[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!

[lappymusicman]

Spotify keep offering me 3 months premium for £9.99. No thanks I’ll stick with Amazon that I moved to after cancelling Spotify when they failed to live up to their “promise” to provide hi-res by the end of last year.

[Samppa3]

Like I said earlier, it must be one of the leap years when Spotify adopts Hifi to their service, they forgot or don't yet know the exact year.

So it will be one of these:
2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2048.

[AndyydnA]

High Resolution / Lossless streaming quality is Spotify's real weak point right now. Well, that and artist pay and not having Joni Mitchell or Neil Young on the platform, but that's another story. The user interface and music suggestions are probably the best of all the streaming platforms, and the audio quality should match. Honestly a lot of the competition exists only because they offer better sound. This seems like it would be worth prioritizing. 

[Elfunesto]

So, I have been more than patient and will quit Spotify for Tidal by the end of the year. I wish Qobuz was easily available in Canada, but it is not.

For those who are not convinced about the difference in quality, a little story about a recent experience. I have decided to upgrade my headphones. I went to a shop with my current Sennheiser HD560s and compared it to Grado, Dan Clark and Meze headphones. The set up was a iPad through a Mojo 2 DAC. All the headphones were sounding great and my preference was clearly the Meze. But, I thought that my Sennheiser was sounding much better than at home in particular regarding soundstage, but also detail retrival. At home, I use a Hegel H95 amp, with a Bluesound Node as source. So I was thinking that the Mojo 2 is probably making the difference, and maybe I should invest in a better Dac and a less expensive headphone... Next I went to a second shop. This time, they had the Hegel and the Node to reproduce my set up. I tested a brand new Tri-Art Audio headphone and some Hifiman, and my Sennheiser. Good stuff. But importantly, again, my Sennheiser was sounding better than I expected, much wider and detailed. But this time there was no Mojo 2...

That is when I realized what make the difference: in both shops they used Tidal and not Spotify. And all made sense suddently:  when I tested Tidal a year ago I did notice a marked difference in soundstage compared to Spotify, among other things.

So no need for a Mojo 2, I will enjoy my new Meze 109 Pro listening to Tidal on my set up. And will probably never look back. Sorry Spotify, you really dropped the ball. 

[PaulMac]

A huge thanks yet again to Spotify for their regular updates informing customers exactly whats happening with the delayed intro of HiFi.

Just a quick recap of last year's updates for anyone who missed them:

. 

[Samppa3]

@PaulMac
I think you forgot one little update from your mighty list:
















.

[tos82]

They are pushing a new ULQ-sound profile (Ultra Low Quality) for us, who won't accept what they doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8a12gJZwCo

[supergeek]

Could it be 2023 the year they finally release Hi-Fi? I have a feeling they're preparing a tier that has hi-res 24 bit, dolby atmos and maybe they might also lock wrapped with other features to increase price. Hurry up Spotify, you can't keep customers this way, it's getting embarrassing to say the least. 

[Geepstar]

Who needs dolby atmos for music? Just plain good old stereo 24bit 192ghz.
Lets just start with that.

[LawLee]

Spotify's Stock is underperforming the market. It's abissmally trading at 1/2 its original IPO. Why is that?

I don't understand. They've cornered the market on:
Audiobooks
Podcasts
Huh?

Maybe they should have focused on what they promised and what customers are interested in: HiFi! Good time to pick up their stock I guess...