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Originally Posted by StanTheManBG
Obviously it will never sound as good as the B&W system put would I get any better sound if I play uncompressed high quality tracks through the USB?I mainly stream directly from Spotify via CarPlay so quality probably isn't the best. Just wondering in case anybody has tried it
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Like others have said it's going to be a personal thing, though FWIW I'd add a few points:
(1.) Amazon HD or Tidal will be about 4x the quality of spotify, i.e, they're CD quality vs spotify which isn't - however the question would be if that's important?
(2.) With a good pair of headphones, DAC, and amp - or a good 2-channel system - the difference between spotify and CD quality is noticeable by most people, however only if you ask them to listen for it and most categorize it as subtle. So maybe the quality difference isn't super important.
(3.) Bluetooth streaming also gives you a quality hit, i.e, SBC vs AptX, similar to the above: most people can hear a difference but only if asked and they'll likely consider it subtle.
(4.) Many recordings, especially pop music, are mastered "compressed" meaning the highs and lows are normalized. For example, if a vocalist suddenly sings louder, that volume is pulled down on the master to match the background music volume - Jazz and orchestral (e.g., cymbals crashing) are particular victims of this. This means "high def" loses some of its value since everything was pre-mushed together in the master anyway.
Thus, in order to hear differences with higher def tracks one needs: a recording with detail, a DAC capable of resolving that detail, an amp capable of delivering that detail, speakers capable of presenting that detail, a listening environment that doesn't suppress that detail, and a listener listening for the detail.
Personally I'm skeptical any car audio system can achieve this, but even if I'm right, that doesn't mean things won't sound better to you! So ultimately, for me, the key is to focus on what's more enjoyable - some people won't feel comfy unless they know they're doing everything "right"; others are more comfortable skipping any hassles and just enjoying the music.