A hi-fi for your Spotify?

[@rockindel1]

Thanks for not being an audiophile snob, and making us "budget" people feel like we are on the right path to enjoying quality music

[@allanshaw5884]

on higher end stuff, difference between music files gets smaller. In fact, if you have a perfect DAC, CD quality is all you need.

[@por4258]

I truly dont get your reaction. Dont get me wrong, i think Donny Jarko is a sweet and sympathetic man, and i aggree with him. But why would you thank him and thus seek his or anyones approval for listening to your kind of music, be it quality or the more shitty kind. Simply enjoy 'd say.

[@Holdeenio]

Here here!

[@JonathanPaulin]

@@por4258 It's a strawman, the vast majority of audiophiles are not snobs. Most audiophiles I've met, many whom were rich or at least wealthy compared to most people, always got excited when they heard about affordable quality audio equipment. It's true that lossless is way better than Spotify, it's also true that Tidal is better than Spotify, people need to accept that it is fine to accept they don't have the best stuff. A Mazda is not a Porsche, and that's fine, no need to get offended if the Porsche driver is excited about his toy and not yours. That said, enjoy your stuff, and when someone else is excited about theirs, even if you don't appreciate it, enjoy their enjoyment!

[@timsteuerwald2207]

@@allanshaw5884 CD Quality is better than most streaming services

[@asplmn]

I went from Spotify to Tidal, and now back to Spotify. Even with my high-end setup, I had to critically listen to hear any subtle differences. In the end, I decided it wasn't worth bothering over it and sacrificing the catalog and UI of Spotify for something that I had to really focus on to spot a subtle difference.. and this wasn't the case with every song, only just a few were there benefits present. Also, I have a family plan. :) I would love it if Spotify came out with a Hi-Fi tier

[@sonvsfijhds]

I found that Tidal didn't have as much in the way of electronic music. As a result, I went back to Spotify and buy lossless tracks from Band camp.

[@kevinzeng9606]

Tidal has a Family Plan as well - which is a few bucks more. I can live without a to-go latte once a month. Spotify sounds good, but there are certain tracks (same mastering) that Tidal clearly pulls ahead. That is enough for me to justify that extra coin.... unless you need to Spotify library (which is why I am currently subscribed to both lol).

[@DisjointedConversations]

asplmn just went through the same process. If Tidal or Qobuz could match Spotify’s UI I would try them again. Until then I am sticking with Spotify. And like you I would love if they offered a lossless plan.

[@timcorrigan]

asplmn ❣️

[@andrew9027]

If Spotify had a HiFi tier I would switch back from tidal. I like the Spotify curation more but I can tell the difference in quality between it and tidal and prefer tidal.

[@stigmania]

Recently upgraded hardware: amp and speakers to a system 10x the price of the previous. Mainly use Spotify and huge difference in enjoyment!

[@Chris.from.1950]

Yes! I use Spotify, and listen through my iPhone, a decent set of earbuds, Grado SR-60 headphones, ELAC B-6.2s, and, most recently, a pair of ’90s Klipsches. Other sources include vinyl, CDs, and local lossless files, but I love Spotify for music discovery and much of my listening! 🔥

[@1020donny]

an old Sansui 9090DB, large Advents and a LG V20 along with a a bottle of Mateus Rose, a joint of great weed and a cool girl works for me.

[@jaysterling26]

@@1020donny u lucky bstrd....an old sansui...

[@moniack]

I'm trying Qobuz right now, but I can't use the native app with my streamer which is a big negative. I can use Spotify Connect though and get all the suggestions and search functions. Plus there is Spotify kids for my young children who love music, but are too young for everything. I don't see going away from Spotify right now even if it doesn't sound quite as good.

[@avss01]

This is so true. I have a dedicated listening room with a valve amplifier and good speakers. I have to say Spotify blows me away with how good it can sound. The ready and endless access to all genres of music, and intelligently recorded and mastered music is just outstanding. The equipment makes a huge difference to any source you listen to including streaming sources. I haven’t touched my CD collection in years, and yet I am enjoying my Hi Fi system more then ever.

[@nsw72]

Dad here. That was brilliantly clear and down-to-earth. Cheers, John 👍😉

[@TrynaBeCray]

Wouldn't mind paying more if spotify had a HiFi option

[@marcosbarrera6431]

same here

[@audioaficionado9494]

If Spotify had CD quality option I'd pay more, but not twice as much.

[@joonabremer9267]

Tidal exists ...

[@audioaficionado9494]

Spotify has the best music discovery algorithms by far.

[@giorgio4660]

@@audioaficionado9494 if you say so you don't know tidal mate

[@BKWarren]

As an audiophile of 30 years who really cares about sound , I say "True!"

[@allansh828]

Bruce W Good listeners can understand exactly what’s going on in the music, even on AirPods. Their brains can make up the lost information. I am musically illiterate, so I only listen to Qobuz and TIDAL.

