[All Platforms][Music] HiFi Quality - Lossless Streaming 16bit 44.1khz

[timiambeing]

I've just started a trial of Qobuz - they offer the standard 320kbps as well as lossless FLAC streaming (and high res downloads if you purchase them) the sound quality is noticeably better and on classical it's just wonderful to get all that resolution through your hi-fi or headphones! The catalogue has a way to go to get to Spotify's level, but they are getting there. The iPad app isn't' too bad (the desktop app is in need of an upgrade but I hear they are putting all their efforts into mobile apps right now).

So - lossless streaming - if Qobuz can do it then so can Spotify, they must have the same source - and obviously if you are asking £20 a month then those record labels and distributors take enough notice to make the high res tracks available for streaming. What this all means is soon, very soon, we will get lossless streaming and closely followed by high res downloads - but if Spotify aren't careful it will be Apple who get there first with an audiophile premium offering, and when they do it will be a much harder market place to make money in!

** please don't lump this suggestion with the main one on lossless downloads, that's a different idea entirely guys!

[timiambeing]

I've just started a trial of Qobuz - they offer the standard 320kbps as well as lossless FLAC streaming (and high res downloads if you purchase them) the sound quality is noticeably better and on classical it's just wonderful to get all that resolution through your hi-fi or headphones! The catalogue has a way to go to get to Spotify's level, but they are getting there. The iPad app isn't' too bad (the desktop app is in need of an upgrade but I hear they are putting all their efforts into mobile apps right now).

[timiambeing]

So - lossless streaming - if Qobuz can do it then so can Spotify, they must have the same source - and obviously if you are asking £20 a month then those record labels and distributors take enough notice to make the high res tracks available for streaming. What this all means is soon, very soon, we will get lossless streaming and closely followed by high res downloads - but if Spotify aren't careful it will be Apple who get there first with an audiophile premium offering, and when they do it will be a much harder market place to make money in!

[ajmarini]

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@Zenrool wrote:

Yeah, for this reason I was drawn more to Spotify than Apple Music... Some friends of mine showed me that on mobile you can set on your own the audio quality (320kbps, 44.1 khz,...).  I don't seem to find this feature on desktop, however. And the  'High quality streaming'  doesn't specify the exact streaming quality. Therefore I was curious to know if there have been any changes for desktop.

It's the same. It's the highest quality.

A word of WARNING though. After an update, which happens frequently, review your settings. Some updates revert the settings to default.

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[ajmarini]

A word to the wise, since it may be a while before Spotify adds another tier (permanently), it's worth checking your components. The quality and settings of your hardware will make a world of difference. 

I swapped out my Yamaha home theatre amp for a 2.1 dedicated Onkyo amp for music and the difference is stunning. It wasn't costly either.

[Sal1950]

Watch out Spotify,  Qobuz is coming to the US and bringing it's lossless streaming with them.

How many customers are you prepared to lose before you get on board with a lossless tier?

This news report casts light on their preparations:

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/hi-def-streaming-service-qobuz-hired-dan-mackta-as-md-in-the-...

[Aber79]

I'm willing to pay more for another quality tier in Spotify, like Tidals "master" option. The problem with Tidal, was that the master option does only apply to a select few albums. So, I did not become a subscriber to Tidal. But the sound was great, and I did several side by side comparisons, using my Shure 1540's. Tidals master option were definately better-sounding, over Spotify's extreme q.  

Spotify is the "whole package" for most users, but I would really like to be able to enjoy the highest quality audio, as headphones and dacs are becoming my new hobby 🙂

[user-removed]

dear spotify,

why u dont do it?

deezer and tidal have it already..

plz do it..

thanks

[Audisentor]

Please go along with the lossless streaming like the other streaming services are doing.

[ajmarini]

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@Audisentor wrote:

Please go along with the lossless streaming like the other streaming services are doing.

They aren't all created equal. Something is strange about Deezer's stream. They call it 16bit, but it sounds terrible. Tidal is losing support left, right, and center. TIdal doesn't support Android Auto and it's "revamped" interface is awful. I wouldn't be surprised to see it shut down from it being such an awful piece of software.

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[jaredd66]

Lets go! MQA standard sounds fantastic in particular on my Hifi, I would love to see Spotify start to offer MQA/Masters quality albums. 

[ollan316]

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@ajmarini wrote:

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@Audisentor wrote:

Please go along with the lossless streaming like the other streaming services are doing.

They aren't all created equal. Something is strange about Deezer's stream. They call it 16bit, but it sounds terrible. Tidal is losing support left, right, and center. TIdal doesn't support Android Auto and it's "revamped" interface is awful. I wouldn't be surprised to see it shut down from it being such an awful piece of software.

Yes it does

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[ollan316]

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@ajmarini wrote:

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@Audisentor wrote:

Please go along with the lossless streaming like the other streaming services are doing.

They aren't all created equal. Something is strange about Deezer's stream. They call it 16bit, but it sounds terrible. Tidal is losing support left, right, and center. TIdal doesn't support Android Auto and it's "revamped" interface is awful. I wouldn't be surprised to see it shut down from it being such an awful piece of software.

Tidal does support Android Auto

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