My Samsung View transmits Bluetooth via Aptx Classic, but I can’t imagine anything sounding better. I’m listening to Spotify on it’s maximum quality setting for at least 5 hours straight on the Audiophile Classical playlist. I’m hearing room ambience, I’m hearing string timber, I’m hearing breath, I’m hearing microphe resonance, I’m hearing 3D soundstage, I’m hearing solid imaging, I’m hearing every level of dynamics, I’m hearing note attack & decay, I’m hearing the most minute of detail, like page turns, bow clicks, chair adjustments, moistening lips. Technically how could Aptx HD, Lossless, or Adaptive sound better than this?
I’m running the Samsung View via Aptx Classic into an iFi Zen Blue V2, iFi balanced cable into a Singxer SA1, Accusound Silver balanced cables into an Avantone CLA200, powering Tannoy XT8F towers through AntiCable 3.1 speaker wire & matching jumpers. Power dustribution is stuff from Walmart. Sounds amazing to me. Additionally, there is no change when the tablet is plugged in or unplugged from AC.
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Technically and theoretically it could sound better, because more data from the raw source would be transmitted in the same time so the approximation of analogue signal converted from digital should be smoother. Practically it may be beyond most people hearing abilities to distinct both. Me including
It is nice to think yourself that you are not limiting your signal path in anyway, somehow removing the need and desire to upgrade
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Logically if I upgrade anything, it would be a source component that transmits Bluetooth in Aptx HD or higher quality. My Samsung View is several years old.
My point is I’m not hearing the dynamic compression, where for example Luciano’s whispered notes would be as loud as his full tilt high C notes, hence dynamic compression that Spotify & Bluetooth are supposed to have with the rig I’ve got now. This leads me to think I don’t need to bother with Amazon HD Music, or one of those other streaming services.
Are people who constantly want to upgrade & change gear fooling themselves thanks to hifi marketing?
I remember some years ago that Rega’s higher end intergrated amps didn’t sound nearly as good as their entry level intergrated amp. Their solution the next year was to put the same circuits of their entry level amp into the chasis of their high end amp & sell it for a higher price. The only difference was it had 30 or 35 watts more output per channel, which they charged an extra $2000 for.
Are we talking audio compression, as in reduced dynamic range, or data compression?
50/50 I’d say.
There are big difference in the behaviour between different DAC architectures (Delta-Sigma, Multi-Bit and R-2R/Ladder). Same with amplifier topologies and requirements for the often lackluster internal power supplies.
As per your example, 30W per channel means at least 60W more load on the PSU, more cooling requirements on the output stage, different filtering and so on.
If you want to experience all the different ways to reproduce music, you have to fork out some cash.
On the other hand, there is an increasing number of flavour of the month hype trains being pushed by various “reviewers”.