[@sheanreal]

How about deezer?

[@marcosbarrera6431]

@@sheanreal deezer's a tiny upgrade from spotify. I'm actually listening both, deezer's a little crispier sound, and it has higher volume. But spotify's more comfortable. I'm keeping spotify.

[@jeffg492]

@@sheanreal Deezer's a poor choice compared to Qobuz or Tidal for hi fi audio. I've tried all three on my setup (Sony str-dh790 Dayton towers and bookshelf surrounds, Polk center). I don't even have a "high end" hi fi system, it's basically entry level hi fi but you can hear the difference immediately. Quality-wise Qobuz and Tidal are nigh identical excepting Tidal's atmos music in some cases (some are waaay better, some are worse). But Deezer sounds worse in all cases. Sort of a tinny, cold sound, like it was mastered in a metal box. And every track on the service sounds this way when compared with others. I'd literally take Spotify over Deezer any day of the week, let alone the other hi fi services.

[@danjakuu]

@@marcosbarrera6431 Deezer, although a nice service, seems to have too many bugs for my comfort. Music not playing, missing downloads, explicit music not shown correctly, etc.

[@guslycardin]

As someone who recently moved from Spotify to Tidal, even I can admit that it's not as big of a jump as people swear it is. Good work as always, and I'm looking forward to that DAC video! :)

[@ubacow7109]

It is a diff story jumping from Sound Cloud and Apple Music. imo, the 2 platforms with the lowest fidelity make a big dif in the transition. I do think youtube music has really interesting sounding in comparison for whatever reason on many songs on youtube it seems to stretch out the sound stage and imaging on a lot of songs and Im not sure if they have some sort of stereoscopic compression algorithm that causes this to happen or whatever compression magic is going on. YT fidelity may be poor somewhat but it seems to have some interesting effects.

[@leonarddaneman810]

I found Pandora impossible to listen to . . . I finally switched to Amazon HD Music. It is great for previewing music before buying the CD or LP. In the final analysis, as Darko said around 3:30, the quality of the production and engineering is far more important to the listening experience than how much data is streamed through your DAC.

[@asetone]

for me the difference is not worth the price difference, i would prefer to download real HIres files an listen to them on musicbee, much more options and the sound seems better.

[@matthewmanzi9504]

It wasn't often I could hear the difference and tidal interface sucks.

[@matthewmanzi9504]

@@leonarddaneman810 Amazon hd for me was much better then tidal.

[@danilogutierrez8874]

Its so nice to hear those things. I live in brazil, and high end gear its very expensive, and for many years I used to listen to music in computer speakers, and thank to people like you I gained courage to try to improve my listening experience. Its not like its much today, but now I know I dont need to put a shitload of money to enjoy listening to music (most mp3's and streaming). Thank you.

[@carlh926]

Hi John have been watching your channel for last 6 months. Thanks for all your information. Never really had my own hifi system. But a month ago have weighed things up and always enjoyed music . Brought a bluesound powernode 2I and bowers and wilkins 607. Didn't really have space for much else. Very pleased with it especially with tidal which was free for a month

[@roquesoprano913]

👍👍👍

[@robjosling2816]

Such sensible plain talking and advice. It's so easy to get wrapped up on the nuances especially if you are far down the journey. It's easy to forget what it was like starting out and anything to encourage people to investigate, talk or listen to good audio can only be a good thing. Another great video from JD

[@1980JPA]

Fully agree. You got squirrelly on us for a while and I just left the channel alone for a bit while you "ranted" about "ones and zeros" and such. I'm back. Great job.

[@bcarpenter71866]

Thank you! I cannot express how much I appreciate your attitude, point-of-view, clarity, and humor. Darko, you are truly the most helpful person I know when it comes to thinking about audio equipment. Gratefully and best etc

[@jevenator]

I’ve listened to Spotify for the last 5 years. My first audiophile headphones were the HD58x and wow it was amazing. When I got a dac/amp it wasn’t as wow as the headphones but it opened up the soundstage even more and brought even more clarity and nuances to the sound.

[@allansr100]

A breath of fresh air ! Couple of comments - I’m 66 with tinnitus and can’t hear much beyond 10k , hence I’m fine with Spotify . I recently upgraded my kitchen Audio from a single speaker to a pair of Ruark Mr1s, vast improvement . Keep up the good work !

[@moneytalks8304]

I used to be an audiophile, but low end or even middle quality audio equipment is great these days. More important to find good music than audiophile level equipment imo

[@The80shilling]

Yes. Definitely. My setup is geared towards streaming, but I have a massive collection of CDs that I have ripped in .FLAC format. I use a Bluesound Node 2i as the central "server" for my music; it natively streams Tidal and unfolds MQA, it also has a 256GB USB thumb drive with my .FLAC files on it, it also has network shares to my PC and my Wife's Mac, additionally, I have my Microsoft One Drive storing some music as well, and that is also accessible via my share to my PC. I have a set of B&W Formation Duo speakers, and it all works incredibly well, PLUS it sounds amazing.

