this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
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Headphones
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Need to try this a bit more before concluding, but yeah there's a tangible difference. But even when Qobuz is playing 44.1kHz it still sounds better on the same track than Spotify which is interesting
I was using Tidal for ages, then tried Qobuz, and even on the same tracks, Qobuz sounded so much clearer. I don't know why, but I couldn't go back after hearing it.
There is no denying that different streaming services sound different too
I was kicking myself for paying nearly double for Tidal for so long. The only thing I miss is the Tidal Rising Artists playlist, found a lot of new music I liked through that.
Have someone help you do a blind test. I'll almost guarantee you that you won't be able to tell any difference between Spotify and Qobuz. The placebo effect is very real.
Anything past 44.1 KHz is completely pointless, not a single person on the planet can tell the difference between 44.1 and 96 KHz.
Some can tell the difference between Spotify 320 Kbps Ogg Vorbis and lossless but that's very few people and only trained listeners. The differences are extremely subtle.
So yeah blind test before you make any conclusions here. I think you might be surprised.
You couldn't be more verifiably wrong. I can very easily tell the difference between 320 & lossless, I'd say it's more than subtle it's quite obvious, much more clarity and depth and fine detail. My entire collection was ripped to MP3, and replacing it with FLAC over time the difference is clear to hear in every single song back to back. I'm not a trained listener, I'm just an audiophile who likes sound quality and even back on my 598's I could tell the difference, it's just even more pronounced on higher end cans like my Sundaras now, and certainly anything above them like my coming upgrade.
http://abx.digitalfeed.net/
If you really want to prove it, you can post your results for this ABX test
Sorry dude, but HiFi audio is a scam. I believe you can hear a difference, but that very difference is not there for the reason you think it is. Trust me. There are so many variables as to why you can hear a difference... Different masters on different platforms, volume normalization, etc. Unless you're a freaking dolphin, you won't hear anything beyond 16-bit 44.1kHz. That being said, doesn't matter of type of file it is, if it's not low quality, usually it's going to be played in 16-bit 44.1kHz. There's no difference between lossy and lossless and between Spotify and any high quality streaming services.
At the end of the day, you're comparing two different stimuli with countless variables. The only way to do this is: Rip a 320kbps and a lossless file using a good CODEC and isolate all variables, then, perform a blind ABX test (and ask for someone else too). I bet you my life that you won't be able to tell the difference between a 320kbps source and lossless. Hell, you even have DAC's that read DSD differently and turn it into PCM after making it DSD again, all of this can affect the perceived sound. All these differences that you claim are easily attributed to placebo and other variables, especially when it comes from a headphone that's so easy to drive. That DAC "upgrade" didn't change a thing.
I went back to CDs for critical listening because Spotify and Qobuz is mostly using garbage loudness-war era masters. That makes more of a difference to me than codec compression.