[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!

[ljosb0xet0ebanix5wza]

Completely agree - I'm about to ditch Spotify because Tidal sounds so much better. 

I love the Spotify app - the algorithms and suggestions, but despite promising hi-res sound for years, it has yet to appear and I don't think it will.

I'm sad to leave - but the difference in sound quality is a bit of a deal-breaker

[BigSebbi]

Some customers have a spotify subscription for years and have been waiting for higher sound quality. I heard/read somewhere that spotify employees are able to enjoy lossless audio already and that pricing and licensing is the main issue for the roll-out. 
My wish would be that premium customers with a subscription period of 5+ years should be able to get that access too. An advantage for you could be, that these users could be treated as a test group to see how many of those would actually try the lossless streaming quality and if they'd be willing to pay (and how much) for it as well.

[schjano]

Submitted on   2014-03-02 12:44 PM.

I'm sure even Youtube Music HiFi will be available sooner than Spotify Supremium. lol. 

[ljosb0xet0ebanix5wza]

I've also just trialled Roon, so I think there's zero chance of returning to Spotify now .... all the Spotify/Bluesound/Tidal wrinkles are gone - it works as a media player should do !

[SoundError90]

But Tidal 's recommendations are **bleep** , it 's impossible to listen , all sorts of nonsense in mixes and albums offers bad ones . that's why I chose Apple Music

[ljosb0xet0ebanix5wza]

You're right @SoundError90 - they're poor and nowhere near as good as Spotify's recs - so in the last couple of weeks of my Spotify sub, I've created a ton of playlists and migrated them into Tidal. 

Playing these in Tidal has really improved their recommendations 

[mctesterson]

While I realize this isn't "The Answer" to all criticisms about non-Spotify recommendation algorithms ...

It's worth pointing out that if you've been a frequent Spotify user for years, that's a lot of personalized listening history data for Spotify's algorithms to use in giving you the recommendations that you now take for granted to be on-target.

Starting fresh with any other service is guaranteed to be less on-target in early days with recommendations, compared to the Spotify service you've contributed hundreds if not thousands of hours of what you like to listen to.

(The caveat I hinted at earlier is "if" the other service's recommendations engine is not as effective as Spotify's - AFTER you've contributed the equivalent number of listening hours of data that you had previously contributed to Spotify - then the recommendations may never be quite as good. ... But to be fair, if you were a Spotify user for 10 years, you've got to contribute more than a few days or weeks, possibly even months, of data to the new service you're trying out before you conclude that the recommendations aren't as useful as Spotify's.)

[SoundError90]

Yes, I have been testing Tidal for two months now and I will say that it is bad, except for the sound of course and the interface. But as soon as I transferred my one and only playlist from Spotify to Apple Music, they instantly realized that I was listening to who I subscribed to and immediately began to practically offer what I like. Alas, Tidal is very bad in terms of recommendations. You 'll see for yourself .

[robigouk]

C'mon Spotify - get on with it!  You're a business that wants to make money and you have users ready to spend more for a service which is ready to go - but you don't do it (so therefore are losing revenue every day you delay activating it).  Crazy....

[Contz]

512 pages just ignored.