[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!

[TheMechanic4657]

This is ridiculous. Spotify keeps getting more and more payed costumers and yet so many people are complaining and waiting for hifi... It's never coming when people keep paying the new (way too high) prices for music without hifi. Almost every other streaming service has better sound

Quality but still people stay with Spotify. So why should Spotify rush with the hifi quality if they still make profits without it? I've switched to Apple Music since it's now cheaper than Spotify with better sound quality. I think this is never coming like this.

If only Spotify would give an update with the plans of hifi for the people who are waiting so that they can decide weither or not to stay.

[Samppa3]

While Spotify is busy preparing HiFi (which, let’s be honest, might take an eternity), it feels like the perfect time to pause—and pick up a good book.
One that’s been on my radar for a while is Mood Machine – The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly.

https://lizpelly.info/book
Have you heard of it?

I first came across the book through a podcast episode where a journalist outlined some of its key themes—and they were anything but flattering. One of the more unsettling revelations was Spotify’s use of so-called “ghost artists”: tracks produced anonymously or under fake names, deliberately inserted into playlists not for artistic value, but to cut licensing costs and optimize user engagement. Essentially, fake music by fake artists, engineered to serve the algorithm.

Pelly digs deeper into this phenomenon and paints a broader picture of how Spotify has reshaped the music industry—for the worse. According to her, Spotify isn’t really about music anymore. It’s about data. About advertising. About monetizing moods. Real artists are sidelined in favor of faceless, functional audio. Playlists are no longer curated for discovery, but for retention and background noise. Creativity becomes a casualty of convenience.

And here’s the part that hits hardest: I still use Spotify. I’ve relied on it for years. It’s seamless, it’s vast, and it’s always there. That’s what makes reading about these behind-the-scenes practices so unsettling. It forces you to reflect on the trade-offs: the ease of access versus the erosion of artistic value. The comfort of streaming versus the cost borne by musicians.

So yes, Mood Machine is officially next on my reading list. Because maybe it's time to start questioning the soundtrack playing in the background of our lives—and who’s really composing it.

[Visionary1]

Denon HEOS now has Qobuz Connect!  Offering 2mo Qobuz trial. Qobuz sounds great!  Its app UI is sophisticated in appearance than Spotify.  This may be it. 

[mctesterson]

The list of manufacturers already supporting the newly released Qobuz Connect is long, and growing quickly.

https://help.qobuz.com/en/articles/314578-list-of-brands-integrated-into-qobuz-connect?fbclid=IwQ0xD...

I'm listening via Qobuz Connect right now, and it's WONDERFUL.

For those who are unfamiliar, Qobuz Connect provides a more direct connection between your Qobuz applications (on your phone, your tablet, your computer, etc.) and your music streamer device (e.g., I'm listening via my WiiM Pro Plus streamer device, and controlling everything directly within Qobuz app on my Mac laptop - no third-party software necessary anymore).

This new Qobuz Connect feature takes a bold step toward bridging a significant gap in usability that had been a criticism of Qobuz, and reason to stay with Spotify's arguably most essential feature - Spotify Connect - despite numerous downsides compared to the competition (e.g., massively worse sound quality, paltry low compensation rates for artists, leadership generally being a major duck, etc.).

[fatgutsrob]

Welcome to the club about time

[alexbr53]

Rumours, more Rumours!

[lkrangel]

Ahhhh, it's finally happening! That's so exciting, thank you for letting us know!

[Blueshound24]

Who said Spotify is finally gonna provide lossless? I think you're dreaming.

"lkrangel 

Newbie"

57 mins ago

"Ahhhh, it's finally happening! That's so exciting, thank you for letting us know!"

[a4darkness]

Did a quick Perplexity AI search for any new info, nothing new except for the recent rumors? about Music Pro. 

Considering that this same story appears across multiple pubs citing a Bloomberg article, this may be a way for Spotify to ease into a soft launch, meaning they're preparing customers for the price hike by teasing the additional features most notably early access to concert tickets. 

Since additional revenue has been difficult for Spotify to generate, this may shore up some of that issue and by proxy finally deliver what we've been waiting for. 

https://www.soundguys.com/spotify-music-pro-134407/?utm_source=perplexity

https://bgr.com/tech/spotify-music-pro-launches-in-2025-but-hi-fi-songs-arent-why-youll-subscribe/

[tayyabraza1]

That's awesome. I also tried Qobuz, and the sound quality is really clear, especially for classical music. I still use other tools, like y2mp3.de, when I want to quickly convert a music video to audio and test how it sounds on my headphones. It's fast and useful. Hope Spotify adds lossless soon