[@nzark]

John, I love your down-to-earth, realistic, priorities-first approach to all matters HI-FI. Audiophiles, (we) need to stop being snobs (and grumpy!) and scare people off good (or better) quality audio. Your approach is beginner-friendly, not scary, nor snobbish and really welcomes all MUSIC lovers, not just audiophiles. Big thumbs up John, keep it up.

[@karsh001]

I went into Hi-Fi about 20 years ago. Basically I have now downgraded my system to the point that I enjoy the music more than the recording. Much more fun and I listen to a much wider range of music and sources as well.

[@leekellehern7]

As someone who has moved from Spotify to Tidal there’s absolutely zero doubt Tidal quality is superior but the algorithms in Spotify are undefeated. Best way I can put it is that I’ll listen to Tidal when I know exactly what I want to listen to at the time, whereas if I’m flinging on some music but undecided on what I want to listen to or to discover new music, or like you say, out and about, Spotify will always be the go to. If only Spotify could match Tidal’s streaming quality!

[@balintszollar9711]

I am doing exactly the same. Tidal for targeted listening, Spotify for random fun and discovery.

[@hamsterwolf]

I feel most people tend to seek out higher quality when their equipment can handle higher quality sources because its reveals more details in the music. Good audio gear also widens your horizons when it comes to music some stuff just needs that extra resolution to be appreciated like classical music and pop, metal being the exception sounds about the same on most everything.

[@Lukas-kh5gu]

Dude, you started off strong but lost it with the metal part. Metal is in most cases faster with more songs and more instruments. A good pair of loudspeakers make ALL the difference. From metal being just noise on Apple headphones to very intricate and complex music on a good pair of loudspeakers.

[@ColoradoMiniCrawlers]

Lukas T I completely agree!

[@hamsterwolf]

@@Lukas-kh5gu i like metal myself but most of the main stream stuff im aware of is masterd horribly do you have any bands you would recommend that hold up well?

[@SirJeanLucAsec]

@@hamsterwolf That's a very valid point, the mastering of Metal is very poor in general. I spotted that by listening to Metal with my brand new Focal Clear, and it's quite sad to hear this compressed dynamic in most of metal songs :(

[@drakeonyou]

@@hamsterwolf while I disagree to your primary comment, your mention of the genre being mastered horribly is apparent with mainstream metal. I wouldn't say metal is the exception but it's more of a hit or miss genre.

[@ahmadhusaini8420]

mastering>file size. Bad mastering with flac files is nothing.

[@Leonhart_93]

Hearing that is like 1 + 1 = 2 for me. In fact, Mastering >> file size. But I am sure it's not nearly as obvious for a lot of people.

[@Logic227Productions]

This is what most people don’t understand. An MP3 192 KBPS excellent mastered track can sound better than a poor mastered FLAC 24 bit track.

[@zackorr421]

Thank you. It's really nice to hear someone actually understand the priority in the audio chain.

[@LASoundCrafter]

Your common sense approach to all things audiophile is so refreshing. Thanks!

[@MotherboardStandoff]

I think streaming services like Spotify are a blessing for someone like me who still buys CDs and other physical media when it comes to music. I'm not of the 1 percent in society that has an unlimited budget each month to buy music, so streaming is great for exploring and listening to the stuff I don't have on a physical medium while also supporting the artist (It would be nice if the streaming services would fairly compensate the artists though). Also, from my experience listening to Spotify and CD versions of albums, the mastering is everything. There are albums where you don't hear a difference and there are albums where you clearly do hear the higher fidelity of CD or High Res audio. It's all in the mastering and the technology available at the time.

[@thisnamedosntmatter2u352]

Jeroen Van Hoof My thoughts exactly! I collect records and I can only buy them maybe every 1-2 months. Spotify has been amazing for me because I can discover great new bands which I will go ahead and buy the albums on vinyl.

[@nwr99nwr99]

I believe Tidal pay artists four times what spotify pay. One reason why i dont mind paying more for Tidal.

[@mikewheeler9011]

Yesssss good mastering and quality equipment matters more than the codec. A good quality MP3 will sound great through nice equipment. A bad quality FLAC or lossless will sound terrible. I think modern streaming platforms have found a happy medium with sound quality. Now they just need to pay artists better

[@ACDCbassist]

As an amplifier, I have the Yamaha A-S301, which was about 290€ and I am really happy with it. For my quite critical ears, it offers decent clarity and transparency and has enough possibilities for using EQ. In my setup, it drives old ASW loudspeakers I got for free. (They were quite expensive in the Nineties and are still good today).

