New Headphones V Premium Stream Quality

[accrfc]

I currently have a pair of Sony MDR-ZX770BN headphones and a Spotify Premium account, but I'm looking to get a better sound quality.

Should I spend my hard earned money on new headphones or upgrading to Deezer HiFi/Tidal.

Is it worth upgrading to FLAC/Lossless when my headphones are sub £100?

Is it worth buying £200 headphones if I'm only going to be streaming MP3.

Assuming I can't afford to do both, which would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Niallivm]

Probably the headphone or a DAC are your best bet. You could then sign up for the free trial with Tidal, then try Qobuz, Deezer and Amazon HD and see if you can hear any further improvement over Spotify.

 

[idc]

ABX blind testing suggests that most people cannot reliably tell the difference once 320kbps has been reached, which is Spotify premium. There is very good evidence that the speakers are the most variable part of any hifi. I would recommend trying the free trial, but better headphones are likely to improve sound.

As for MP3, the sound is good enough that a headphone upgrade is still likely to show positive results.

 

[accrfc]

Thanks both, really helpful. I've invested in new headphones.