I don’t understand why people buy these nice and expensive headphones only to use Spotify, arguably the worst quality music streaming service that exists. It sounds so bad compared to Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, or even Napster. At least you are getting lossless sound with those, it won’t be the same as having a ripped flac from a CD but anything is better than the AAC 128/320kbps that Spotify offers. It just bothers me when I see photos of headphones on this sub and then they have Spotify open in the background, I just can’t understand!
This hobby is subjective, but sometimes I get bamboozled when I see someone doing a review with a high tier equipment and use spotify.
Spotify is pretty trash from what I hear on my end. I am suprised you even mention youtube music. spotify blows youtube music out the water, that said, spotify still trash.
I use tidal, but for the past 2 years, I just purchase the flac files on bandcamp. Once I got into using roon, I never wanted to go back to using any other music listening software
Have you done blind tests on the sound quality with your equipment?
Yes I have, if your about to refer to that website, I am going to jist say rite now, that website is not the best enviroment for doing a a.b test.
Your windows is getting ahold of the data before it makes to the dac. Makes doing a/b tests harder and more exhausting.
But yes, I have done real a/b tests in controlled enviroments where its just the audio, not being altered/filtered though anything but my equipment.
Wasapi for life.
Tidal is also shit too from what I hear. Multiple sources of mine who have way more experience with headphones than me have said its streaming quality is garbage, and as a result; adds extra bass and treble into the music.
Like every single other high fidelity streaming service out there, the music does get altered in some way shape or form for the most part it’s still in flag quality and the alteration isn’t always a bad thing it’s just a matter of preference.
For example I don’t like using Amazon HD because Jesus Christ they make all the files more bright.
But I do like the reply down below talking about how they make the files sound more smooth Jazzy on tidle.
With that being said currently I ultimately don’t use any streaming services because I like to EQ on the Fly and roon is just so amazing.
I think your friends are blowing it out of proportion with title being garbage but I can understand the frustrations. For example I don’t like any streaming service to claims to give me High Fidelity music and yet I can’t check things like the metadata or see what kind of file it is is it 16 or 24?. It’s a flac file but tell me what is the kbps?
Tidle withholds all that information.
Roon for life!
Yeah I’m with you on not using streaming services. I just support artists on bandcamp directly if able. Like; if they have their own storefront. Otherwise I just chuck money at them for merch and whatnot if I’m not able.
I’ve only heard it when I was first getting into audio and I did not hear any real difference between it and any of the MP3’s I had downloaded on my PC. Maybe they was slightly louder than my MP3s? Idk.
Compared to the same songs in flac or wave on my dap or phone, or even Napster Tidal sounds weird to me. It sounds like everything has been put through a smooth jazz filter/eq/sound effect or whatever. It’s not always a bad thing. It can soften some harsh poorly recorded, mixed, mastered etc music but if it’s music that actually sounds good lossless I’m generally not a fan of how it sounds compared to other options.