[@lindsaywebb1904]

Jan A. I have one too i find it pretty great. I’m also a fan of Yamaha audio gear in the studio. I have a pair of msp5 s with a Adam sub and it’s a killer combination

[@jeremymanton5320]

I did a comparative test between Spotify Premium, Apple Music and Tidal lossless. My gear is solid, and yet I couldn’t tell a difference between Tidal and the others. I know some people have a critical ear for such things but I feel that the difference in sound quality was so negligible that Tidal wasn’t even worth the consideration. IMHO, spend the money on a good gear. I think lossless music is just for piece of mind.

[@jaackdanielsful]

Hmm, I dunno. I'm not that audiophile dickhead you meet over the internet, but I was a Spotify user for like 3-4 years. Then, a cousin showed me Tidal and I found a really good offer for it and decided to give it a try. When the offer ended, I still used Tidal for a while (1 year or so in all), but then decided to go back to Spotify due to its price. I could really feel the difference and had to go back to Tidal. It's hard to compare side by side. But our ears adapt to circumstances, so if you listen to hi-fi music for an extended period of time and then go back to the 320kbps, I think you can really feel the difference. It's pretty much like when we are starting to learn a musical instrument. When you try to learn a new song, you start to discover some parts of it that you wouldn't pay attention at first. After that, you start to listen to other songs differently, too.

[@amb86]

@@jaackdanielsful can you share what gear you are using and also what types of music you listens to? I think the types of songs also makes difference in terms of what streaming quality does. I myself uses an entry denon avr1600 with mission qx-2, and I couldn't tell meaningful differences between spotify and tidal on the same song.

[@jaackdanielsful]

@@amb86 these days I'm mainly using headphones to listen to music, so I have an external sound card (asus xonar mk II) and an AKG-92. Eventually, I plug my edifier r1280db to these external sound card too. They aren't expensive gears, so they wouldn't make that difference in sound quality. I guess it's more related to the streaming. Maybe the types of songs make a difference, because not every song of tidal's library has hi-fi quality. But I listen to a lot of rock music, from led, stones, pink floyd and some of the 80s and 90s like the grunge scene and david bowie... I eventually listen to other genres too

[@肉片です]

I just bought Mackie MR624 6-inch speakers and this has been the biggest difference in my overall music enjoyment. Room acoustics play major role too in sound quality. Investing in these two things make more difference than choosing streaming app. Btw I use Spotify.

[@landgren9690]

Is the low volume as great as people say? Just got a pair of adam T8V. Love them but might buy some mackies aswell for low volume listening

[@szallitolevel]

Good day, John! I more than appreciate your encouragement for the newcomers and enthusiasm bringing them into the world we love. Thank you very much for your work! Karoly, from the country of Bartók

[@ymlee8604]

I am not a audiophile but enjoy listening to music. I connected my iPhone with lightning - 3.5 mm jack/rca adapter to my nad amplifier and pioneer floor standing speakers and wow it rocks very well. It may not sound as involved as turntable but it is

[@ymlee8604]

so convenient with Spotify with large selection.

[@roquesoprano913]

@@ymlee8604 👍

[@Bluesourboy]

I think of it like this. There are a few tracks in my collection that warrant the hi-fi experience if possible, 24 bit flac. I've probably used Spotify to surface those tracks during everyday listening on my commute. There's a place for both, and both will enrich your life with wonderful music.

[@davidthomas670]

Thank you so much for this video John I have and old Onkyo A-9030 amp , I recently bought a pair of Warfedale Atlantic 500 speakers ( I know not the best ) along with a Yamaha wxc 50 streamer and the quality of my spotify music really jumped up by several notches so yes you are right in what you say, and you have just gained another subscriber.

[@bob71014]

Love these down to earth sessions

[@benrilot7930]

You are a breath of fresh air John! Keep up the exceptional content.

[@MattSB2588]

Absolutely right. Then, once you have a good system, by all means compare Spotify with say, Tidal but, if you can't hear the difference between exactly the same version of a song (few can in blind tests) stick with Spotify and save some money. I've tried comparisons myself. As has my brother. We believe that we hear a difference when we know which service are listening to but, our blind tests are always a fail!!

[@roquesoprano913]

👍👍👍

[@panjin79]

I used Spotify for many years very happily. 100% agree that some good speakers with proper amplification can make it sound great. I think where it falls down is in integrations and UI. Tidal and Roon together is just too much fun to use, and I find value for my money in more advanced music discovery. I found the bump in quality to only be a bonus to the leap forward in user interface.

[@BubiGTR]

i've chosen Deezer, because the bitrate can be adjusted through the settings menu depending if i use mobile data or wi-fi. doing so, i stream flac files at home using wifi, and 320kbps with mobile data on the go

[@AngelInTheDesert]

Thanks to research largely from your channel & others, purchased the LS50 Wireless & a REL T/9i for nearfield in my office and haven’t been happier!

