[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!

[Ynohifi]

Boo Spotify, Boo!!! 👎

[mctesterson]

"We’re increasing the price of Premium Duo so that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product offerings and features, and bring you the best experience."

Read between the lines: They are laughing at us and mocking us for caring about quality.

This is a company that shows us how little they care about us every day. 

They take our "investment" subscription fees and squander them on dangerously idiotic podcaster exclusives.  Even though there are many _many_ podcasts apps that aggregate our podcast subscriptions for free or low-cost.

They take our "investment" subscription fees and squander them on audiobooks that clutter our music feeds.  Even though we can get audiobooks for free from our public libraries, or subscribe separately to lower-cost audiobook apps and services, if that's what we're interested in.

They take our "investment" subscription fees and _don't_ focus on innovating and getting to market quickly with higher-quality audio for their once-flagship product of music streaming.  They take our "investment" subscription fees and withhold from us the higher-quality audio that they baited-and-denied to consumers for several years now.

The main reason I'm happy for this subscription-fee-increase-for-nothing announcement is that it's leverage for me to hopefully convince my partner to finally cancel our Spotify subscription, and get her converted over to Qobuz.  After all, she only listens to her Spotify account for maybe an hour or two a week, while I listen to my Qobuz account for 4-5 hours a _day_.  And I'm paying $130/year ... versus the new monthly rate for Spotify Premium Duo of $180/year.

I have typed this while listening to 2021's Shimmy Disc album Neither Is, Nor Ever Was by Constant Follower, on Qobuz at 48kHz / 24-bit resolution.  It sounds AMAZING! 

Anyone who cares about sound quality and feeling the deep emotion of music throughout your heart and bones should dump the perpetual **bleep** of a service Spotify, and move over to Qobuz whose people really care about music, and really care about their subscribers.  They have a tiny fraction of Spotify's resources, but their products are way better where ultimately it counts the most (in my opinion): sound quality.  Once you've discovered and picked an album to listen to on Qobuz, and you're immersed in and connected with the beauty of the music, the best playlist and recommendation algorithms in the world fade into the background and truly don't matter anymore.

[lejakou]

I just receive a notification for an augmentation of the price with still not hi-fi 

jot acceptable 

mow I move to deezer…

bye bye Spotify and well done 👍 

[EarendilSI]

Price increase but no real innovation for music listening.
I consider Spotify the best for the playlists it offers and because it almost knows my musical tastes better than I do, but now the lack of music in high definition is being felt. Other competing services now provide it at the same price as the basic subscription and are also definitely improving the algorithms that make the playlists.

Less and less motivation to stay in Spotify

[bart1981]

Prices went up and still NO HIFI. What a JOKE.

[Audioplayer]

Ek is such a loser!! https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/spotify-hifi-only-for-aficionados/

[Audioplayer]

About that price hike!:  https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/15b2a96/spotifys_price_increase_sparks_user_exodus/

[jhucx1]

This is unfortunate news and enough for me to finally call it quits and move to Tidal for good.  I have been a subscriber for 12 years. Most of those years as a family plan.  If Spotify had just announced a price hike to get hifi I would have been on board.  However, the lack of clarity on the roadmap is so effing infuriating after YEARS of false promises, I'm just done with it.  Spotify **bleep** off!!!!

[Jondavis1992]

Everybody needs to walk away! 

it’s the only way these f**kwits at Spotify hq will truly see how damaging their lack of action is. 

disgusting way to treat loyal customers, who, frankly, have given Spotify far too many months to sort**bleep** out - and they haven’t. 

time to go! 

[lowr1der007]

Price increase and still worse audio quality than my 20 year old CD Walkman!? Come on Spotify, get with the times please.