[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!

[Visionary1]

…and and when you release the new platform please don’t call it Supremium.  Such a horrid and embarrassing name.  You’re an innovative company, Spotify, I’m sure you can come up with something intelligent sounding. 

[_Ed_]

Come on now - that IS the best they can do 😮

Personally, I'd have gone with  SuperDupeReamium

[petsy48]

LoL!
Spot-i-HiFi

[virtualspace]

Almost!    Spot-Hifi

I want my SpotHifi !

[mctesterson]

@virtualspace

to be fair,Spotify may not have the resources you had. how many hundreds of employees and billions of dollars in exclusive podcast revenues did it take you to come up with that brilliant branding idea?  

[Innocent_Excel]

Podcasts and audio-books..wasted so much precious money that could well have been invested more wisely.

[aaronnoraa]

Still waiting for HIFI

[sighkate]

Any updates to this? The spotify audio quality is really bad compared to other competitors (like apple) 

[PaulMac]

Why do Spotify keep dropping hints that HiFi is just around the corner? Just another short wait and then it'll be here in its full glory. And the wait goes on and on..

Its now more than 2.5 years since the big announcement at the Feb 2021 Stream On event, with the statement that premium subscribers would later this year (2021) be able to "listen to their favourite songs the way artists intended"

Meanwhile Apple Music were busy working quietly in the background and completed the whole project within a few months. With none of the high profile razzamatazz. And no price increase. What a contrast!

Spotify just don't seem to learn - they're still at it, dropping little hints that now it's REALLY close to release. And to prove it they've even gone as far as giving it a new (ridiculous) name - SUPREMIUM.

MY GOD, that'll keep the customers happy! The name itself is actually better suited to a new line of unleaded petrol coming onto the market.

The whole thing is actually embarrassing and has been handled so badly by the company who used to set the standards for other platforms to follow. Very sad indeed.

[Innocent_Excel]

When Spotify does things badly, it knows how to do them exemplarily badly. Sometimes I wonder how it can still be the same company. Did they have different goals or something else different, or was the achievement of market leader status just luck? You could write a book about some of Spotify's worst tunings. Really embarrassing and poorly managed things and decisions made.