[@thedweezil9283]

Thanks John tot taking me on a journey thru digital audio land. Keep up the good work giving your view on gear, music and the likes. Appreciate it !

[@benjaminrosich]

Hi John! Hello from Cincinnati, Ohio. Thanks for your time and uploads, I always enjoy watching your videos.

[@jordanmcoyne]

I find “audiophiles” often tend to worry too much about the source material and not enough about what it’s played back on. I’ve been a Spotify Premium subscriber since 2014 and think it sounds great. My main 2 channel rig is decently resolving, with Sonus faber Liuto towers, REL S/5 sub, and Sony A1ES integrated amp. I access Spotify using Connect to a Sonos ZP90 run coax into an external Wadia DAC. I’ve plugged my laptop in and A-B’d between Spotify, Tidal/Masters, Qobuz, and stuff ripped from CD. Spotify sounded, to me, pretty much indistinguishable from Hi Res services or lossless CD rips. The couple of outlying cases where I perceived a quality difference were, at best, negligible. I’d take Spotify’s vastly superior interface, wider selection, and music discovery engine over a “well, maybe...” difference on a handful of songs any day. If Spotify launched a HiFi tier, I’d surely upgrade my plan for good measure, but they don’t seem too interested in it.

[@thomcrown900]

This reflects my experience pretty much exactly except I had Proacs driven by Bryston amps. My mate has a $100k system he runs Spotify through and it sounds amazing.

[@sasbyte]

@@thomcrown900 i hav the same experience too. i compred my high res files with spotify tidal qobuz and i dont hear a difference.

[@MrPeacefulness]

I believe sportify is getting ready to offer hi fi recordings

[@warfam_clan6933]

I agree with your opening statement. I am an audiophile of nearly 40 years now and when I was younger, I found myself deliberately playing well-recorded music because it shows off the system to a greater degree. I did this despite not always enjoying what I was listening too. Being waaaaay older now, obviously, this is not the case. I think that many audiophiles will go through this stage until they realize that they have their priority a bit backward. Listening to Spotify with its superior catalog, in many ways helped to solidify this mistake. I like Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz and find the differences between them mostly livable due, as you say, to the resolving nature of good audio equipment that can easily be purchased.

[@Holdeenio]

I've just setup my first DAC, the Schiit Modi 3 and it's transformed my Spotify! Onward and upward! 👍 Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Holdeenio]

Have also just upgraded to Tidal 👌😜

[@fshnrig]

you nailed it, run direct digital signal to modi 3 and the holographic imaging comes to life from spotify

[@Grizzly1644]

I am a seasoned musicpile. I use Spotify via Spotify connect to my Pioneer N-70A for most of my listening. Sounds great to me. Sure flac and wav sounds better, but you can’t beat the convenience, and exposure to soo much music.

[@JonPickles]

I use the Bluesound Node 2i and stream from Spotify to there (airplay) and through a DAC to my Rega amp. Sounds fab. I also have a Roon setup and Qobuz

[@hickehelbro]

Love when the JD notification pops up!

[@jpotts1515gaming]

I can hear a difference between Spotify and Tidal but its not as big as people think it is. I went from cheap 30 dollar headphones to 100 dollar Sony MDR's and the difference was insane. Equipment quality is def more important than what service you use.Spotify also sounds great through my Cerwin Vega LS-12's

[@SirJeanLucAsec]

To be able to compare all streaming softwares objectively, the first step would be to make them sound at the same level at first. It's easy to think one service is better than the next just because it's a tad louder... I am using Spotify premium for a while now, and even if I have Flac files on my laptop, Spotify is so great in terms of UI and content, I keep using it even my high end gear. And I hardly hear a difference between file formats, I still think MP3 is great ;D

[@roquesoprano913]

👍

[@m_DT]

When I started investing into my hifi - 5 to 6 years ago - I only had 128k and 256k rips and downloads on my HDD. Was still worth it, and having a better system inspired me to re-rip CDs to FLAC and move to lossless streaming because I could begin to hear the quality difference. I now have FLAC CD rips, and stream Spotify and Qobuz. I’m not a format snob, but love that I can hear the difference between file types and investing in a nice system opened up the door to better quality digital for me.

[@DarkoAudio]

That's right! The better hardware eventually leads us to better source quality. But the better hardware has to come first!

[@jonnyk15]

Exactly my path over the years. Top video MR D

[@JeffJacquesmd]

Not sure how I missed this video. Just watching it a month later, so very very true. Thank you for spreading knowledge

[@deeiks12]

Solid info as always. I don't consider myself as a beginner audiophile in any way but i still do enjoy your videos, even the beginner ones.

