Has anyone done a sound quality comparison between Audiophile and Media Centre operating systems?

On a simple Pi-for-stereo that uses only the onboard sound card, will I get better sound if I use Volumio/RuneAudio? Do they use better drivers or output better sound without using an external digital-analogue-converter? Will I get the same sound if I use Rasbian or Openelec with media centre software (Kodi)?

I like the simplicity and responsiveness of Volumio, but I think my wife would prefer browsing more easily with album art and such.