[flargosa]

I listen primarily through Spotify 320kbps bitrate.  Streamed through my Apple TV and via optical to my DAC.  I currently have a Bifrost Uber and quite happy with it.  I want to upgrade to a higher end DAC maybe a Hugo or Yggdrasil.  The question is, will the ultra transparent DAC make 320kb streaming sound better or worse?  Will I be able to hear all the short comings of low bitrate audio or will it somehow sound even better?
 
My amp to speaker setup is pretty good I think, Odyssey Stratos Amp to Decware ERRx speakers.  

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Well, a more transparent DAC will reveal more of the recordings...  Garbage in, garbage out.  
 
My question to you is; why?  You said that you are happy with your Bifrost, so why are you thinking of upgrading? 

 

[flargosa]

There is a lot of chatter on the newer DACs especially the Chord dacs. So I wanted to know what the newer dacs sound like, my experience has always been positive for the most part moving up the audio ladder.  My concern in this case is that the DAC might be too transparent for 320kbps files.  
 
From what I read, better dacs reconstruct the waveform closest to the original,  So there might be less garbage out than coming in.  

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Well, all I can say, as someone who does not have golden ears, is that I have a very, very, very hard time discerning between 320kbps MP3's and a lossless file made from the same source.  And that's with my sitting, A/Bing and TRYING to hear a difference.
 
So, personally, I don't think the file quality will be an issue.  Something poorly recorded or mixed will sound bad on nearly everything, slightly lossy VS lossless on the other hand isn't so cut and dry.
 
I've used all my DAC's on everything from Tidal, FLAC, MP3's and even YouTube and not once did I feel any DAC was "too transparent" and revealed too much of the bad stuff.

 

[ExtremeGamerBR]

Spotify uses OGG Vorbis, not MP3. This codec seems to be a little better than MP3.
 
Chances are if you have any sound difference with the purchase of the new DAC, it is not evident to the point of making obvious difference between lossless and Spotify.

Anyway, if you are willing to spend two thousand dollars in a very good system to have a SQ difference probably hard to hear, I do not see why not spend 10 dollars per month more and use Tidal. At least you can rest assured.

 

[Music Alchemist]

As far as lossy goes, 320 kbps is a high bit rate. You are not likely to be able to distinguish between it and lossless, regardless of the equipment you use. I've used 256 kbps AAC files on ultra-high-end systems (approaching five figures) and encountered no issues. However, different sources can use different masters of a recording, so that may have some impact on the sound if you are comparing, say, streaming services, CDs, and downloads. That being said, when I buy music, I generally pay for the highest quality possible, even if I can't necessarily tell the difference.

 

[Mystel]

My Yggdrasil handles 320kpbs files just fine.  Surely lossless sounds better but it doesnt make lower bitrate stuff sound 'bad' .

 

[flargosa]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  Regarding bitrates and online streaming services vs cd music, I did try an ABX test comparing mp3 bitrate vs CD quality wav file comparison and started getting confused around 160kbps.  
 
try it guys.  Free ABX app link below. you might find MP3 at 160 kbps indistinguishable from CD. 
 
http://lacinato.com/cm/software/othersoft/abx

 

[pbui44]

How about upgrading your Schiit Bifrost Uber with a MultiBit Upgrade board for $250?

http://schiit.com/products/bifrost-multibit

Yggy-similar performance, but without the balanced outs for a fraction of the price.

 

[flargosa]

Yes, I have been considering the upgrade to the Multibit for $250 or sell my Uber Bifrost and get a Mojo for what I hope is a noticeable upgrade in sound.  I'll do more reading around here. If the Bifrost Multibit is within 90% of the Hugo, 2qute or Yggy I might just go that route and save money.  
 
Everytime I hang around Head-fi I want to spend more money, it's good my wife, keeps close tabs on my expenses.

How about upgrading your Schiit Bifrost Uber with a MultiBit Upgrade board for $250?

http://schiit.com/products/bifrost-multibit

Yggy-similar performance, but without the balanced outs for a fraction of the price.