Spotify via connect or Apple music via BT?

[strumjough]

I have a Ruark R5 that has Spotify Connect but not Airplay..

The Apple sub where you get Music, Arcade, TV+ and 50gb storage is starting to appeal but would mean I have to BT to the Ruark.

Spotify and Apple Music differences aside, will I notice difference in SQ using BT?

Thanks

 

[DCarmi]

will I notice difference in SQ using BT?

Probably not a lot of difference. The AAC codec is lossy but at reasonable bandwidth. Spotify is lossy by default.

Since the R5 has an optical input you could connect a Wiim device and use Airplay. Wiims don't yet support Apple Music natively.

You could always use the 1 month free trial of Apple Music to find out for yourself.

 

[Mac202]

I went from playing Spotify on my BT headphones to Apple Music, both using AAC from my iPhone, and the improvement in quality from Apple Music was clearly noticeable.
I believe Apple Airplay (1) can be lossless up to CD quality depending upon the transmitter and the receiver. Airplay 2 not quite so.

 

[record_spot]

Have you considered Qobuz or Tidal? I prefer Qobuz (better interface IMO) having been a Spotify user for a good 13 years. Soundwise, Spotify's pretty good, but Qobuz takes things a notch up. The Wiim Pro Plus partnered with my DACMagic 200M is stellar. Some of the best audio I've heard bar none.

 

[Mac202]

At the end of 2023 I had Apple, Amazon and Qobuz all on a 3 month free trial. Nothing to choose between them SQ wise but I preferred the Qobuz interface and its recommendations. I thought Apple had the worst interface and its recommendations weren't so good (but that could be because I used it less).
In the end Amazon won out because it was also compatible with my smart speaker and car audio system. At the time Tidal was still twice the price for Hi-res audio.

 

[Rodolfo]

I did the trials a couple of years ago or more -when only Amazon had the 3-month one, and I also opted for Amazon Unlimited. At the time, Amazon stopped charging extra for its HD and new Ultra HD tracks, both of which are lossless offerings. That pretty much sold me and I finally moved from Spotify, even though I had a nice and handy Spotify Connect device, and I had used the service for 3 or 4 years. I tired of the company's HD-is-coming story -and it's still where it was back then. Spotify also moved heavily into investing in and expanding to non-music offerings -podcasts; so I figured that lossless/quality music streams would be continuously or increasingly unlikely. I might have considered Tidal if it could compete on cost, but Amazon was, and still is I believe, the only company that offers a discounted annual plan, which I had always had by default with Spotify, though at the constant monthly cost. I also learned at the time that Amazon pays artists a fraction more for plays than any of the other services -especially Apple, I believe, as much as more than twice the other levels I believe.

You may want to explore how device-friendly Amazon would be for you. I use it on Windows 7, 10, and 11 platforms, plus on Android portable devices, but we're talking Amazon, and I'm sure it's more versatile/adaptable than that.

As for your bluetooth question, in my experience, wireless is always a compromise, though the differences are not as great as they once were using technologies such as LDAC which is what I prefer and use where I can and as necessary. Sorry that I don't know the limits or capabilities of your devices. Enjoy your listening on your eventual selections.

 

[Minkey1]

Late to this, but my two penn’orth. If the amp has an optical input, Chromecast Audio (if one can be sourced) can supply reasonable SQ via a 3.5 to toslink cable, from cast enabled apps.

Apple do an annual payment option, offering a good saving. As we moved from Pixel phones to iPhones in the new year, we’ve just cancelled Amazon Unlimited in favour of Apple Music. The latter works way better in the car via CarPlay than AU ever did with Android Auto. Plus my Denon amp supports Airplay2 🤷🏼

 

[Minkey1]

PS - just discovered Apple Music on our LG TV. And in September, it’ll be supplied in Atmos.