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https://warpcast.com/~/channel/hifi
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matthewb
@matthewb
this is Serious Gourmet Bait to get me to write a long hi-fi thread. maybe these could be sit and talk videos instead if there's any interest. * here's a tldr; on the hi-fi format wars in 2025: - vinyl is still enormously popular and many serious audiophiles optimize their entire system for vinyl playback rather than CD or streaming - despite CDs being largely forgotten by the average consumer, audiophiles still love CDs and often prefer them to streaming - streaming is becoming more and more prevalent, to the extent that it's the default for most showrooms. arguably the most complex and expensive to optimize vs. vinyl and CDs.
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TaylorWebb.eth
@taylorwebb.eth
I had a guy at an audio showroom where I bought my amplifier last week tell me I should stop using Spotify because it has worse audio quality than Apple music, and there was some other streaming service he recommended that's even better than Apple music. Thoughts on this? Seemed like bs to me but I also haven't A/B tested and doubt I'd be able to hear a difference
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matthewb
@matthewb
spotify 320kbps streams are totally fine, but he’s correct that ideally you want to listen to uncompressed files whenever possible. mp3 (or AAC) compression can only make the sound worse, but this is likely a moot point if the system isn’t very resolving or you’re using airplay, bluetooth, etc. the two most popular streaming services for audiophiles are Tidal and Qobuz. Apple Music is also good with a huge library of CD-quality (44.1/16-bit) music and some hi-res, but it’s not compatible with a lot of audio gear so Tidal/Qobuz are more common. if your device supports Apple Music then it’s also equally high-quality.
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TaylorWebb.eth
@taylorwebb.eth
Ah yes Qobuz was the one he mentioned as being top tier. Yeah currently I am streaming via Bluetooth but will probably get the BlueOS module for my amp in the future. Does this difference in audio quality mostly manifest in the higher frequencies? I guess maybe transients too?
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matthewb
@matthewb
I wouldn’t worry too much about hi-res vs. CD quality (“redbook”) for now. Qobuz has a large library of hi-res files, so that’s why he’s classifying it above the others. Tidal does as well (“Tidal Max”). but you need a DAC that can handle those hi-res files and a system that can resolve the differences vs. lower res formats, all of which is moot over bluetooth. worth a side-by-side compare once you have the streaming module though. imo CD quality (44.1/16) is plenty good, so I’d start there and see how it sounds before continuing to hi-res formats. overall spotify 320 is already decent/good, it’s really low bitrate mp3 like soundcloud 128/192kbps that sounds rough. improvements should come across the board: frequency extension and clarity at both extremes, larger soundstage and more precise imaging, better detail retrieval, better timbre. the better the system, the easier it is to hear the delta.
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