[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!

[PaulMac]

@habu77

Like you I’ve also been running both Qobuz and Spotify. Qobuz for the far superior sound quality and Spotify for the convenience of Connect. However, Qobuz Connect is due for release soon and when that happens I’m pulling the plug on Spotify. Permanently.

And to be honest I’ll be glad to get away from it. The sheer arrogance of the company has become hard to stomach. From complaining that Apple's behaviour is choking competition while they themselves are busy spending over $1bn in an attempt to completely dominate the podcast world.

Or CEO Daniel Ek reacting to genuine concerns from artists over poor royalties, pointing the finger back at them and saying they need to work harder.

But more than anything it’s how badly Spotify treat their customers – the abysmal handling of HiFi being a good case in point. They promised it would be delivered by end of 2021, then broke that promise and are now saying the delay is due to the rest of the industry! No apologies necessary, the blame lies elsewhere.

[jcraigcx]

I moved to Qobuz as well. I'm seeing about a 95% success rate converting my playlists, so I'm giving up access to a few of the more obscure bands I follow. But wow, the sound quality is through the roof! And knowing my money isn't going to support the Podcast nonsense on Spotify is very satisfying. Cancelled my Premium subscription a few days ago. I hung in there for a long time, but its clear now that my wants and needs are misaligned with Spotify's direction.

[LeReQUeZAMV]

HiFi Quality - Lossless Streaming 16bit 44.1khz

For a long time Spotify telling us that lossless streaming music will come to "Spotify".
Still "spotify" users listening to AAC 256kbit/s on web player and Very Equivalent to approximately 320kbit/s on Desktop, mobile, and tablet (app) while other streaming are offering lossless Streaming quality. Lets try to ask one more time for "spotify" to give us Lossless Streaming audio and enjoy music in a most valuable way.

(sorry for broken English language)

[JSebMe]

It would be great to have a monthly or so feedback about what's going on on this topic.

[LawLee]

Spotify promised to add Hifi two years ago.

By Great Pumpkin, I mean Spotify Hifi... time to move on to a different pumpkin patch...

[Blueshound24]

Unfortunately most people don't care about lossless because they haven't been exposed to lossless music on good high end gear, and you can't tell much of a difference on Beats level of equipment, which maybe 70-90% of people worldwide use.

It's sad that in this article it states that, "the decision has gone almost unnoticed by consumers".

@LawLee

Spotify promised to add Hifi two years ago.

"That competitors launched lossless audio at no additional cost rather than the $19.99 that many predicted, may be why Spotify moved its “most requested feature” down the priority list; and recent comparative growth stats suggest that the decision has gone almost unnoticed by consumers."

[LawLee]

Sound and Vision: I'm not that bothered about another Spotify HiFi delay (trustedreviews.com)

OPINION: Another month, another vague update about the status of Spotify’s HiFi tier. It’s still reported to be arriving in 2023 (maybe), but we’ve been talking about Spotify HiFi for so long that I’ve come to be rather nonplussed about its existence.

I’m not saying it’ll be a disaster – when it does launch it’ll probably be a success given the quality of the service as it stands, but while I was excited by the initial announcement in 2021, I’ve grown ambivalent in the years since.

Why? I already have access to high-quality audio.

The way people talk and report about Spotify HiFi, you would think the entire music industry is waiting for it to launch. That’s true to a degree in that Spotify remains the biggest and most popular music streaming service around, but Tidal beat it to the punch years ago, as did Qobuz, while Deezer has had CD lossless quality and immersive audio for years. Apple seemed to press a button and unlock all the lossless tracks within its library.

Spotify has been too slow on the uptake, and you could argue in recent years that it’s no longer the class-leading service despite its popularity among users. It’s almost the de-facto choice in the market because of its association with music streaming. But if you really wanted to listen to music at a higher quality, you would have subscribed to another service already.

At first, it seemed as if the issue behind the delay was getting all the agreements in place with the music studios to license music at CD lossless and higher. Now it sounds as if it has moved on to being a question of how much Spotify can charge for that access and how unique Spotify’s proposition can be. What gummed up the works was Apple’s decision to unlock lossless audio and Dolby Atmos support without adding a new, more expensive tier.

When it comes to lossless and Hi-Res audio, Spotify is at the back chasing the rest of the pack...

[LawLee]

Like the author above i've moved on because I do care about sound and honestly I don't care about the things they've added. I would pay a premium for quality lossless music. But their UI and their lack of focus has lost my interest...

[LawLee]

@Joegod Said:

"... There are a lot of people paying for another streaming service that provides HiFi and at the same time paying for Spotify as well, these are the real audiophiles."

No, I am not! And I consider myself an audiophile.

Speaking for myself I was a Spotify premium customer for several years. when Hifi failed to materialize I started auditioning the other services. Several other services make good quality mixes; Tidal, Deezer, Apple, and even passably Amazon. And all of these offer CD quality or above.

When it comes to audiophile class streaming Qobuz is in a class by itself. And once I sampled Qobuz' bit-perfect HiRes sound quality, and editorial content, including artist highlights and equipment reviews, I can't go back to Spotify premium. On Qobuz I can even buy HiRes digital music downloads.

By comparison, Spotify's whole structure and UI looks unrefined. Spotify is looking at trying everything, and it all seems to poorly hang together.

The one thing that Spotify has going for them in my opinion is Spotify Connect but without bit-perfect Hifi music that great advantage is relegated to being "just a gimmick".

I did try going back twice. But honestly, the sound quality, or rather more accurately, the lack of sound quality hurts my ears even with Premium. So I refuse to pay them for bad music quality. I'd rather listen to Pandora, or Amazon Prime Music for free.

Paying them just keeps them from releasing Hifi sooner, and probably encourages them to charge even more.

So as an audiophile, no I won't pay them a dime. And I won't even stream Spotify for free.

[robigouk]

416 pages and counting....23,239 votes and counting, no comment on here since Jan 2022.  C'mon you really are taking the p... - the worst thing is I'd pay more for it!!  Take my money Spotify what is wrong with you - we know it's ready to go!