Spotify HiFi solution PC

[rightrich]

It seems that HiFi quality (lossless or nearly lossless) is able to be streamed from the web player on Chrome.  The only problem is that you won't have the ability to navigate to your desired music easily.  The solution is to do this:  1. Start up Spotify in the web player on chrome.  2.  Start up the Spotify desktop app.  3. Select the "Connect to device" icon at the bottom right (select twice until you see a green bar at the bottom which says "Listening on Spotify web player").  3.  Enjoy your high quality streaming and cancel your Tidal subscription.  (You're welcome.)

[berserk]

I can't find any info about it, web player should be only ~160 kbps not HiFi
https://support.spotify.com/us/using_spotify/system_settings/what-bitrate-does-spotify-use-for-strea...

[rightrich]

This is where I believe the unannounced change is taking place. I’ve compared it to Tidal and that’s why I believe they are quietly beta testing it. Try it for yourself. They have to know what kind of load it will present to the servers before it can be released in an official way.

[artist2]

Wow thanks for the info, it really sounds different (and better). 

[lappymusicman]

You're a genius. Don't want to spend twice the amount on Tidal and I was about to try Apple Music as even that sounded better than Spotify Premium but comparing the sound this way to straight off the desktop app the difference is night and day. Need longer to try it but at the moment it's looking like I'll be staying put

[GTAXL]

Spotify's Web Player streams encrypted DASH (segmented) AAC at 256kbps. It is not lossless, it is basically the same as buying a song from iTunes. Granted you have their premium tier.

[JulianoCacia]

I don't want to ruin your idea... But you should probably rename the post as neither AAC (at 256 kbps), OGG (at 320 kbps for Premium) or MP3 are HIFI codecs with lossless audio, they are lossy and usually very lossy. This post is completely misleading. TIDAL offers real lossless HIFI audio (FLAC) at 1411 kbps, enough for most listening applications. Using TIDAL is like going back to the 90's as of sound quality. Using Spotify Premium is like going back to Napster pirated songs quality from the same era (which was often even of better quality that as of today’s codec if original Mp3 German encoder was used). I will remind everyone we are now on 2017 (how far behind we need to get?) Old post here, but still useful: http://www.richardfarrar.com/what-are-bit-rates/

Also I think that real lossless audio quality should be offered to Premium users at no additional costs as part of the actual Premium subscriptions. If you are still not sure, how does Netflix survive if it streams Full HD & UHD video at $7.99USD? It’s perfectly possible. Actually Spotify Premium for USA users should cost no more than $6.99USD with HIFI audio included (properly adjusted rates to the rest of the world). In the end you own nothing and it is just mere streaming. Is all up you in the end you people, not Spotify.

Listening to HIFI audio (FLAC) at 1411 kbps is like being alive, while listening to OGG at 320 kbps or AAC 256 kbps is like being ill or getting older; also its a complete waste of time. Listening to DSD, high quality vinyl, SACD's or alike sound files is nearly heaven. You value your time. I value mine.

[berserk]

Indeed unless there is a way to check the current bitrate of the web player, some kind of sniffer or something, I cant say it is HiFi beta testing, also there is a real beta testing group for HiFi in Spotify, there are even some pictures posted somewhere, so why Spotify would make also a blind test via web? 

Anyhow, I own a pair of Wharfedale speakers, and Aiaiai TMA2 "Young Guru" headphones, connected to a Dragonfly usb-dac, I also own a Tidal account, I did a hearing test, for web Spotify, and it is clearly still low res, very low, lower than everything, so I guess you guys are crazy or the service is not being tested in my area; Spain.

If someone has any oficial news about this, or maybe some tester from the beta group (Altought they are probably under NDA) that can confirm web player is being used for testing, I would be glad to hear from them.

Thanks.

[rightrich]

Hi. I’m just comparing how Tidal’s player through Chrome is lossless and doing what I posted seems to replicate the quality. You can definitely tell a difference between the standard streaming quality and doing what I suggested. I KNOW It hasn’t been announced as FLAC yet. It seems to me that there is some behind the scenes beta testing going on and I encourage anyone to try what I posted. It may not be working with all accounts but I tried it side by side with Tidal and it was the first time it appeared to be at the same bit rate. If it doesn’t work for you I’m sorry. I’m just glad it’s working for me.

[lappymusicman]

I've listened through a pretty decent pair of Keff headphones which cost me £250 and the difference for me between the Spotify web player and Tidal is certainly not worth paying double the Spotify subscription for Tidal so guess for the moment I'll stick with Spotify.

[musician88]

testing here in Switzerland and there's a clear audible difference between premium through the PC app and the aforementioned trick through the web player.

[rightrich]

There are many songs with which you can test the sound difference.  One that I would recommend is "Dreams" by Beck.  If you have Tidal and Spotify (using the instructions) I doubt you could spot any difference.

[JulianoCacia]

I had made the listening tests way before the time of this thread, several
months ago early this year. #1 Spotify app, #2 Spotify Web player & #3
Original CD. There was audible difference between #1 and #2 because the AAC
codec of #2 is better than the Ogg vorvis of #1. #1 also sounded slightly
louder and more dynamically compressed if I can recall. But #2 still was
missing most of the ambience room sound and reverb decay, the detail and
definition of the original CD. Also I never ended up using the Web player
as I was not able to integrate with the app, didn't work for me, very
impractical and slow and I think I could not play any playlists I had in my
app. Not to mention impossible to use on mobile device or offline. So with
TIDAL HiFi I have original CD quality or even master quality music. I still
have free trial till October I think. Fortunately I will pay same rate as
Spotify Premium in Argentina. So no more claims, look for solutions, crying
and tests for me. Solved.

[JulianoCacia]

I had made the listening tests way before the time of this thread, several
months ago early this year. #1 Spotify app, #2 Spotify Web player & #3
Original CD. There was audible difference between #1 and #2 because the AAC
codec of #2 is better than the Ogg vorvis of #1. #1 also sounded slightly
louder and more dynamically compressed if I can recall. But #2 still was
missing most of the ambience room sound and reverb decay, the detail and
definition of the original CD. Also I never ended up using the Web player
as I was not able to integrate with the app, didn't work for me, very
impractical and slow and I think I could not play any playlists I had in my
app. Not to mention impossible to use on mobile device or offline. So with
TIDAL HiFi I have original CD quality or even master quality music. I still
have free trial till October I think. Fortunately I will pay same rate as
Spotify Premium in Argentina. So no more claims, look for solutions, crying
and tests for me. Solved.

[kshatch]

Yep - totally works for me.  I'm located in the SF, Bay Area - U.S.  Not a subtle difference at all.  Like night and day.  Awesome!!

[Insan0e]

I listen to music on my phone a lot, on the go. And that's where tidal knocks Spotify out of the park. Volume goes two to three notches higher, sound is so much richer. I can actually enjoy it with some decent in-ears. 

[kshatch]

You're very fortunate.  Tidal over a phone network in my region is just a no go - at least with any kind of reliability or consistency. 

[nedflanders1984]

hello if you dedicate more ram to chrome in experimental options it helps out the webplayer to and i have compaired the sound of tidal and spotify webplayer it is close to each other and the sound is very clear on the webplayer rite now so i think it could be posible that spotify team is testing the HIFI sound to se how mush bitrate is requierd.

[wilflare]

Does this only work for people who received the beta invite for Spotify HiFi?

I would love to have HiRes streaming but Spotify's Playlist curation is just amazing

[rightrich]

[Update] Spotify PC player just updated and the increase in sound quality is noticeable. Recommend updating when allowable.