pi 4 SD vs USB3 sound quality

[Lacas]

Hi,
did someone compare sound quality of playback from SD card or from a pendrive through USB3 if I use an USB DAC? 
Is the sound quality of USB3 playback equal or better when I use an USB DAC?
Thanks
Lacas

[Skip Pack]

Not exactly an answer to your scenario, but close. I am currently using an RPi4 with a spinning, externally-powered USB3 drive holding the music files attached to a USB3 port on the Pi and a Soekris Dac1321 attached to a USB2 port on the Pi. The Pi and the dac are powered by an Allo Shanti. It is the best sound quality I have ever had, and I am only beginning to explore configuration options. @soundcheck (mostly on diyaudio.com) has strongly recommended USB3 SSDs. Maybe I'll go there, but not anytime soon.

[vinnn]

The location of the audio files being read makes no difference to how they are decoded by the player. Thus there is no difference in sound quality.
You can have the files on a local block device (a hard disk or flash memory device) or a network share, makes no difference.

[swizzle]

The location of the audio files being read makes no difference to how they are decoded by the player. Thus there is no difference in sound quality.
You can have the files on a local block device (a hard disk or flash memory device) or a network share, makes no difference.

X2

The audio plays out of memory not off the disk.

[moodenigo]

The location of the audio files being read makes no difference to how they are decoded by the player. Thus there is no difference in sound quality.
You can have the files on a local block device (a hard disk or flash memory device) or a network share, makes no difference.

Try to explain this to people that believe that they can hear if a WAV file has been converted to FLAC and then bak to WAV or believe that the SD cards sound different....

[HemiRick]

Bits are bits how they get from point to point doesn't matter.