[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!

[stadi1]

Ok, this part about lossless not actually lossless if it has a masters version is quite disturbing. I might have read about this earlier but forget / or thought  this was only about the MQA version. Now as Qobuz won't do it for me because of the missing albums, I might want to try Deezer (I still can't get my head around their strange device limits) or Amazon. Spotify actually releasing Hi-Fi (and doing it right) might solve this whole problem, but they don't seem to care.

[LawLee]

Tidal needs to offer lossless at a competitive price $14.99 or lower to stay in the game. Hope they come to their senses.

[bart1981]

WHERE IS HIFI?

[LawLee]

Question: WHERE IS HIFI?

Answer: On every other SERIOUS MUSIC streaming service,

[bart1981]

Where the **** is hifi?

[PaulMac]

Where is HiFi? 

A full answer was provided in Spotifys last update well over a year ago, where they stated they are excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. 

So we have a choice - hang around waiting on them to finally get their act together, something that might never happen.

Or leave for a better sounding service that already has it... 

[habu77]

I am terrible at math but this thread has a bit more than 26.000 likes. Spotify has more than 200.000.000 Premium subscriptions so we're about 0.00013% pleading for hi-fi. All real musical enjoyment and critical listening has shifted to Qobuz for me, I keep Spotify for the albums I can't find on Qobuz. 

Stop pleading, don't hold your breath anymore, it's a waste of time. It's like an ant trying to lift a tank, totally pointless. There are multiple options to choose from when you really crave optimum sound quality. Happy moving-to-another-music-streaming-service-day! 😄

[LawLee]

Hey all,

Vote with your pocketbook. Staying on with the service and paying is not going to move them to implement Hifi. It's clear that they have no loyalty to their customers, or to the music contributors, or even to their own promises. If you keep paying them for non delivery you're enabling it, You're part of the problem.

So I stopped paying for their service. If and only if they deliver that they promised will I give them another dime of long term subscription dollars...

We need to stop being the Charlie Brown to their Lucy...

[mrhank3y]

@habu77

i hear you. You’re right, the % actually wanting hifi is low. Not as low as you say because it’s 0.013% based on your likes vs subscribers equation. But let’s assume for every 1 like there’s 100 customers who would leave or come back. Still only 1%. 

HOWEVER, it’s a reason not to be on Spotify nonetheless. Plus, trends matter more… 

Spotify has claimed a user base in excess of half-a-billion users, with 210 million premium subscribers and 317 million on the ad-supported plan. However, it represents a ratio of 40% paid-to-free listeners, a ratio that seems to be in free-fall. 

Im on the free plan, initially due to the lack of hifi. But I can’t see ever going back to premium now as others up their game and I have come to realise that the Spotify algorithms were driving me to music they wanted me to listen to. Once I got to grips with other methods of music discovery (there are many great options out there) I realised that the streaming services discovery options were all pretty bad. 

[Qbovv]

Too late. I'm very happy with TIDAL HIFI now. I bought an Ieast Oliostream for 100€ and the quality is at least as good as an mid range CD player. See you never again!