[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

[Rorey]

Hello everyone. We've considered implementing this idea but at the moment we don't have plans of offering lossless streaming. We'll be sure to update this thread once we have an update on the topic. Please continue to offer your feedback and Kudos in the thread.

Note: This idea reflects the first part (Lossless streaming) of the Lossless Audio Quality thread.

[jukemark]

Ok, I will cancel my subscription as soon as I return to the UK later this week. Thank you for my three years but things have moved on from 320 audio.

[user-removed]

Looks like your gonna have to offer high rez, since today it was announced that Deezer is offering High-Rez.

http://blog.sonos.com/news/introducing-deezer-elite-on-sonos/

But I'm sure Spotify is gonna be on it if they are gonna stay in the game.

[timiambeing]

Deezer, Qobuz, Wimp via Tidal - hmm, everyone else seems to think they have enough discerning customers to implement CD quality streaming - but not Spotify who would like to make it quite clear to all concerned that this is not even on the 'to do' list:

Status: Not right now
Hello everyone. We've considered implementing this idea but at the moment we don't have plans of offering lossless streaming. We'll be sure to update this thread once we have an update on the topic. Please continue to offer your feedback and Kudos in the thread.

But that's fine because any comment is better than the total silence we usually get here! So let's see what Tidal can offer, hopefully a better interface than Qobuz and with music curation features I think they are moving into places Spotify should have already gone and I don't mean simple email lists of latest releases! I mean articles and features on albums, artists, historical releases and so on - magazine curation is the future for streaming services - well if they ever want us to listen to even a small percentage of the 20 million tracks they'd say they have it is! 

[tetsuomastermai]

+1

I tried qobuz, and i almost quit spotify.
Now if Deezer and Tidal will offer a lossless alternative I will no longer be a spotify client if they don't react in time...

[Showytrevor]

Hello,

please excuse my bad english.

Please Spotify why aren´t you offering the HD quality to your customers ? Is there a y good reason for that ?

Strategically, I believe this is a mistake. Most of "digital" music lovers are now equipped with DAC's and, I think, are ready to pay a little more to get the CD quality.

This is my personal view...  I would be pleased if you offered the quality we are asking for.

Regards.

[Grahamps]

I second the Tidal nod and have just signed up for the Deezer Elite trial. CD quality is here. I tipped you off to Orastream and their mp4sls technology, which will meet the current demand that listeners want better than CD quality if possible... Mp4sls makes this possible. Go there and you will keep your itchy listeners. Despite a great interface, without acknowledgement of a roadmap to higher quality from Spotify, I'll be jumping ship with the others asap.

[Sören]

I suppose it's a fact that a vast majority of music listeners are quite satisfied with the sound quiality they obtain from their reasonably-priced music equipment and mobile devices. The part of the Spotify users (like myself) that appreciate very high quality of sound just as much as the music itself is still comparatively small. I fully understand that. there is not (yet) a business case strong enough to motivate Spotify to implement features that improve the sound quality.

I have been a Spotify Premium user basically from the day Spotify started. Spofify's vast music catalogue and its ease of use still motivates me to keep my premium account but I notice that competitors are closing in fast. Since they now also provide features that appeal to us autophiles, I seriously begin to consider replacing Spotify.

For most of the music I listen to via Spotify, the 320kbps stream is quite sufficient. However, occationally I discover tracks where I really long for CD quality or better (yes, I have really good HiFi equipment and I do hear the difference). However, to me, CD quality streaming is not necessary if my music provider (like Spotify) provides simple means that enable me to mark (and pay for) albums and individual tracks that I want to have available as cached hi-res files. When any such track occurs in a playlist, my cashed hi-res copy should be played locally instead of being streamed over the network. 

Further more, if the music provider's client application also enables me to play tracks from my own local music library (stored on a NAS), then Spotify is definately history to me. Needless to say, my music library only contains lossless music files (FLAC and WAV) that Spotify currently cannot play.

[iancm99]

Hey Spotify yes you really are missing a trick here. There are Guys on here willing to pay double or more for lossless!
Why not charge £30 or even £40 per month, after all isnt it the same people who feed their music source through a £1000 DAC into equipment costing £ thousands more.
And dont worry about different pricing in the U.K./Europe and the USA after all the £=$=Euro give or take 40% ..who cares?.
Oh and dont worry about it taking 5 or 10 years to get around introducing it. We will loyaly wait while our friends enjoy lossless music on rival services in the meantime.
Its a good job that back in the early years Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had more sense of urgency than you have, otherwise we wouldnt have a Spotify to listen to or forum to write on!
We would have to make do with Records and CDS for our enjoyment.
Wait a minute... I am listening to a CD right now and its in glorious lossless sound. It`s a funny old world.
(written with tongue in cheek and with reference to Spotifys comments to Gizmodo in September 2014, Google for the artical)

[pikeman]

+1 for Spotify lossless streaming.

I do not get it why Spotify does not roll this out as a Premium Option. What is stopping you ?

• is your music stored in a lossy format ? Hope not, it must be stored in a lossless and then downsampled to whatever lossy quality client specified. Stop donwsampling !
• bandwith limitations ? Certainly not for the willing clients, as far as servers are concerned, Premium+ server, Premium+ plus subscription. Netflix has put this argument to bed long time ago
• No interest - really ? All you have to do is to advertise, create Premium+ subscription and collect.

Spotify was a leader in offerring high quality streaming with ogg at max quality, I'm kind of surprised that it lets other to lead the way.

I wonder if this a licencing issue.