Only using Spotify connect, am I loco??!!


Hey everyone,
I have a very simple system... some living voice auditorium speakers, a burson audio conductor V2 pre/dac and a kick ass Primaluna Dialogue premium power amplifier (that I've named Blackstar- after David Bowie's EPIC album). Into this I use fidelizer and run spotify connect to my Dac.
My question is am I loco? Do I need more? 
To use a metaphor... am I driving my Porsche round at 30kph like a fool? (from NZ so we roll kilometers and centimeters)
To me this sounds great, but I don't have anything to compare it too, so I dont know what I dont know, you know??!!
Thanks!!
tmarlowe
You have nice components in the system. As long as you are enjoying the music and your experience, how does it matter? One of my friends recently purchased a pair of Revel F36, a Hegel H90 integrated, Audio Envy speaker cables and Inakustik CAT7 cables. That's all. He has been thoroughly enjoying his system each and every day for the last month or so. He also uses Spotify, but has been thinking of Amazon HD. I also use Spotify with Chromecast Audio's DIGITAL output to my Oppo's (SP/DIF) "optical" input. I thoroughly enjoy the experience, though this is secondary compared to my SACD/CD playback which is primary.More will obviously change your listening experience. Look at cables, power conditioning, dedicated DAC, footer tweaks, etc if you want to go on a merry-go-round. If you are enjoying the current setup, don't change anything. Enjoy your music.
Spotify's music catelog is head and shoulders above any other streaming service. Keep it and continue to enjoy it. I had Spotify in the past and am considering re subscribing.
I use Spotify when noodling around the house being busy. Nothing wrong with it. I will say there definitely is a difference though in over all steaming quality with Qobuz and Amazon HD. No question.
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I still believe Spotify SQ and imho it seems, layout is inferior to Qobuz. 
However as Greg states, their AI is scary at times!

In my modern prog rock daily mix I found tracks by 3 bands I had never heard of that all turned out to be very much to my liking and darned good, that's just in the last coupe of days!
Spotify's AI engine is spooky good at creating playlists that not only include music I'm familiar with and love, but also artists that I've missed and need to give a listen to.
If you have a DAC that does a good job at upscaling, Spotify's premium 320kbs service actually sounds very good... at times excellent.  As with with most music it depends more on how well it was recorded. However, on older recordings, it's not so much the sound but the performance and presentation that draws you into the music.  Spotify recommended that I listen to a blues and jazz singer from the thirties and forties named Mildred Bailey.  Never heard of her before but boy can she sing.  Her shimering vibrato gives me goosebumps.
+1 Uber Qobuz sounds best, Tidal also sounds better. To me lossy streaming is no way to listen to music especially if it's your primary music source.
Sounds like time for a free trial. I did just that with qobuz and deezer and found the added resolution really showed off the gear. I think Spotify has qualities that better show off the music. Kept Spotify and dropped the others.
I only use Spotify and you tube and get fantastic SQ from my system. My Lyngdorf TDAI3400 does resample everything to 24/96. I have tried a decent CD transport and I really struggle to hear any differences between CD and Spotify. I bought an etherRegen switch that gave a very noticeable uptick in SQ

I do think that Spotify sounds a little better than you tube. I'm using apple TV 4th gen, but even YT is fantastic. On my system if I want qobuz or tidal I would need another box , power chord and cable. I will demo an innuos streamer soon just to see if I am missing much.

I have both Spotify and tidal but I use Spotify more often than tidal sounds good to me 
I’m streaming 320kb compare with tidal 16/44.1 same music same original recorded version same DAC Cambridge Azur 851N  can’t tell difference 
possible Cambridge upsampling the Spotify that’s why so enjoy it that’s most important above all 

@uberwaltz,
Agree with you that Spotify SQ is not as good as Quobuz/Tidal. Compared that in my system. Also compared that with Amazon HD at friends place. On music that is nicely mastered or has live recordings, you can appreciate the quality of Tidal/Amazon over Spotify.
I dropped Spotify premium as soon as I got Qobuz for 20% more $. Big diff in SQ. I DO miss the ease of Spotify connect though.
Since I usually listen in random and my p/L's are still there it is only a few moments of ignorable commercials difference otherwise.
I notice a smaller diff between the Spotify free and premium compressions than either compared to losseless.
Your results may vary.
Spotify has a larger catalog but Qobuz has lots of tracks it doesn't have.
Spotify is much easier to make and arrange playlists.
If you ask us about it then it means you are not satisfied at least. Consider this first.
I have tried Tidal and am not a fan of their catalog. Qobuz has more of my preferences and their sound quality seems to be as good (to my ears) as the MQA in Tidal. With all of the good things said here about Spotify I guess I will have to get over there today. Thanks for the info.
My DAC upsamples. I have compared lower resolution services like Spotify to my current subscription Qobuz which has higher rez. Sometimes you can’t tell the difference especially with hard rock. But on other well recorded tracks the higher rez stream SQ is easily discerned.
if you want the best of both worlds then you need Qobuz and Roon.

 Qobuz has the best SQ and Roon is a better user experience than Spotify.


Spotify runs my playlist.....everything else is up to me wandering around, collecting 'this'. 'That!', and the other Thang....*L*

Works well enough to amuse....;)

If 'it' isn't 'There'...it's somewhere else, waiting to be dredged up. *G*