[@MrGorpm]

I have to agree with you on this as I used to use Sporify all the time on a fairly decent system. I used the free service while I was unemployed in 2009 and I loved being able to listen to the albums that I couldn't afford to buy. Once I began earning money again, I still used the premium service for my listening, and even after using Tidal and Qobuz I find that Spotify still has a lot in its library that I can't find elsewhere. P.S. I have a Cambridge CXA60 which can be had for under £500 and I think it's fab for the money (it's driving Epos ES11's from circa 1991).

[@chrishumble8662]

I went from an iPod in a Yamaha mini system and CDs to only using Spotify and didn't notice a huge dip in quality. I now use Spotify everywhere and have a Musiccast system running amplifiers and smart speakers throughout the house. I tried Tidal and couldn't get on with the interface, plus the sound quality wasn't that much better. I can comfortably hear the difference between smart speaker sound and amplifier/stereo speakers. The other thing I can notice is playing an album through Spotify versus my budget turntable is that the sound is much more detailed from vinyl which is very pleasant.

[@garystyles6429]

Thanks for being so clear and concise on this. This should really help prevent people from being put off from investing in better gear whatever streaming service they use.

[@tusharshukla1990]

Even I mostly use Spotify (I have Tidal as well) because of their App integration between PC, Chromecast and Phones and also their vast library of Indian Music :) Really excited about the beginners DAC video, please compare them to Macbook's internal soundcard as well.

[@tigerfish66]

Brilliant comments John as ever........

[@Michael-xz1nk]

Thank you. This is refreshing. In my office, I have a $125 Sony receiver and Wharefedale 210 speakers ($185) on stands ($60) with my iPhone plugged in and stream from KZbin Music (the paid side of the house). It sounds fab for what it is. I do the same thing on my 3 much more expensive systems around the house and I am a very happy camper or spend any more money as a music lover first.

[@EMCPM2013]

Good for you John. Well spoken and great advice for a novice

[@sicklaser]

Very refreshing to watch. Thanks John, I’ll be sharing this one around!

[@roquesoprano913]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@DrGIzmoBRad]

Thank you VM for taking a stand for for Spotify (and other lossy content like soundcloud, interner radio, etc) users to get speakers and an amp, whether it's a desktop, or a stand mount system. Lossless services will on most cases provide better quality, but the vast selection of music on Spotify may outweigh those services. Could be a nice change from headphone claustrophobia as well. I find that listening to decent stereo improves my well being. That's worth sharing.

[@beetooex]

For the people you're aiming this at it's got to be a NAD D3020 V2 amp. Tiny, funky looking and has both digital and turntable inputs. Stream Spotify to it via Bluetooth from an iPad or phone and have it plugged into the TV via optical for movies. The ideal mainstream temptation.

[@Ceko]

Yay for you sir! I listen to Spotify all the time on my home stereo. I’ve tried Tidal once and I couldn’t even hear the difference that easily so I’m absolutely fine with Spotify.

[@MrRawMonkey]

I now own a Cambridge Audio CXA 61 amp and a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 network streamer using Spotify Connect as my main source connected to 20 year old pair of Quad 11L’s. It was a good upgrade from my Onkyo network receiver and I can hear a difference.

[@sassoferrato21]

I am no audiophile but work for a very well respected speakers company. Of course Tidal quality is better but I still use Spotify for the navigation and it's more user friendly and wider music choice. My audiophile colleagues are always looking down on me using Spotify! So thank you for your video.

[@wanttotree]

The only humble audio person i have ever seen. Thank you for this video, i hope it will set an example to the communities out there.

[@notsorandumusername]

One thing you forgot to mention is room acoustics. Apart from mastering and loudspeakers, this makes the biggest difference. So make sure your listening is room is not too bright, hollow or damp; give your speakers some breathing room and try to form a golden triangle from your listening position with the tweeters at ear-level. This will get you the fundamentals right.

[@SuLu_XD]

I moved from Spotify premium to Tidal Master/HiFi and I notice a massive difference overall. Of course, some songs sound fantastic even when streamed thru Spotify just because they are *that* well mixed/mastered, but generally speaking I can hear a fairly large increase in clarity, depth, separation, and far less sibilance. This is thru headphones (THX789 + HD650) btw, not sure if speakers are less revealing for this kind of stuff (I wouldn't think this is the case!). I still keep a Spotify subscription because I get a student discount on it and I use it when I'm on the go with wireless headphones/earbuds. Spotify also has far better social integration and userbase, so if you have friends that use Spotify like me, it's very easy to share playlists and follow each other to discover new music. But yes, the equipment should be the first thing you upgrade before worrying about the source files!

[@grahamserle7930]

I think your advise is spot on. (No pun intended) The quality of the sound we experience is relative the sum of everything from the source material to the hardware we hear it through. And although one persons great will be another's average, that's okay, we don't relate to that until we've experienced something better.

