Should I buy a DAC if I only use Spotify?

I'm currently streaming through the built-in streamer in my Yamaha receiver, and I can most definitely tell the difference between the streaming quality and my Yamaha CD player. Streaming without a super high-end streamer unit and a higher-end service, like Tidal, I think you always end up with a clipped sound. Flatter overall, less punchy with the bass, less high in the treble, and less channel separation. And, as you note; I'm the guy with the decent speakers, decent amplifiers, and decent CD player ... so, when I say that Spotify and lesser streamers dampen or clip the sound, it's a sign that it's definitely present. For the music I'm listening to intentionally, I still do CDs. Spotify is great for discovery, and good enough for some party tunes. But if Spotify were to up its game and integrate better with the streamers, I'll move to a dedicated streamer. It seems like the FiiO R7 will the way for me, but not at $700 ... that's a lot of CDs, and no clear view that the tech will survive longer than my CD players.

Yes, yes, yes.

People dont know that the Chinese curse "may you live long" ends with "and may you hear the quality of all recordings in greater detail."

I'm niw addicted to audiophile playlists on spotify, the music is garbage but damn do I love the detail, texture, imaging.
When i see that video of a monkey meditating with a walkman in its hands, i can relate.😂

I always used Spotify and Deezer, my Android TV connected with Opt to a JVC 5.1 receiver, I was ok with it. Then I got a Deezer offer to take ultimate, Ogg 320, a much better sound, soon later Spotify came with ultimate with 320 MP, also sounds better but more important at that time. NO advertisments, these made me crazy. Then I did Cheapaudioman, I did see you and I searched for Fosi, FX Audio and Aiyiami min hifi, I bought some stuff, for example the T9...and then I heard it, yes a real better sound, I heard the bling bling, bells, triangles, etc. and then, I see and read about QOBUZ.....Yes, take a dac when you use a streamer without ads, I suggest take a good dac, a good amp, a good streamer, for example: Fosi K5pro, Fosi V3, Fosi P3!!

if you use phone alot proper audio will improve experience drastically since most their dacs are subpar, even worse than realteks

Why would you buy a dac and headphones for a streaming service that streams at 320kbs?????
Sorry,but Spotify is absolute trash

Just got a better da and changed to Apple Music. Spotify sounds nice, but Apple Music sounds like cd, not like a better version of mp3. Although I do miss the better surface of Spotify.

The Room is as important to the sound quality as is any of the equipment that you are using.

What about the device? I currently have an Amazon Fire tablet set up to my Kenwood separate hifi. It sounds ok, got to turn the volume up higher on the stereo however. Would you recommend a better device?

I’ve just bought the FiiO KA1 and have spent a few hrs listening to Spotify on my MacBook through my KZ ZSN Pro’s and am impressed with the musicality and soundstage/ signature. I love the KZ’s and was happy just out of the headphone Jack on my old 6s plus. Ofcourse I’ve bought the USB-C KA1 so now I’m going OTG adapter route to see how things compare on the 6s and 12 mini. I think I’m more impressed with the KA1 sound than I was in my Schiit set up.

John! Another great video, I wonder if you could put something together for people wanting to get the best out of spotify... Thanks!

Darko is the wheat from the chaff. Consive informative, clear and humble ration opinions. This guy and 'Cheap Audio Man' are the only ones who give me the reality of Audio research without the waffle. As always Darko, you are a pleasure to listen to. Gratidude.

1. Nice sponsors, at least their boxes are
overpriced as most High End titles-stikers
BUT without f#$@$ the sound.
2. Didn't even watched the content:
IF SPOTIFY IS SOMEONE'S ONLY MUSIC
SOURCE - HE SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCESSES
TO PLAYBACK SYSTEM WHAT SO EVER IN
THE FIRST PLACE!

"Say it ain't so joe, please say it ain't so"

Be blessed, healthy, free, educated and prosper.

This explanation lines up 100% with my experience. The mixing/mastering of the music makes a massive difference.

I used Apple music for 6 months or so but went back to Spotify.For me the Spotify UI is far superior and this is just as important, I am constantly finding new music through the Spotify recommendations that the other services just don't seem to do.I don't have a highly resolving system and spend many contented evenings listening to music.I think Spotify is excellent.

I did the same thing with storing everything lossy 320 kbps then going back and re-ripping to lossless. I had to redo a few hundred.

I started listening to qobuz now I can't comeback to Spotify

I like your attitude and the way you put things.

Was using an old tablet streaming to a Klipsch Promedia Heritage 2.1 system in my living room. Switched to using my new LG C3 Toslinked through a Schiit Modi...Night and day difference. Living in an apt. complex so I really can't crank it anyway. Fine enough for my purposes.

Yeah spotify is good enough until you use a dac and amp… if you use dac / amp and a good headphone you will hear the difference.. not for everyone guys

So, what I'm taking away from this is that you are telling me to get a quick and easy 5.1.2 Atmos setup via HDMI. Is that right? A nice Sony AV receiver paired w a matching Sony universal disc 4K Blu-ray player and then just wire up the speakers, use the Sony mic to adjust the speakers and BOOM!

