As I understand it, the Amazon app interacts with the DAC and determines the maximum resolution it supports. I don't know which precise model of DAC you have. What resolution does the DAC say it is playing?

 

[russm535il]

Thank you Shipworm it must be my DAC it is a Musical Fidelity V90 that I have owned for 5 years plus .I Connect the phone to the DAC using a USB cable. I did not know that about my iPhone thank you ! Russ

 

[shipworm-archaism-recede]

Yep, the V90 is the limiting factor, its USB interface supports up to 24-bit/96kHz. As I wrote earlier, don't expect any significant difference with another DAC just because it supports higher resolutions. Whilst improved DAC circuitry might give you better sound, it seems that few if any can tell the difference between 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD quality) and higher resolution streams on the same system.

Sound engineers exploit those higher resolutions to cope with limitations in the mastering process as they mix together streams from multiple microphones, but the final master copy at CD or lossless resolution is as good as it will get for most people's ears. Indeed, Apple's Eddy Cue asserted in a recent interview for Billboard that 98% of listeners can't distinguish lossless from AAC let alone lossless to hi-res.

I'm not suggesting you don't try another DAC to see if you prefer the sound, rather that it is unlikely to be its ability to process the higher-resolution streams that will be the reason it sounds better to you.

 

[russm535il]

SW Thank you ! I may try another DAC tech is advancing so quickly in their design. I like the Musical Fidelity because it doesn’t have any options like Bluetooth etc that I will not use . I saw a Cambridge under $500 w great ratings also a Schitt Likely though I will just keep my MF as long as it keeps working . The info you sent was great I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions! Best ! Russ

 

[doifeellucky]

I’d personally recommend sticking with what you have. I’ve been using Spotify for years and recently tried Tidal masters and Apple Music and even bought a Mojo 2 based on the hype. I compared Spotify with a £10 dongle vs Tidal and Apple with the Mojo 2, so the extreme ends of the spectrum, and personally can’t tell the difference. I keep AB testing and every time I hear some faint cough, or fart (apparently by an engineer) I then try Spotify and hear the exact same thing. I wanted Spotify to be bad, but for me it isn’t. My hearing is also fine. Maybe with £1000+ headphones you might hear something but don’t be surprised if you don’t.

 

[russm535il]

Thank you you helped me decide I am keeping the Musical Fidelity 👍👍👍