photonman

The real product differentiator would be to give lossless type SQ but with bandwidth efficiency. With todays computing power, why has not anyone brought codec/algorithm like this market yet, or is that what MQA was trying to be? Six months later...[#popcorn]

I just got an iFi Zen Stream which is based on a customized version of Volumio. I only use it for Spotify. It is a lightweight audio OS/player. The web UI is basic and intuitive and responsive. No bells and whistles, just basic playback and system settings (i.e. playback mode, buffer settings, streaming services, NAA, system updates, volume settings, etc.) iFi is creating an IOS control app, but honestly, the web portal suffices just fine and performs good (no lag). For $400 you get nice hardware and an iFi power supply. I had been holding out for something to replace my Macb

What about a Musical Fidelity V-90 or a Cambridge Audio DACMagic both of which are in your price range. I cannot comment on sound quality as I have never had them. I did have a Schiit Modi multibit and it got the job done in a tiny box with a built in linear PS.

If you had a DAC now, the iFi Zen Stream is a good dedicated streamer at $399. I just got one to replace my Macbook.

I just hooked a new Zen Stream to replace my Macbook setup. It was very simple, about 5 minutes from unboxing to music streaming. I only have Spotify Connect source enabled. It has software toggles to turn on Tidal Connect, Roon Bridge, NAA and DLNA from the web portal or via hardware switch on the back panel. It comes with an iFi power supply so no need to replace it with something else. Have not had a chance to critically compare to the Mac yet, but after a couple of glasses of wine, it is hard to hear any difference although at instances, it does sound different, but not sur

Here are a couple of Picasso's I own. They are definitely visually confusing and erotic. Also, if you notice, he dated them backwards.

Chris, What about the BitPerfect app that sells for $10 and the latest version 3 that supports the new Apple Music app. Would this be a viable setup to get bitperfect out of Apple content?

I have a similar setup to you and I am also waiting for Spotify lossless as my setup does reveal its limitations sometimes. I have a 2014 Macbook that bypasses core audio with the use of the Amarra SQ+ software to optical out to my Benchmark stack of dac pre and amp. The optical definitely sounds better than the USB in my setup, I have swapped it multiple times and I always go back to the optical. I think the USB out of the computer is the issue. The Benchmark setup is completely quiet, no background noise and so Spotify does sound grainy with rock type songs but acoustic and s

This is an original numbered and signed Marc Chagall. I forget the name, something about three men and a boat. Sorry for all the glare.

Okay, its been over a month since the announcement! Still waiting (I know later this year) but I have been playing Spotify almost 7/24 with the hopes their AI will say "send this Spotifyle the invite to Hi Fi".

Someone has been watching "Outlander" on Netflix too much!

I think $14.99 USD is what I am expecting to pay. Anything more and I will be annoyed and anything less I will be ecstatic. While stay-at-home is in effect, the Connect feature is very convenient to switch between office and living room. Add in CD quality and WHAM! this is a dream come true for us spotters! One of the biggest questions I have been reading about is how much of the Spotify song catalog will be available in lossless. Since most of the songs are already distributed to other services in lossless, there should be pretty good coverage.

In that case, I change my bet to $13.99 / month as most Spotify users would not care about anything more than CD quality and 24/192 is more marketing than audible reality. The Spotify playlist algorithms, Connect functionality and UI blows away all others. But there is definitely target segments that care about playlists versus 24/192 and it is great to have choices :)

No way Spotify will get into a pricing war with a technology behemoth such as Amazon but I would bet they undercut the other competitors. My bet is $15.99 USD

We can probably thank Amazon for spurring Spotify's reaction. Now Amazon has nothing special to offer.