[@MB-js3tf]

I have been into hifi for over 30 years and I have a great system for cd/vinyl/streaming. I love all the sources for different reasons but Spotify is my favourite... I explained how it works to my dad of 75 and he was bemused. We found and played a song from his youth by the Clyde Valley Stompers on it and he almost cried. Music is about emotion. Spotify sounds great and the catalogue is amazing. My advice is just get involved and enjoy it.

[@matthieus1165]

I fully agree with you. For a longer time I have used Tidal and Spotify together on my EUR 15k system. In general Tidal sounds better but the convenience and fun with Spotify made me choose for Spotify only. With a 'good' recording on Spotify I am sometimes amazed even compared to my lossless files.

[@clausjuergenwalde7251]

Deezer’s hifi plan is lossless and works great. I moved to it after a few years of premium Spotify subscription. I had everything setup on Spotify, but when I finally compared it against Deezer and KZbin Music in terms of quality (at the same bit rates) it came in at a very solid 3rd place. If all I ever needed it for was casual listening, I wouldn’t bother with a lossless plan, but with it, it doubles as reference for audio work.

[@ktaltd2325]

Used Spotify for a long time - mainly because of the range of music it has introduced me to. Mainly listen on an Oppo HA-1 with PM1 headphones as well as Cambridge Audio 851n into 851e into 2 x 851w mono blocked, driving Kef R11 and 2 x Rel S2 subs. (also sometimes on Dragonfly Cobalt, B&W P7 Bluetooth, 851a with Kef LS50 with the Rels, Yamaha CX-A5100/MX-A5000 Home Theater system driving older Q Series Kefs and Kef LS50 Wireless with a Kef 30B sub) To me, Spotify has a different sound compared to CD or Vinyl but these differences reflect the capacity of the gear that the music is played on. The differences would be less resolved on more entry-level systems.

[@jasono1361]

It's all about equipment synergy. A decent pair of speakers/headphones goes a long way to improve your listening pleasure, or displeasure for poorly mixed tracks, regardless of streaming source. I still kept some cd-ripped 192khz mp3s from the 2000s on my digital player because the original tracks so nicely mixed that the compression loss doesn't even hurt the listening experience. It's your music, do what you want with it.

[@benrub]

I really enjoy hearing your point of view about these issues. Thank you!

[@patrickcanullas6384]

such a good hurray review having spotify and tidal usage. having great speaker and good amp. 🇵🇭

[@drunksaru]

Thank you! What you said is something I've been telling so many people since Tidal first came around. But many didn't believe me because I'm not "Audiophile enough" because much of my hardware is on the budget end (which is still way more than what the average person would buy).

[@bencausey]

I was surprised recently at some amazing sounding KZbin audio. Very impressive, and I’m a regular Tidal/Qobuz user.

[@msderay]

I used to buy records (back in the late 80s through the 90s) because that was the cheapest access to good music. My how times have changed. Getting a free Spotify account shortly. . . Great channel, happy to be watching, and yes, I may be a recovering grump.

[@barbal777]

I started with Spotify, tested it for couple of months for free when there was a promo. Then I tested Tidal for 4 months for 1$. I ended up with Spotify, because there were some lo-fi, vaporwave, synthwave songs missing in Tidal. I also checked the sound quality, but I didn't spot any major differences. I'm also fine with mp3 320kbps files - well mastered tracks sound good as mp3.

[@ZensōMusic]

Great post. ABX tests show that 320kbps Ogg Vorbis (Spotify Premium) and 256 kbps AAC (Apple Music) are essentially indistinguishable with Redbook and hi-res (Tidal, Qobuz, et al). SoundCloud is 160 kbps MP3, which is easily noticeable.

[@toddm.7712]

Thanks John - Amen! Enjoy the music!! I stream Pandora from my phone ALL the time. I just picked up an "inexpensive" Bluetooth (5.0) receiver/DAC, connected to my "older" Denon AVR. I also added a Bluetooth antenna booster, so I can receive signal throughout my house, and out on the deck. I have multiple speaker systems throughout the house, and a system out on the deck. The "sound quality" is more than acceptable for me. The ease of using my phone to control the music type is also very convenient; I listen to pretty much everything! I like to refer to this as "passive listening". For "active listening", in the living room, I have a "reasonable" 2 channel system set up. As a 60 year old engineer, with over 35+ years of work in acoustics, I know MY hearing is not what it used to be. In the end, If YOU like the way it sounds, that's more important than specifications and reviews! ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

I do pretty much the same. When I am working or driving, Spotify is good because you don't have to stand up and change your cd or vinyl... Also while walking in the street but then I don't use the Bluetooth receiver. If I am relaxing and just listening to music, than I prefer a cd player or turntable. It is so much better. To each he's own. There is a place for Spotify, and a place for quality mediums

[@pzboyz72]

After many years of CD based listening with some Rotel BX range equipment and Mission 731's (cost £700 in the mid 90's). Now moving a more digital and streaming style of listening, with all my CD's ripped at 320kb/s MP3 (I'm never going to spend the $ on super high end equipment so lossless would be waste of space) and have just bought Wharfdale 11.1 and a Yamaha RN303. This setup works really really well and very flexible. Used Bluetooth and Network streaming for a while which the RN303 does very well. Now added a Topping D10 and the Optical ports on the RN303 to connect to my laptop, Yep sounds great. For around £500 including cables, this will do me another 20 years I am sure.

