Need Help with Audio System/Dac

[vaibhavreal]

Hello All,

My current setup is Norge 2060amp and Norge nano speakers with 4.5in drivers which though not very bass heavy mostly sufficient for my taste.

It sounds ok with online streaming services like spotify.

I also have Norge FM tuner which i use sometimes, what i observed is audio quality from FM radio ( when reception is clear ) is way better than Spotify streaming on my laptop even though amp and speakers are same.

I tried to getting apple music as it has lossless quality, it helped but still FM audio quality felt better. I could hear treble with extra fine details and also base is much better sounding. It also somehow sounds more dynamic.

What could be reason for this difference?

Will adding hi res dac help me get equal or better quality than FM radio?

Also can good quality dac help with low res ( Spotify) music as well or difference is felt only for hi res or lossless music.

Please suggest changes to improve overall quality of this setup.

 

[Kannan]

This is quite surprising. FM comes lower in fidelity when compared to streaming services. By the way how are you presently transferring the Spotify/Apple Music content to your amp. Is it using a 3.5mm to RCA connector from your phone/PC to your amp.
In that case, I would suggest you get a dedicated DAC. No need to invest in anything expensive.
You can get something like the SMSL PS100 which will cost around 3.5k or any entry level DAC from FiiO or Topping.
It will be a very good upgrade for playback of your streaming services.

 

[vaibhavreal]

This is quite surprising. FM comes lower in fidelity when compared to streaming services. By the way how are you presently transferring the Spotify/Apple Music content to your amp. Is it using a 3.5mm to RCA connector from your phone/PC to your amp.
In that case, I would suggest you get a dedicated DAC. No need to invest in anything expensive.
You can get something like the SMSL PS100 which will cost around 3.5k or any entry level DAC from FiiO or Topping.
It will be a very good upgrade for playback of your streaming services.

Thanks for the advice,I am exploring some options, will definitely consider this.

Yes, I am currently using 3.5mm to rca cable for laptop connection
I also tried using my headphone dac (ifi go link ) for speaker connection but even that was not providing better quality than FM.( Maybe using headphone dac is not best choice for amp- speakers ).

Laptop's default audio has option to select output as headphone or speaker so after selecting speaker option gives slightly better base and wider soundstage thats why i am using laptop over ifi go link.

I think as you have mentioned, Dedicated Desktop dac might help.

Thanks.