Hello,
Does anyone know anything about Spotify Connect HiFi streaming on SA30.
Will it be supported from launch?
Will a software update be required?
Is anyone already testing beta update? Are there links somewhere on the forum?
The old “beta” location contains nothing new 
http://www.arcamupdate.co.uk/beta/SA30/
Does sa30 support flac?
I have been trialling Spotify Premium with my SA30, connecting directly with my IPad, and I have been very impressed. At the same time, I have been making comparisons with Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music/Classical, Tidal and Qobuz.
It does stream at standard CD quality / 44.1kHz, but there are reports that a high resolution (up to 192 kHz) version will be available at some stage, at an increased cost. Qobuz, for example, is already there, but the difference in perceived sound quality is not that great in my experience.
What I like about Spotify Premium:
- I can connect directly to my iPad without having to go through the Arcam MusicLife app which I really do not like.
- The interface is simple and intuitive.
- It has a very extensive library of classical music, my own main area of interest (as does Amazon and Apple Classical. Also Qobuz, but not Tidal)
- I really like the ability to set up an hierarchical structure of folders and sub-folders for my saved playlists rather than just accumulate them in long lists. This is set up on the PC version of Spotify, rather than the iPad version. But this works well and the folders/subfolders then appear on the iPad version to add new playlists into.
Occasionally, the connection to the SA30 drops after a few minutes, and a reconnection is required. But otherwise, I have found the connection to be very stable. So, I will be keeping my Spotify Premium subscription going, and dropping all the others – but will keep an eye on what the competition has to offer.