[@lgude]

Thanks that helps. I recently bought some HiFiman 400i headphones. I couldn’t hear much difference from some 10 year old and well loved Senheisers coming directly out of the headphone jack of my M1 Mini. Then I got a Kguss DAC /headphone amp for about $60 from China and I immediately noticed a much more accessible sound. I could also hear more difference between the headphones. So then I got a iFi Zen DAC and things got better again. Then I subscribed to Spotify free, and wow - suddenly the classical music I’ve listened to so far is just just way better compared to listening to classical on Amazon Prime music. I haven’t even looked up the difference if any, but for me as an older guy who grew up with loud noises from machinery and firearms I don’t think I need to pay to up the sound quality on Spotify.

[@marcianoacuerda]

Given my space limitations I went with headphone amplifiers and it’s been great. I invested in some headphones for when I’m home and when I’m out and about. For now, I’m very pleased with the results.

[@emmanuelgoldstein8233]

I've been using Tin HiFi T2 to listen to Spotify. Honestly, it makes a big difference where I don't feel like I need an even better quality anymore. It's good enough to enjoy enough soundstage, plus I mostly listen to low fidelity music anyway, such as 80s heavy metal, so..

[@campfred007]

I agree so much with this! Even though I have my library of music in lossless, I still use Spotify for the convenience it has for listening to songs I currently don't have and even with Spotify alone, getting better audio equipment did improve my listening experience.

[@thatdopedude7217]

The thing is for me it's more psychological.

[@masonb9788]

I had a trial on Amazon Music with the “Ultra HD” versions of many of my favorite albums. Yes I swear it sounded AMAZING to me. But it’s not something you’d want to use off Wi-Fi. But was it that great or was it all in my mind?

[@GigantorRexAtron]

Got my first system set up with Yamaha rn303, Fyne audio 302 and tidal and I love it.

[@Ashworth-Media]

I have been lucky in being give a studio non lossless copy of a favorite album directly from the musician own studio and the difference in quality on a low end Creative inspire P5800 5.1 sound system is amazing it's like comparing night to day, you do need to have hi-res high bit rate music to get the best out of it.

[@giorgio4660]

Thank you for your words.

[@megaetk]

I agree. For home I have all my lossless music on an Astell & Kern for when I want to critically listen. But on my phone, I use Apple Music for when I'm at work or in the car. And more times than not, I find myself using the phone over the A&K because of the responsive UI and the ability to stream new music. I say as long as you use a reputable service, you're not missing much.

[@simonprice2923]

Spot on and good video. It isn’t about dsd this, MQA that, hires here or there, it’s about the quality of the basics and how with great speakers and amps in a stereo image, you can get a lot more and a step up from the iPod dock.

[@on_philm]

I had Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music and Qobuz, but in the end I just stick with Spotify. Because of the experience. It is just so convenient and has by far the best software and algorithms. If Spotify would pull out a hi-fi option, I would definitely go for it. Because when the songs are mastered for it, you really hear a difference.

[@morganrowe]

Agreed. The music platform for convenience and discover far surpasses my need for flawless output I'm afraid audiophile snobs. I run Spotify through a Chromecast, Topping mx3 and Kef LS50's and I'm delighted everyday! Great video Darko 🤙

[@Beyondabsence]

John, that was spot on! Thank you. I play music from all sources, including cassete. Will never give up my Spotify. Audirvana streaming Qobuz, wonderful. There's a little software called FxSound that you can tweak in ways that make Spotify more satisfying. If you're streaming from a laptop. And yes, the gear will bring Spotify to another level. Thank you

[@jackortiz9359]

Been using Spotify premium for quite sometime now and I can’t complain.Streaming thru my laptop connected to Schiit modi 3. I think DAC is a must to get rid some or most of the noise and to give a boost to the music.But bottom line is, a good listening experience really starts with a well recorded piece ,does not matter if its Hi fi or Mid fi , just my humble experience.

[@flintmonz]

I've been using a Oppo 205 and Vandersteen 3's with Pandora. The sound is nothing short of amazing !

[@JonathanHaughton]

Thanks for this John. Some audiophiles can be quite cruel and rude about people using Spotify, and it's not right or fair. I use it because I like the app, family integration, curated playlists, how it synchronises over all my devices. It's a solid, reliable package service that works and works well. Bit rate is only one piece of the pie.