TOPIC:

Hello

Could you please share your experience on using Spotify with SHD?

Thanks

On my SHD (not SHD Studio but should make no difference) I could get Spotify Connect to work but not the other Volumio plugin. I thought using the Spotify app on my phone/laptop worked well though so I didn't view this as a problem.

I now use Tidal rather than Spotify as the sound quality is better. I think this or Qobuz is really the best bet for anyone with an SHD rather than Spotify.

Hi

thanks for you reply.
I have PC with JRiver, I just like Spotify in my car and I like the way it builds the playlist.
I know the quality is mp3-like, but I can live it as it mostly non-critical listening, aka background music

How stable is Spotify Connect? You just could get it to work, or you can actually fire the play button in the morning and forget it until the evening..?

michael123 wrote:

Hi

thanks for you reply.
I have PC with JRiver, I just like Spotify in my car and I like the way it builds the playlist.
I know the quality is mp3-like, but I can live it as it mostly non-critical listening, aka background music

How stable is Spotify Connect? You just could get it to work, or you can actually fire the play button in the morning and forget it until the evening..?

Spotify Connect worked whenever I used it without issue but I never tried leaving it playing non-stop for a day.

For info. Tidal is good enough to be my primary music source. I haven't played a CD for months.

I have an SHD and I also am a Spotify Connect subscriber - Spotify Connect is the paid "premium" tier of the Spotify family.

I have never had an interruption in service for the 5 years I have been a subscriber. I listen to classical music and wish I could say the same for IDAGIO, my other subscription streaming service which I use Airplay to stream. Many days I will que up a playlist such as all 104 symphonies of Haydn and play morning to night on Spotify while doing woodworking with no problems whatsoever.

You have to install and turn on the Spotify Connect plug in in Volumio. After that, you never have to look at Volumio again. I control the SHD directly with the Spotify Connect app.

This is all controlled from an iPad. I have never used Volumio - I'm not a fan - except for the initial setup of plug ins.

Thanks, I use Spotify Premium in a car and while exercising in a gym.

The question is more about the SHD, rather than the service itself.. as I read here on the forum not so rosy reviews about volumio, which is actually responsible for Spotify playback via plug in, right?

But as you already answered, you say it works flawless.
Did you notice any sluggishness while navigating through the playlist? Dropouts, I have lot in the car while using extreme quality settings

michael123 wrote:

Thanks, I use Spotify Premium in a car and while exercising in a gym.

The question is more about the SHD, rather than the service itself.. as I read here on the forum not so rosy reviews about volumio, which is actually responsible for Spotify playback via plug in, right?

But as you already answered, you say it works flawless.
Did you notice any sluggishness while navigating through the playlist? Dropouts, I have lot in the car while using extreme quality settings

The Spotify Connect app needs the Volumio plugin so it can "see" the SHD. I was a Sonore products guy before my SHD and can attest to the complete transparency of Volumio's effect on the performance of the Spotify Connect / SHD experience. YMMV, but that has been my experience since October 2019. (Seems like a lifetime ago... )

michael123 wrote:

Thanks, I use Spotify Premium in a car and while exercising in a gym.

The question is more about the SHD, rather than the service itself.. as I read here on the forum not so rosy reviews about volumio, which is actually responsible for Spotify playback via plug in, right?

But as you already answered, you say it works flawless.
Did you notice any sluggishness while navigating through the playlist? Dropouts, I have lot in the car while using extreme quality settings

If you use Spotify Connect then all navigation will be in the standard Spotify app on your phone or whatever and so you'll notice no difference whatsoever. You won't noticeably be using Volumio at all. The SHD will behave just like any other Spotify Connect device, simply appearing in a list in the list of possible output devices you can 'see' via the Spotify app.

Presumably you don't already own an SHD so I slightly wonder why you are considering buying one? Only asking in case there may be more suitable products for you...

I thought to consider due to sound quality -- again, relatively to Spotify app on Windows PC.
Actually, yesterday I found HiFy android app, that sends Spotify signal from my android phone to JRiver Dirac-enabled Zone as DLNA, and that's just for 3$. Not very smooth, though, and little buggy

michael123 wrote:

I thought to consider due to sound quality...

Is this in the context of a speaker-based system where you will be making use of the Dirac Live capability? Will Spotify be the sole source or will higher quality ones be used as well? Just trying to understand the context as your focus on Spotify is unusual for a product of this quality.

I have one sound system with computer source, DAC, preamp, amps, speakers.

Spotify app on Windows does not support WASAPI or any other normal sound interface, I think it is not even possible to set a sound output device at all. It is possible to use few tricks and WDM drivers, but not so conviniet

So that's basically about adding Spotify capability to the existing system
- question is if SHD streaming operation and GUI are well-polished
- SHD sound-quality comparing Spotify pc app

On Jriver's forum I found recommendation to use one app, which acts as a bridge between Spotify on a phone and Jriver (as Dlna device).

It works in general, but sound is muddy, something is wrong. In my car, Spotify sounds quite well
-- Michael

michael123 wrote:

- question is if SHD streaming operation and GUI are well-polished

In case this isn't clear, for Spotify streaming you would not use the SHD GUI (Volumio) at all.

If you just want a streamer for Spotify to connect to your DAC rather than using your PC then there are a lot of cheaper options out there than an SHD studio that would do this. The key reason for you to be considering it is if you want the Dirac Live functionality. Presumably you do but I'm just asking as you're focusing so much on Spotify. Subwoofer integration is another standout feature of miniDSPs although the SHD is more suited to this than the all-digital SHD Studio since the latter would require two stereo DACs to be bought as well.

For what it's worth I think that the application of Dirac Live will improve the sound quality of Spotify in most systems but if you really want to improve sound quality you should also switch to a higher quality streaming service (Tidal or Qobuz on an SHD, or Deezer or Amazon Music's CD quality offerings on others).

Hi

I mentioned before, I have Dirac on the PC, yes of course, I am here because of Dirac

Really ?but my Spotify Connect is not steady at all.. so I have to burn a CD from Spotify by using Tunelf Spotify Music Downloader