Spotify by Airplay vs. built-in Moode Spotify

[TheOldPresbyope]

Thank you, I understand now.    As long as one avoids BT,  is it the case that technically speaking  there should be  no difference in sound quality between Airplay and Spotify Connect , and that any perceived difference is subjective?

Sorry, I said something misleading a bit ago.

There is a technical difference between the two protocols which comes into play here. The audio signal paths are quite different. 

When using Airplay or Bluetooth, the audio stream for the track being played is fetched by the app on your iPhone or whatever, then forwarded from that device via the appropriate protocol to the Airplay or Bluetooth renderer in your moOde player. 

When using Spotify Connect, the URI for the track being played is received by the Spotify app on whatever computer and forwarded to the Spotify renderer in your moOde player. The audio stream itself is fetched directly to the renderer from the remote Spotify server.

You can demonstrate this difference by shutting down the Spotify app after you've started a track playing in moOde. In Spotify Connect mode, the track will keep playing in moOde.

Technical people will argue the audio quality will be better with Spotify Connect.

Whether you can perceive a difference in audio quality between the two modes is a function of the material being played, of your ears, and of your audio system. Try it both ways and see.

Regards,
Kent