I have an old and fine Yamaha amplifier and beautiful speakers. I use a Bluetooth receiver and it’s amazing!
So… cheap solution and so much pleasure!!

Funny you should mention. In 2005 I transferred all my LPs to cd & ripped everything to MP3 discrete 320k. My headphones were 200 Sennheiser. By 2016 I bought 450BT phones, then ATH M50X in 2020. I used the ATH phones to test differences between Bluetooth and hardline connects. In 2022 I upgraded the 200s to 650S. By that time I had a Samsung tablet & rog Strix motherboard playing flac- souce to 450bt. I changed my listening habits because of headphone resolution. Huge different between Bluetooth & hardconnect, between flac & pcm, between a $150 and $400 headphones. That's partly due to noise cancellation features, partly original media quality, and partly system component quality. Next phase is deciding whether a streaming service is worth it.

I went from Spotify and Deezer Hi-Fi - for one its louder - and for two it is sooooooooooo much better

Loved hearing the tennis ball analogy after playing dubs this morning! Yes, it made sense. 😊

hi i was wondering if a portable DAC would improve the audio quality if im using a Audio 64 U6t IEM (around $1.2k USD) but currently only streaming on spotify (bitrate sucks) or shld i be focusing on downloading quality files instead? (using an iphone btw) or shld i get a DAP?

I'm now a schizophrenic audiophile after adding a schiit lokius to my system. I turn knobs getting things just right, sit back, halfway through the song I am up and adjusting knobs again, looool

spotify will improve with a dac, but when you get a high end system or even mid end spotify will show its weakness and how its the worst streaming service, anyone who is serious audiophile would avoid spotify unless there isn`t the songs you like on other streaming services

I actually emailed Cambridge Audio.
DAC gets used for Spotify so I think quality of DAC can make a difference.

Love your videos, thanks!

What about a DAC built into your processor, vs a dedicated streamer with DAC? For example, I use HEOS on my Marantz 7706 to play Amazon HiFi. Marantz has decent DACs, would I notice a difference with a $1,000 DAC?

well, you cant listen to 1's and 0's, so the short answer is yes, You'll need a dac.

Spotify is shit and they pay artists the least. Apple Music is by orders of magnitude better relating to the quality of the playback and they pay the artists more. Fuck Spotify.

Very nicely delivered. Your videos are so informative but calm and meaningful. Many thanks

With an hign-end DAC you will only hear more clearly the compression artifacts of the Spotify's codec which is Opus 160 kbps for the free plan. You are better off with something basic enough to mask the artifacts as much as possible. It's the same thing as watching a VHS cassette on a 4k TV, it's really unwatchable, the details of the imperfections are really annoying, but on a 80's CRT television it's still blurry but more tolerable. That reminds me the old reissues of the early CD era, there was a disclaimer on the back cover that said:

"The music on this Compact Disc was originally recorded on analog equipment. We have attempted to preserve, as closely as possible, the sound of the original recording. Because of it's high resolution, however, the Compact Disc can reveal limitations of the source tape."

In this case, the source tape if the lossy codec.

Spotify if I remember correctly, is only 256kb/s. I wouldn't bother with just spotify. I would move on from spotify.

Really happy with my AudioEngine D1 DAC and old school Sony MDR-7506 headphones for listening at my desk.

Using the BTR5 and HD598 on Tidal, sounds great to me😅😅😅

watching this with my $30 logitech speakers:

Great video mate, I can’t believe I only just discovered you.

In the various setups I have in my house, the DAC makes a significantly bigger difference than lossless audio does.

DAP's are ridiculously priced. I'm just looking for something to store my CD catalogue on so I can take it mobile sometimes and be able to see the cover work, liner notes, etc. How about just a tablet rather than a DAP? Is there really going to be that much difference if I'm plugging it in my car?

Having Amazon Music, I have HD Audio, so lossless - I know this vid is already 2y old - today getting lossless audio from a streaming service shouldn’t be a problem

I would rank the importance of components: #1 Speakers, #2 DAC, #3 Amp. I'd take my Topping D30 and cheap Fosi BT30D Amp over a high-end Amp and integrated phone DAC.

I have Spotify and Tidal. Sometimes Spotify sounds better! Good recordings sound leagues better on Tidal. Average and especially below average recordings can sound more pleasant on Spotify though! Hearing a poorly mastered track on Tidal reminds me of when I first saw news anchors in HD 😂.

All in all, it's been my experience that compression can help smooth over harsh qualities of bad mixing and mastering.

If I add any hires dac with my car stereo and play apple music. Will I get better audio due to Dac?

What would be the recommendations on portable dac for phones? Does it make sense to consider Bluetooth ones? Not a fan of carrying bulky stuff with my all the time…

Something important to share here. In midst of quest for loss less streaming.

I am using Logitech transporter paired to the giant Nad 208 power amp.

There is a plug in called 'Radio Now Playing' on the options on its server from the computer. It has a plethora of loss less streams the biggest one at 2736 kbps FLAC! Treasure hunted!!