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I have ditched my CD player and CDs.
Currently using Aptxd bluetooth phone and receiver fed into an external DAC.
The DAC has Toslink, Coax and USB inputs.
Looking at Wifi music streamers with a digital Coax output, so I can connect the TV Toslink to the DAC as well.
If I get a streamer that has Spotify and wifi, does it stream the music directly from the cloud, while being controlled by the app on a phone, or does it still send it via the phone bluetooth?
Basically will I get lossless from Spotify Connect when using a streamer?
I know my knacked 50+ year old ears won't be able to tell the difference but it would make me feel better!
If I get a streamer that has Spotify and wifi, does it stream the music directly from the cloud, while being controlled by the app on a phone, or does it still send it via the phone bluetooth?
It can do either. I have two wifi receivers for trad amps and speakers - one the old and now obsolete yamaha one plays directly from the net I believe with the phone acting as a controller. the other one which is newer ( tangent ampster) only plays via bloetooth from the phone.
the bluetooth playing is lower volume and has a less effective stereo soundstage I think
gobuchul
If I get a streamer that has Spotify and wifi, does it stream the music directly from the cloud, while being controlled by the app on a phone, or does it still send it via the phone bluetooth?
The streaming device gets it directly from Spotify via the router - not through your phone. That's my understanding of it.
I've got 2 Chromecast Audios, a Onkyo smart speaker (Google Home) & one of those pebble shaped Google speakers (can't remember what they are called). They all just pull it straight from the ether. The phone is effectively just a controller.
Thanks all.
I thought it streamed it directly but it's not very clear.
Just found that Spotify doesn't actually do lossless anyway, so might change over to Amazon, a little cheaper to.
I've got my spotify streaming set to the highest bitrate (320kbps) and on most of the devices (mixture of google home stuff, some sonos and raspberry pi) can barely tell the difference between the spotify stream and the lossless that's streamed from my own server.
The streaming device gets it directly from Spotify via the router – not through your phone. That’s my understanding of it.
It depends! If the device supports 'Spotify Connect', which is a specific product, then it should go straight through via the router.
Some devices say they can do 'Spotify' but it's just bluetoothing it from your phone. Which means if you wander out of the room or your phone runs out of battery it will cut off, and it just adds another potential issue.
A couple of years ago I was looking at streamers and Richer Sounds offered me a great deal on one of these but it was a bluetooth jobby, and even the salesman said it was a pain the arse to use! It uses DTS Play-Fi, which gets some pretty ropey reviews, but plenty of good companies seem to use it. Seems very odd that companies are making nice high(ish) end stuff that sounds great, but then pairing it with something that completely hobbles the experience. I mean the app is literally your point of interaction with the device - you use it every day. If it's a shit experience you're going to hate the device!
Ended up with a (much cheaper) Yamaha MusicCast device. Which for the most part works very well. And I don't mind so much that it occasionally gets confused, because it only cost me £275. If I'd paid £800 it would be much more annoying....
Yesterday, someone pointed out to me that the Spotify logo isnt straight
Ill just leave you with that
The Wiim streamers are pretty reasonably priced and will stream directly from your chosen music service to the streamer and into the DAC. <br /><br />
I went for the Wiim Pro.
Does everything I need.
Just found that Spotify doesn’t actually do lossless anyway, so might change over to Amazon, a little cheaper to.
no digital music format is lossless. Some compression algos are lossless but the loss is already there in the sampling. A stream may contain approximately the same amount of data as a CD did, but why stop there..
Could just make your own out of a Raspberry Pi with a DAC.
Yes, raspberry pi+DAC+volumio
Just found that Spotify doesn’t actually do lossless anyway, so might change over to Amazon, a little cheaper to.
Apple Music is a matter of choice / whatever the streaming device can cope with, or your service will cost you.
High Efficiency; HE-AAC with low data usage.
High Quality; AAC 256 kbps
Lossless; ALAC up to 24-bit/48 kHz
Hi-Res Lossless; ALAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz
We use a first gen Echo Dot with Spotify Connect, works fine.