Spotify Premium vs Tidal ... opinions?

Bob - Streaming from computer to a DAC external to the computer will give you better sound quality than trying to use the computer's DAC and running from the headphone jack into your 2 channel system.  The quality of that outboard DAC will definitely influence final sound quality.  You can spend thousands on an external DAC...but there are some very good options for under $1000.  Many newer integrated amps and even CDPs are being offered that have high quality internal DACs, so that's another wrinkle to consider.

Personally, I listen to on-line music...e.g., Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, YouTube via a MacBook Air that's connected by a Pangea USB cable to a Musical Fidelity V-Link 192 USB/SPDIF converter and from that to a Schiit Gungnir DAC via Stereovox digital coax cable.  I connect the Gungnir DAC using Morrow Audio interconnects (MA-3?  MA-4? don't remember) to my pre-amp or to an integrated amp.  

More and more DACs can accommodate a USB input directly.  If such is the case, a USB/SPDIF converter might not be essential or provide any benefit depending on how the DAC is designed.  Hope this helps.  

You really want to keep away from USB.  Pono is great but it is not a streaming service.  It is a digital walkman.  You need to store music on it, it cant stream - but its sound is SOTA.  I love mine.  

hmmmm... so ghosthouse is happy with USB and cerrot says to keep away from it. 

This hi fi business is confusing.  I realize it's almost entirely subjective so here's the question;

If I'm happy with the sound from my transport to dac would I be happy with usb to dac or should I be looking at another alternative?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Before just settle on USB to dac (note, many dacs DO NOT have USB so you need to add yet another device in the line, and more cables.. more expense for a poorer interface-an interface effected by every single function your PC will perform, and USB was created for peripherials, not music...and sound cards were specifically designed for music, not attaching a printer), just try a spdif solution.  I love how everyone just goes to USB and swears its the best, never trying spdif, which is so much better, I chuckle.  

TIDAL sounded quite a bit better via coax from my Squeezebox Touch into my DAC than it did via USB from my Macbook Air to the same DAC.

The Touch isn't made any more, but for a replacement I would look at an Auralic Aries or Aries Mini.