Well, that was easy! (Spotify)

[busb]

iTunes is costing me a fortune so it was time to try Spotify. Bought Airfoil - took 20 mins to get everything to work on my AppleTV's optical out to my M-DAC.

Can I expect better than the mediocre SQ if I go for Premium?

 

[BenLaw]

Yes

 

[MajorFubar]

If your benchmark for good quality is only iTunes, then I'm not sure why you're finding Spotify mediocre by comparison.

 

[busb]

Thanks Guys

Having just loaded Spotify onto my iPhone, I get 48 hrs of Premium that's automatically available from my laptop. It does sound a lot less flat now but the bass a little lacking in definition. Mids & highs are much better.

If iTunes was as bad some people think it is, I wouldn't be using it. In the coming months, I'll be trying out foobar2000 & looking into optimising it on W7. Between then, I find 320k VBR on iTunes excellent for even classical music. I know some people don't like iTunes, that's their privilege. A friend won't listen to anything but flac - I just lie when I play music to him - he ends up being happy. Other people have told that iTunes sounds a lot, lot better than they expect when they've heard it on my system.

I still have a CDP to compare with.

 

[MajorFubar]

I wasn't knocking iTunes, just saying that imo it's not so hugely better than Spotify that it makes Spotify's SQ seem mediocre by comparison, and I'm surprised that you found it so. I'm personally not a fan I admit; the downloads are of a poorer SQ than CDs yet they are typically more expensive to buy.

You're lucky to have a friend who's so passionate about music that he'll not listen to anything less than FLAC. It's a bit short-sighted of him I agree, but it's one step-up from everyone I know who all think their iPhone slotted into £30 docking-station from Argos is the height of fidelity and anything more than that is a waste :roll:

Good luck with Spotify: I'm a convert who just wouldn't be without it now 8)

 

[busb]

I wasn't knocking iTunes, just saying that imo it's not so hugely better than Spotify that it makes Spotify's SQ seem mediocre by comparison, and I'm surprised that you found it so. I'm personally not a fan I admit; the downloads are of a poorer SQ than CDs yet they are typically more expensive to buy.

You're lucky to have a friend who's so passionate about music that he'll not listen to anything less than FLAC. It's a bit short-sighted of him I agree, but it's one step-up from everyone I know who all think their iPhone slotted into £30 docking-station from Argos is the height of fidelity and anything more than that is a waste :roll:

Good luck with Spotify: I'm a convert who just wouldn't be without it now 8)

Thanks for the encouragement. It's early days to directly compare the SQ but I would expect MP4 to sound better than MP3. At least neither is using MP2 that DAB uses! I'm now getting the 1st month free. The only problem is that my router is 802.11g so music gets streamed to my laptop then to my ATVII & drops out more than I would like. Perhaps it's time for a shiny new router.

 

[chebby]

I find 320k VBR on iTunes excellent for even classical music...

I didn't know VBR was now available for 320k AAC. I have a lot of rips from my BBC drama CDs in 256k AAC VBR (because VBR wasn't then available on 320k at the time I originally ripped them).

I'll have a little try of that tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

[steve_1979]

A friend won't listen to anything but flac - I just lie when I play music to him - he ends up being happy.

:clap:

I knew someone like that too so I played him exactly the same MP3 file twice. The first time I said it was an MP3 and the second time I told him it was FLAC and he thought it sounded much clearer. :rofl: