[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!

[timiambeing]

Good news!

Lossless audio quality is finally starting to roll out to Spotify Premium users! 🔊

Check out this post for more info:

➜ Spotify Premium: Now Streaming in Lossless Quality

[PabloAlonso]

Me canse de esperar, puse ROON con TIDAL y música Local. Si pago mas por ello, pero no tiene comparación. Se escuchan todos los detalles como corresponde!
Mientras sigo pagando mi suscripción premium de Spotify porque hay algunas cosas que Tidal no tiene, pero espero que algún día cumplan sus promesas...

[petsy48]

I gave up on Spotify many years ago. I've tried them all and settled with Qobuz. I am a beta tester for Qobuz Connect and that was my last stumbling block. Maybe that may sway those wanting to try something else while waiting for Spotify Hi-res.

[PaulMac]

SPOTIFY - thanks for your tireless work keeping everyone regularly updated on what's been happening with the introduction of HiFi quality streaming.

So far you've managed an enormous 2 updates since this thread was first started and accepted by yourselves as 'under consideration'. That was some time ago. Like a LONG LONG TIME ago!

As of today it's been:

11 years 1 months 26 days
or 133 months 26 days
or 582 weeks 1 days
or 4075 calendar days

I don't mean to rush you but how much longer do you need to consider it?

[Samppa3]

Dearest PaulMac,

Looking at these statistics, it seriously seems like Spotify is suffering from a severe case of dementia — or perhaps even a worsening form of Alzheimer’s. It clearly shows signs of restlessness (distracted by other things), aggression (constantly blaming its competitors), and irritability (completely unwilling to address the HiFi topic at all). At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it forgot it ever promised HiFi in the first place.

[TheMechanic4657]

This is ridiculous. Spotify keeps getting more and more payed costumers and yet so many people are complaining and waiting for hifi... It's never coming when people keep paying the new (way too high) prices for music without hifi. Almost every other streaming service has better sound

Quality but still people stay with Spotify. So why should Spotify rush with the hifi quality if they still make profits without it? I've switched to Apple Music since it's now cheaper than Spotify with better sound quality. I think this is never coming like this.

If only Spotify would give an update with the plans of hifi for the people who are waiting so that they can decide weither or not to stay.

[Samppa3]

While Spotify is busy preparing HiFi (which, let’s be honest, might take an eternity), it feels like the perfect time to pause—and pick up a good book.
One that’s been on my radar for a while is Mood Machine – The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly.

https://lizpelly.info/book
Have you heard of it?

I first came across the book through a podcast episode where a journalist outlined some of its key themes—and they were anything but flattering. One of the more unsettling revelations was Spotify’s use of so-called “ghost artists”: tracks produced anonymously or under fake names, deliberately inserted into playlists not for artistic value, but to cut licensing costs and optimize user engagement. Essentially, fake music by fake artists, engineered to serve the algorithm.

Pelly digs deeper into this phenomenon and paints a broader picture of how Spotify has reshaped the music industry—for the worse. According to her, Spotify isn’t really about music anymore. It’s about data. About advertising. About monetizing moods. Real artists are sidelined in favor of faceless, functional audio. Playlists are no longer curated for discovery, but for retention and background noise. Creativity becomes a casualty of convenience.

And here’s the part that hits hardest: I still use Spotify. I’ve relied on it for years. It’s seamless, it’s vast, and it’s always there. That’s what makes reading about these behind-the-scenes practices so unsettling. It forces you to reflect on the trade-offs: the ease of access versus the erosion of artistic value. The comfort of streaming versus the cost borne by musicians.

So yes, Mood Machine is officially next on my reading list. Because maybe it's time to start questioning the soundtrack playing in the background of our lives—and who’s really composing it.

[Visionary1]

Denon HEOS now has Qobuz Connect!  Offering 2mo Qobuz trial. Qobuz sounds great!  Its app UI is sophisticated in appearance than Spotify.  This may be it. 

[mctesterson]

The list of manufacturers already supporting the newly released Qobuz Connect is long, and growing quickly.

https://help.qobuz.com/en/articles/314578-list-of-brands-integrated-into-qobuz-connect?fbclid=IwQ0xD...

I'm listening via Qobuz Connect right now, and it's WONDERFUL.

For those who are unfamiliar, Qobuz Connect provides a more direct connection between your Qobuz applications (on your phone, your tablet, your computer, etc.) and your music streamer device (e.g., I'm listening via my WiiM Pro Plus streamer device, and controlling everything directly within Qobuz app on my Mac laptop - no third-party software necessary anymore).

This new Qobuz Connect feature takes a bold step toward bridging a significant gap in usability that had been a criticism of Qobuz, and reason to stay with Spotify's arguably most essential feature - Spotify Connect - despite numerous downsides compared to the competition (e.g., massively worse sound quality, paltry low compensation rates for artists, leadership generally being a major duck, etc.).

[fatgutsrob]

Welcome to the club about time

[alexbr53]

Rumours, more Rumours!