[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]

Et al,

It's interesting how Spotify's algorithm for making your Daily Mixes falls apart when you don't listen to Spotify. Mine have morphed into unrecognizable recommendations.

It's almost like a desperate love interest who recognizes that things are going downhill and tries desperately anything new to revitalize the relationship.

It's acting kind of pathetic.😉

[rinopopo]

26 days into 2022, 26 days being liars. how do you feel? I'm not happy at all.

[Elfunesto]

I know Spotify is still making a lot of profit, but they've lost almost 50% of their value at Wall Street from the beginning of the year. Could it be because they forgot that music is their business ? That podcasts are not as interesting as they think on the long run ? That promoting someone spreading misinformations instead of a music legend is a bad move ?

I am still a paying subscriber, but if things don't improve rapidly, I will leave for sure. It is your move Spotify, but the latest development (and absence of there of), is making it very hard for me to justify paying a subscription to you...

[habu77]

I'm running a trial with Tidal at the moment. €1 for 3 months. Sound quality on my budget system (Marantz NR1200 with Q Acoustics 3020 standmount speakers with the original QA stands) is a tad better than Spotify. UI comes darn close but lacks a few things. Tidal Connect is ok but Spotify Connect is the only one so far that recognises my amp as a device. I have tried Amazon, excellent sound quality but the worst UX ever. Qobuz sounds great but I also hate the UX. Deezer was decent but just didn't do it for me. Tidal is the one that impresses me the most at the moment although quite a few albums I love are missing. I will run both services simultaneously and if Spotify ever decides to go hifi I will ditch Tidal just because (for me) Spotify has the edge regarding UX.

Yesterday evening I did a blind A/B test between Tidal and Spotify. I showed a friend of mine which tracks to play, some of my favourite test tracks and covered my eyes and he A/B'd them. At some point I thought I had the favourites pinned and it turned out to be a draw... Spotify actually sounds pretty awesome on my system. Tidal has an edge when you play something like 'Rubric' by Philip Glass where the music is so dense and the separation is better but generally (again, on my budget system) the two are pretty close quality wise. Just flick the switch Spotify, hifi in February!

[LawLee]

@habu77

I'm surprised you can't resolve a big difference between your Tidal tracks and Spotify. Your system should be able to resolve audible differences. A lot of it can depend upon the content that you're listening to. Maybe listen to some speaker test songs. A number of folks have made playlists that are designed to really resolve fine detail. Maybe try one of those playlists and then find the same songs in Tidal.

Cheers

[taravasya2]

---

@Elfunesto wrote:

they've lost almost 50% of their value at Wall Street from the beginning of the year.

---

 Where does this information come from, can you share the source?

[habu77]

@LawLee I know, the difference should be so profound but it really isn't. It should be night and day but it's so close. I will look up some of those audiophile playlists and transfer them to Tidal as well and have a play with it, cheers!

[vaajy]

Spotify stocks can be found here to see how they drop:

https://www.google.com/search?q=spotify+stocks

It seems every stock is now dropping.

[mctesterson]

Ah, so Spotify has "only" lost 32% of market value, YTD:

"166.33 USD-77.82 (-31.87%)year to date"

In the last 12 months, though, it has lost 49%:

"166.38 USD-159.10 (-48.89%)past year"

Finally delivering on the promise of Hifi audio, and having a bold, confident marketing campaign touting how they're taking on their competitors' high-quality sound directly and aggressively, with best-in-class user-interface and unmatched Spotify Connect technology, could be a way to woo back investors and demonstrate that they're not giving up on the streaming music side of their business.

Maybe they could even get a solid entertainer celebrity to join them on such a marketing campaign.  Billie Eilish, perhaps?  Neil Young?  😄  Steven Wilson? (ooh, _that_ celebrity endorsement would perk up the attention of high-resolution fans!)

[LawLee]

@habu77

Are you listening to the HiFi or the HiFi Plus tier of Tidal? It was stated by the Goldensound video that all of their lossless catalog is being mastered for MQA. This means that unless you have an MQA decoding DAC you are listening to a facsimile of a lossless track. Without an MQA decoder, the bit depth of the reproduction may be as low as 13 bits. Keep in mind mp3s are capable of 16 bits of resolution.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi8iJ3mxNb1A...

Something like this may explain why Tidal isn't stand out in comparison to Spotify. I have Yamaha Aventage systems that operate both in stereo and in 5.1 modes. In stereo, it's true that the differences aren't as apparent. However, when the 5.1 channels are thrown into the mix you can really hear dramatic differences in the soundstage.

I liked Tidal a lot but MQA is one reason I stayed away from it. Too much controversy. Like you I have tried all of the services. From my listenings, Qobuz is without equal in terms of sound quality. However, I do like Deezer and it's algorithm for connecting you with the artists that you select. I'm having a hard time though with the $15 for HiFi without a proper way to connect directly to my receiver the way Spotify can.

For me it's down to Qobuz, Amazon, and Deezer. Both Deezer and Qobuz are working on a "Spotify Connect" style direct connection likely based on DNLA. When one of them does launch this they will have my business permanently.

Take a look at that Spotify! I'm willing to pay between $13 to $15 for HiFi. You could have launched your new tier already at a premium and retained some of the customers that you have lost.