Playing streamed music through Hi-Fi

RedKawa

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Got myself a new Onkyo A-9010 with a pair Dali Zensor 3. I streamed my music before with Amazon Prime Music (MP3 I believe) and free Spotify (MP3 as well I believe). I have a spare Samsung Galaxy S5 which i can use for streaming and can stay connected to the system if needed.

My question is, which service would you recommend audio quality vise to make use of this Hi-Fi system and how should I connect the streaming device to Hi-Fi for a minimal quality loss? Should I be looking at docks? I have heard that headphone jack on a phone is less than ideal. Is this true? If you think that playing through S5 is a bad idea, could you maybe suggest some other cost effective solution. Thank you.
 

RedKawa

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Al ears said:
RedKawa said:
Thank you for your reply. What about the service? Does Qobuz work well with Chromecast?

I would sat Tidal for sound quality but don't know if it works with Chromecast.

Judging from this Twitter thread it looks unlikely to be happening anytime soon.

Any idea how to get Tidal to play through the amp without a loss of quality? Thanks
 

RedKawa

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thewinelake. said:
At low budget (£15!) Google Chromecast Audio will probably do what you want if you have a decent wireless LAN.

I did some more research online and this seems like a best option. Chromecast Audio sells for £30 but if you have found a place that sells for £15 that is great. Please post a link if you don't mind. It has a built in DAC (apparently AKM AK4430 192kHz 24-Bit Stereo DAC) so the connectivity should be OK I think, quality wise. Some people were able to make Tidal work with it as well which apparently is a winner when it comes down to sound. Thank you for the suggestion, it did set me on the track.
 

BigH

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RedKawa said:
Thank you for your reply. What about the service? Does Qobuz work well with Chromecast?

Spotify and Deezer work on Chromecast. Qobuz does seem to also. Qobuz may sound better but some users have had problems in streaming, choice of music more limited and interface not so good.

I would do a trial before deciding.
 

radiorog

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I prefer the sound quality of Google all access. Other reviewers including what HiFi also found this to be the best for sound quality in the £10 a month bracket. If you are willing to pay £20 then tidal. I tried tidal £10 service but didn't like the experience at all. More to do with the interface. Google all access has lost its sub genre search though, which was superb for finding new music. This is a major disappointment, and if I found a service which had this, I would leave google.
 

Leeps

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radiorog said:
I prefer the sound quality of Google all access. Other reviewers including what HiFi also found this to be the best for sound quality in the £10 a month bracket. If you are willing to pay £20 then tidal. I tried tidal £10 service but didn't like the experience at all. More to do with the interface. Google all access has lost its sub genre search though, which was superb for finding new music. This is a major disappointment, and if I found a service which had this, I would leave google.

If you miss the music discovery element of your particular flavour of streaming service, you can always take a look at the app "Discovr". I find Tidal's music discovery suggestions, although recently introduced, are quite limited compared to Spotify's, so Discovr is quite a nice way of making up for this shortfall.
 

RedKawa

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radiorog said:
I prefer the sound quality of Google all access. Other reviewers including what HiFi also found this to be the best for sound quality in the £10 a month bracket. If you are willing to pay £20 then tidal. I tried tidal £10 service but didn't like the experience at all. More to do with the interface. Google all access has lost its sub genre search though, which was superb for finding new music. This is a major disappointment, and if I found a service which had this, I would leave google.

Thank you for the suggestion. I haven't considered Google's offering before but after your suggestion I looked into it and it does sound appealing. I think I might trial multiple services at the same time and compare the sound and usability. I will try to report here with any findings.
 

RedKawa

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thewinelake. said:
The £15 offer at Currys seems to come and go! Looks like it's not on at the moment, but if money's tight, then wait a couple of weeks.

Found one for £16 on https://www.scan.co.uk. My deliivery is free but even with delivery charge it is well under £30
 
I got my Chromecast Audio from Currys about two weeks ago, while the £15 deal was live. Not connected yet.

Qobuz supports chromecast both audio and video, as the ap carries the cast icon. There is an article on Qobuz website about this too. I can't comment on other streaming services as I only use Qobuz now.
 
Chromecast now connected! Took under ten minutes from opening the box. Used a 3.5mm to 2xphono cable I already had. The chromecast ap does the rest, just need your router password. Then check device settings and tick the box for hifi systems, as otherwise I think the dynamic range is restricted, presumably for headphone wearers

Now listening to Qobuz.
 

RedKawa

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nopiano said:
Chromecast now connected! Took under ten minutes from opening the box. Used a 3.5mm to 2xphono cable I already had. The chromecast ap does the rest, just need your router password. Then check device settings and tick the box for hifi systems, as otherwise I think the dynamic range is restricted, presumably for headphone wearers

Now listening to Qobuz.

Great to hear you had a success with Qobuz. I will trial Qobuz, they seem to be doing 15 day free trial. Which subscription have you opted for?
 
After a few months trial, and then paying by the month, I signed up for 12 months Sublime. It was cheaper than the £19.99 per month. And you get big discounts on downloads.

I like their content and the slight quirkiness, but others seem less impressed. The sound is pretty good I'd say. When I get a chance I will compare CDs I own with the stream. Until recently, I used the streaming away from my hifi, but now I can stream via the hifi too.
 

knaithrover

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Tidal via Uptx Bluetooth from an Android tablet into an amp via a receiver such as the Arcam miniblink is a very very nice sounding alternative to what has already been mentioned, wireless too
 
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Plus one to this comment. I have an Arcam rBlink connected to my Linn system. I have done cd vs streaming comparison (Spotify premium) switching input with same song playing. It is almost unnoticeable the difference between the Arcam and a CD. I am very very impressed with it.
 

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