quick question - dac/spotify quality related

[admin_exported]

I use spotify prem as my source, through a MF v-dac.

If I bought a better dac (MF M1, Rega, Arcam) would I hear an increased performance, due to spotify only using 320kps?

Or would the bit-rate limit the potential, and make the better dac not perform to its fullest?

This is probs a straightforward thing - sorry for my ignorance.

Cheers people

 

[John Duncan]

Not straightforward at all, given all that I've experienced of source quality, DACs, upsampling, blah blah. To summarise, I'd be surprised if a better DAC was worth the money. However, plenty of people on here have found very worthwhile differences in going up the DAC scale. So my advice would be - as always, YMMV, do audition carefully, and try to be objective about diminishing returns. In the meantime, I'll remain very happy with Spotify Premium through a NaimUniti...

 

[idc]

As John said, satisfy yourself by first trying a blind test between bit rates, of which there are numerous on the internet, to see if you can hear a difference. Then audition another DAC to see if you can hear a difference.

I cannot tell accurately between Spotify standard, premium and apple lossless. I do find my Firestone DAC to be more dynamic than the one in my MF X-CAN, which is the same as the one in the V-DAC.

 

[stumpy66]

Sorry to hijack the thread, JD how do you stream spotify thru the uniti

 

[DIB]

stumpy66:
Sorry to hijack the thread, JD how do you stream spotify thru the uniti

I use a Toslink cable from my PC into my Uniti.

Works well for me.

.

 

[John Duncan]

I use airfoil software to transmit to an airport express.