Flac Support

[LaoTzu]

will spotify be upgrading to flac support soon? and streaming in flac for higher quality music? if so spotify would be a leader in sound quality and would set it apart from other competitors. please consider this.

[BertH1]

It is already 2016 and still no high Quality streaming. When o when will Spotify take high sound quality serious; Until then I will use Tidal. 

[rolandb62]

First steps for me in the forum, and with Spotify...

I've tried Deezer, Tidal and Qobuz, but the last ones (Qobuz and Tidal) are really far away from all for the sound quality offers.

FLAC support is a real advanced feature for all the people who loves the good sound. I have two Devialet Phantom and with the FLAC quality it's just unreal !  The big problem with Qobuz is the quantity, playlists and different source of inspirations which is not sufficient, compared to Deezer and Spotify.

Tidal is too "US music" for me, I hate this...

So today I'm trying the Spotify offer, was searching anywhere on the website for a FLAC option but... nothing ! And I came across this comment which dates from 2014...

Is there a moderator who can awsnser and give us hope ?

Thanks !

Roland

[user-removed]

That is completely not true and very misleading. As an audio engineer I can tell you that there is a huge difference! That's like saying that an MP3 and a WAV file are basically the same sound. Spotify uses an OGG Vorbis format that offers up to 525 Kbps. This is very good, but if you compare that to Tidals HiFi option it isn't quite as good. While I agree that it would not matter to most people, there is a difference. Just b/c people choose not to watch things in HD doesn't mean that it isn't better, it's their choice. I can tell you though that once you hear the difference between the 2, you will know what I'm talking about. The dynamic range in a lossless file is much more than a compressed audio format such as the OGG Vorbis that Spotify uses. I personally would love a lossless audio option, even if it means paying more. 

[DaveyNG]

It would be nice for someone from the Spotify team to comment on their intentions on upgrading to Hi-Res audio streaming in the future.

[rosejunior99]

Når kommer flac?????

[megbarroso]

As soon as TIDAL support chromecast, I will move my subscription. Period.

[Flac_user]

As a long time user of Spotify, i was satisfied by the premium service. And some months ago i discovered Qobuz and the Flac quality. There is such a difference that it takes me only a few days to switch on Flac Quality, despite the difference on monthly price. I suppose I will come back on Spotify as soon as it propose Flac quality

[xsoldier]

We dont want 24 bit 96khz or DSD music. We want 16bit 44100hz music format for ears. You can price hi-fi service with double or triple premium fee. Just look at head-fi.org. People give  a lot of money on equipment for listening. DAC's AMP's and headphones they give hundreds  dollars to them. Some people settle with lossy music, some dont. And you are kind a right. You cant hear difference between mp3 and flac if you listen <$100 headphones.

Your weekly suggestions algorithm is superb. We just need lossless music.    

[oddtodd88]

I'm going to be the one to **bleep** everyone out here. I have a Sonos system and I cannot tell the difference between lossless and 320--neither can anyone else. Both NPR and CNBC conducted double-blind listening tests (with superior audio equipment) and concluded that people just can't tell the difference. If there is a difference, it's certainly not worth the extra $120/year that Deezer and Tidal charge. Don't listen to me though; go spend 20 grand on a stereo and do the test yourself.

[doctordyna]

I know that just as well as anyone in the industry, what I'm complaining
about is the software can't play them. I literally have thousands of files
I can't add to my library.

[doctordyna]

Again, flac support IS NOT about STREAMING. Its about file type support in the program, and the fact that I pay money for a premium experience, yet I have literally 800 gb of archived music rips I need a free player like vlc to play, and can't. spotify connect with. Its pure bull**bleep**.

[Flac_user]

I agree . I play Flac files with Teac UD501, Sugden A class amp, Dynaudio 52SE HP, and Stax electrostatic headphones. Difference between Flac anc lossy Ogg vorbis 320K is quite clear, no need in this case for A/B tests.

[ivinetto]

Hey Spotify team, when FLAC-support is coming?

[AndreasHelke]

---

@Flac_user wrote:

I agree . I play Flac files with Teac UD501, Sugden A class amp, Dynaudio 52SE HP, and Stax electrostatic headphones. Difference between Flac anc lossy Ogg vorbis 320K is quite clear, no need in this case for A/B tests.

---

AB tests are definitely not needed. They just make detection of differences much easier.

What absolutely is needed is a blind test with perfectly matched sound level. And enough reruns of the test to get a statistically meaningfull result.

Every other method of testing is substituting what you can hear with an illusion of what you think you hear.

If you know what is currently plaing you do not hear the real music. In this case your brain creates a powerful illusion about the sound and you end up hearing a better sound quality from whatever you consider superior.

Even if it is as absurd as believing the painting the the edge of a CD green alters the bits the player retieves from it and as a result the sound it produces. The people who believe this nonsense of course hear better sound from the painted CDs.

[ultravoxftw]

The only thing that stops me from listning to spotify all the time, I still play the old FLAC-rips on winamp. How hard can it be to start streaming FLAC to those who request it? It's not like everyone will start stream FLAC so the pressure on servers and so on shouldn't be too big. 

[1244265365]

If both CD audio and your FLAC file are at 16/44.1 there is no difference. FLAC is a lossless compression format. The actual signal generated is exactly the same. You could say that you have a higher bit rate or sampling rate FLAC and that you can hear the difference against a CD, but higher bit rates or sampling rates do not necessarily means “better” sound quality.

The only way to know for sure if you can hear the difference is by doing unbiasaed blind tests, scientifically.

[LOLHICRONO]

Spotify? You gonna add FLAC support or not?

[sprad2]

Really hoping for an update rolling this out soon. Considering switching to tidal, but love spotify for every reason aside from this.

[andrepintorj]

While Tidal is already offering Hi-Res with MQA, we are here waiting for a standard definition FLAC. C'mon Spotify, it is time to move ahead, isn´t it?

[user-removed]

I am listening to Deezer Elite on Sonos. If i compare Deezer Elite with my try-out spotify premium it's way better than the Spotify compressed MP3 format. It's like removing a piece of cloth from the speakers. It sounds richer and more width in the spectrum from high to low. Spotify should allso offer FLAC because i will move over for their integration with my Sonos system. Atm i am paying €19,99 for Deezer Elite (FLAC) i would be happy if Spotify takes my money if they start streaming FLAC