How to enhance quality of streamed music?

[uday.shivamurthy]

Hi all,

This is my first post in this forum

My current 5.1 setup
Yamaha RX-V4A AV Receiver
Klipsch R800F Front Floorstanding
Klipsch SW-450 active sub
Mordaunt Short Messo center
Mission M70 rear surround (old set of speakers )

I hardly watch movies, but listen to a lot of classical Indian music. I switch to "2 channel stereo" using Yamaha's music cast app. The music I stream from Spotify sounds really average. But music from YouTube sounds just amazing (mostly). If I sign up to either Tidal or Amazon music streaming, will I experience better quality music?
Should I add an external DAC? If yes, can you recommend one?

Thanks in advance
Uday

 

[bhooshaniyer]

YouTube>Spotify is an anamoly. It may be indicative of some misalignment in setup

 

[dvraghavan]

CAUTION: This could very well become a slippery slope (or an enjoyable hobby as most of us here)

You could consider adding a dedicated streamer like Wiim Pro and feed it to the Yamaha's analog inputs. Further down you could add a dedicated DAC between the streamer and the Amp(Yamaha).

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

YouTube>Spotify is an anamoly. It may be indicative of some misalignment in setup

Not necessarily. Many Indian recordings (especially old Hindi songs) sound lifeless in music streaming platforms as they were mastered for audio playback. OTOH, the audio tracks accompanying the YouTube video uploads are untouched and sound more dynamic and enjoyable. Not sure if this holds for classical Indian music though (unless these are YT videos of live performances).

The music I stream from Spotify sounds really average. But music from YouTube sounds just amazing (mostly). If I sign up to either Tidal or Amazon music streaming, will I experience better quality music?
Should I add an external DAC? If yes, can you recommend one?

Spotify can sound better when streamed via Spotify Connect on streamers that have the feature. Tidal is costly and not available in India. Same with Amazon lossless (the compressed version wouid sound the same as Spotify, more or less). Apple Music is the only lossless streaming available in India, and at affordable subscription. But expect some loss of dynamics and timing if you have a keen ear.

The best option for serious classical Indian music listening is audio CDs (or LPs which are rarer and costlier).

Do try an internet radio station ‘Shanti Shanti’. It is broadcast from Paris, exclusively for Indian classical and has very good quality stream. There are a few others too as belows, with varying audio quality:
- Concertzender Orient Express
- Sandesh Radio
- Sangeet Samvaad
- Raagam AIR

You might want to consider investing in a streamer DAC with Chromecast and Spotify Connect built in. Better still with internet radio as well, so that you don’t need to use your mobile/tablet.