[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!

[LawLee]

@Zorq

I actually rather like the Qobuz app for Android. The one for the PC works best. But clearly neither of these has the playlist organization features of Spotify. Clearly too Qobuz's "Album suggestions" algorithm needs some work. I wish there was some unified way to the content delivered to my receiver, much like Spotify connect but I'm not lacking. I have a plethora of options.

I made some fortunate choices. I can actually use 3 ways to get Qobuz into my Yamaha home theater receivers. These are ranked in terms of sound quality, from best to just great.

1. Using the Yamaha Musiccast app on my Android tablet I can access Qobuz and transmit directly to my receiver. Through Musiccast I can even change the Qobuz streaming rate on the fly, up to a max of 192kHz, 24bit max..
 

2. From my computer I can drive the Windows Qobuz app using WASAPI in exclusive mode from my Windows computer to my receiver via SPDIF at 192kHz, 24bit max.

3. From the Qobuz app on my Android devices using a Chromecast adapter I can stream from my Android devices at 48kHz, 24bit max.

All sound great but the nod goes to 192kHz, 24bit. Its noteworthy that Dolby Atmos is typically encoded at 48kHz, but I've heard good sounding examples at 44.1kHz, 16bit. Interestingly, if you search Spotify recently you'll find listed Dolby Atmos tracks and playlists as well.

I recently re-ripped 300 CDs to FLAC. I used "jitter corrected read" encoding with at Compression Level 0.

I serve my media files to my receivers two ways. These are again ranked in terms of sound quality

1. The cleanest and best method for playing my FLAC is accessing them through MusicCast from a USB drive plugged into my receiver. I have a tiny drive the holds 256GB. This method produces the best sound quality and the switching between songs is instantaneous.

1. I can also use MediaMonkey; a strangely named but impressive player using their DNLA\UPnP output. This works flawlessly and even displays the album art in Musiccast and the track name on my receiver's display.

2. There is also a  MediaMonkey app for android and its equally impressive. It too uses DNLA\UPnP to my reciever.

For me Spotify Connect is effectively nullified.

[Audioplayer]

@LawLee

Qobuz has just started work on it’s own connect feature so although it is coming it will take them a while before it is available to users. Hopefully it will be as good or better than Spotify’s connect. What will be available from Qobuz soon is an updated layout of artist’s pages/discographies at the very least.

[Sal1950]

Pitiful,,  just pitiful.

A full year and this is all you guys at Spotify have to say for yourself?

Account canceled and Apple now gets my monthly money.

[LawLee]

Et al,

I got a pleasant surprise this morning from Amazon. Amazon's app on Android is a dumpster fire. It is positively the worst application for landscape mode support. Try viewing "x-ray" or listening to a podcast. It flips the screen to portrait mode. It won't support split screen mode at all. They need to fix these issues. However, it does connect me directly to my receiver if its configured through the Goggle Home app. With that configuration a am able to stream over wifi at 192kHz, 24 bit, and Dolby Atmos. It also supports my Chromecast receiver up to 48kHz, 24 bit with Atmos support as well.

Amazon's Musiccast support has always been spotty [that's not a pun against Spotify by the way]. This morning though, surprise, it connected through Musiccast and allowed me to listen to music directly at 192 kHz 24 bit.

Some progress is good. So out of my good nature, I decided to turn on my Amazon unlimited subscription once more. So I'm back to paying $23 a month for Qobuz and Amazon. For now…

One thing that's nice about Amazon is their Technical Support. Back when I was first having problems with Musiccast I had a technician named Travis who called ME every week on Tuesday by appointment. For a couple of months. Pretty amazing for a company as large as Amazon to have such interest in a $7 Music subscription. Big companies can be responsive.

I've had the same great support from Qobuz When I asked questions about their service and even offered suggestions, I got honest, personal email replies from them. Pretty amazing. So I'm happy to support them as well with my dollars.

Hey Spotify!!!

I'd be happy to throw some of those dollars maybe your way, if you released CD quality lossless Hifi. It's your call…

[Alanford69]

Please buy QOBUZ and merge into a single service with all quality flavors (from MP3 to HiRes)

The quality from QOBUZ with Spotify radio and music matching algorithms will make the definitive music service.

[Sergjjii]

@Alanford69 And that Qobuz would go from being a classy service for teenagers and lose its charm? We don't want that kind of happiness. Qobuz is a self-sufficient service. I don't like how Spotify is overloaded with unnecessary stuff and their constant updates are really annoying. There are a lot of problems with the app. Spotify is a mainstream popup service like I said for little kids with bluetooth speakers

Spotify has a very mediocre radio and very mediocre recommendations. I'd rather wish Pandora had bought Qobuz by comparison. Pandora Premium has the best recommendations and audio selection. Spotify cannot compete in recommendations with this service. So to speak, they are hopelessly 15 years behind Pandora.

[LawLee]

@ Alanford69

Spotify buy Qobuz? No! they'd just screw it up. Qobuz has depth and the right aesthetic for a serious music fan. If Qobuz develops something akin to Spotify connect I'd pay happily $20.00 for their service.

[LawLee]

Qobuz states that they are the service for the 1 percent of discriminating music consumers. They are not trying to compete with Spotify which is trying to appeal to the masses. That suits me fine. And Qobuz hits that mark like no other service.

[lejakou]

It is really a shame One year after announcement and still no hifi you are now the only one with no hifi...

I was waiting but now it is over ... 

Iwill move to Tidal or Qobuz really soon, the time to record my play list 

By Bye Soptify 

[londonguy73]

Just cancelled. The trial I had with tidal has given me everything i want so no point paying Spotify for an inferior service.