Spotify...

[markhooper32]

Hi wonder if you could help..I have just become a premium member of Spotify,I can stream through my Onkyo and listen on my Android phone and my laptop. Thing is I ive been into settings on the apps and set to 'extreme quality' only to find out that its only 320kbps!? Can anybody recomend any high quality audio streaming sites for around £10 p/m? thanks in advance - Mark

 

[AlbaBrown]

Welcome to the wonderful world of marketing!

Same thing happens with Lovefilm/Netflix/iTunes with their promise of HD streaming/downloads - pales in comparison with the bit rates from "out of date" physical media.

If there is a proper (uncompressed) streaming service out there I am not aware of it.

All these streaming services are aimed at people who don't really care about quality, or have poor equipment that can't highlight the difference.

I only use the free Spotify to (re)discover music I don't own before going out and buying it then rip to my NAS.

 

[markhooper32]

Ha! Thanks for the reply!! I'm thinking about buying a mobile DAC, that may help or would it give more 'life' to poor quality!?

 

[The_Lhc]

Ha! Thanks for the reply!! I'm thinking about buying a mobile DAC, that may help or would it give more 'life' to poor quality!?

I think you should just try this "poor quality" first, most people are completely unable to differentiate it from CD quality audio.

From what I understand Qobuz offers lossless streaming but costs £20/month and has a limited catalogue in their UK service at the moment (the French service is supposed to be better).

 

[markhooper32]

Yes im listening to this 'poor quality' as we speak,its a real shame I can hear the difference as Spotify has a massive collection. The thing is i'm used to flac files but really want something I can stream on the go. only. i'm just wondereing if a DAC would help.

 

[kefrdm2]

Have you tried putting it through a dac - I use a arcam rdac and makes a big difference on my system when I connect the usb from my laptop to it

 

[markhooper32]

No I dont own an extrenal DAC at the moment,all i can say is I keep reading good things about them so am quite tempted!

 

[The_Lhc]

Yes im listening to this 'poor quality' as we speak,its a real shame I can hear the difference as Spotify has a massive collection. The thing is i'm used to flac files but really want something I can stream on the go. only. i'm just wondereing if a DAC would help.

Must be a hell of a phone then, I've converted 24/96 FLAC to 320kbps mp3 and played both on my phone and I can't hear any difference, never mind between 320kbps and 16/44 FLAC and that's on an HTC One, which is supposed to have pretty decent sound.

 

[markhooper32]

I dont think its about the phone..its only an s3 mini but the fact is you only get out what you put in!?

 

[kefrdm2]

Would recommend listening to a few, they are great to make the best out of modern formats. Still a cd sounds better but very hard to be bothered once you have the ease of use of spotify/airplay etc... I tried the marantz na7004 and rDac but prefered the rDac although the airplay on the NA7004 was handy but now use my apple TV with a optical out straight into the arcam and then into my amp. Sounds pretty good considering the relatively low res file format.

 

[The_Lhc]

I dont think its about the phone..its only an s3 mini but the fact is you only get out what you put in!?

And as I said, the fact is, most people can't tell the difference.

 

[markhooper32]

thank-you kefrdm2!!

 

[markhooper32]

Well the fact we are both on a what hifi forum goes to show we CAN tell the difference!!!!

 

[The_Lhc]

Well the fact we are both on a what hifi forum goes to show we CAN tell the difference!!!!

Errr, no it doesn't, I just said that *I* can't tell the difference!

 

[markhooper32]

oooo my bad.

 

[fr0g]

Well the fact we are both on a what hifi forum goes to show we CAN tell the difference!!!!

Errr, no it doesn't, I just said that *I* can't tell the difference!

I have yet to be convinced anyone can "really" tell the difference.

I can't, and the 3 or 4 people who were convinced they could couldn't when I got the ABX plugin on Foobar out.

I think it's down to the silly reporting of most media, damning compressed files (possibly from the beginnings,MP2 and early MP3, which could be poor)

MP3 these days is transparent.

OGG too (which Spotify uses).

The only difference will be down to the recording used, or less likely, useage of a poor ripper.

I even used a CD of mp3s ripped to CD when I tried out some BW800Ds and they sounded spectacular. So much for high end systems exposing "supposed" weakness.

By the way, the word "extreme" is valid. The "extreme" setting in Lame is 320 Kbps.

To be honest, I think 320 Kbps is overkill. 220 VBR sounds exactly the same.

 

[dcanham001]

Yep I will add my voice to those saying it's difficult to tell a difference. If I'm on my ipod with portable headphones I cannot tell a difference between 320 MP3 or anything higher than that. I can hear a difference in quality between streaming Spotify and my FLAC rips in foobar but only when using my setup in my signature below. This could be down to any multitude of reasons however.

Also @ the poster who said a CD player will sound better than DAC, this is untrue. Some DACs will sound better than some CD players and vice versa - just depends on the quality of the component, there is nothing inherrently worse about using a DAC

 

[chebby]

By the way, the word "extreme" is valid. The "extreme" setting in Lame is 320 Kbps.

To be honest, I think 320 Kbps is overkill. 220 VBR sounds exactly the same.

256k AAC is just one smidge too far for me. I agree that 320k (AAC VBR in my case) is optimal when it comes to direct comparison with lossless (ALAC) and I have not experienced any differences so far.

However (as much as I would prefer to use it for space reasons on my iPhone/iPad), 256k AAC has presented very occasional 'coarse edges' to sudden loud vocal outbursts in radio dramas, comedies etc. that simply don't happen at 320k. Hard to describe when it happens but irritating knowing it eventually will.

The total lack of such moments at 320k means that remains as my threshold for anything I rip myself from CD.

I haven't used Spotify premium so I can't compare that.

Oddly enough, BBC iPlayer Radio (with lower bitrates excepting R3) has never exhibited any such coarseness but I dare say their output is somewhat 'massaged' or EQed.

 

[Alec]

Isn't the point of VBR to average the stated bit-rate? Assuming you're talking about MP3 - the highest rate of which is 320 - how is 320 VBR possible?

 

[fr0g]

Isn't the point of VBR to average the stated bit-rate? Assuming you're talking about MP3 - the highest rate of which is 320 - how is 320 VBR possible?

320 is CBR(MP3)

256 AAC is transparent.

Any "courseness" is down to poor ripping

99% of people on this forum, playing through a 10K system couldn't tell a 128Kbps AAC from a CD, nevermind a 320.

256 VBR will give you 320 when the music is busy, and drop when the music is calm. That's the point. and why 320 is OTT.

It's all in the mind.

 

[Alec]

Beg pardon Chebby, you meant AAC. So, does that go above 320?