[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!

[timiambeing]

Post above seemd to lose the attached image?

[Marco]

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@timiambeing wrote:

** please don't lump this suggestion with the main one on lossless downloads, that's a different idea entirely guys!

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Hmm, could you please explain what is so "entirely different" compared to this idea then? 😉

[timiambeing]

Well from Spotify we have this:

"In the first place, we would really appreciate if you could separate these two ideas one from the other, since you are requesting two different things in here. It is a better way for your idea to get more kudos, and for us to update them properly :)" - this idea of mine (and there are others of course) is pertaining to a) lossless streaming and not b) playback of own FLAC files.

... and secondly my idea has a pretty screenshot of Qobuz and here in the UK they are going to be Spotify's biggest competitor on the quality front.

Other than those reasons - none at all really so long as we get the message across - I have already given the original idea kudos just didn't want streaming lost in playback of own files when it comes to Spotify's point of view as they are two very different things 🙂

[Marco]

Ah I see!

I've always thought the idea I linked to will deal with the losless streaming part now since there has been a new popular idea for local flac support that takes over the 2nd part of the idea. I'll ask the staff and let you know. 😉

[meahtenoha]

Hi timiambeing! I'm going to link to this idea in the status update of the similar idea Marco mentioned: "Lossless audio quality"

As soon as I have an update on this request I'll post both here and in the other thread. Thanks for making a separate idea post for this!

[timiambeing]

All good, I've just reduced my Qobuz subscription to Classicsl only @ £14.99pm as Spotify has the slicker interface, better search and more organised and extensive catalogue - especially for new music. But how wonderful it would be to have all the above and lossless streaming like Qobuz on a Hi-Fi subscription! I know they are aiming squarely at the audiophile as they also offer 24bit downloads on thousands of albums - particularly classical, jazz and blues. I have supported Spotify since day one - and I believe they are in a perfect position to leverage this interest for those that want it and at £19.99pm it must make financial sense!?

[Marco]

Marked as new idea.

This idea here will reflect the 1st part (Lossless streaming) of the original idea about Lossless Audio Quality.

[Manjola]

HIFI (Lossless NOW)

[Deeb]

Fed up hearing imperfections in spotify music such as music from dusty CD's. Wish the labels would use better CD encoding software such as Exact Audio Copy or DBpoweramp utilising accurateRip, instead they use the crapest ripping software they can get a hold of, which can't detect any ripping errors.

[timiambeing]

I don't think the labels and distributors have to encode any music Deeb, not like us end users from CD. As far as I know they already have the original digital masters so their conversion is downward to 16bit 44.1Khz for CD and the various MP3 transfers beneath that for streaming. If there are imperfections then they arrive during the conversion process I would have thought - or in the software that is playing the files when it stitches them together (Qobuz has a problem with this on its FLAC streams sometimes - all depends on how the distributor makes the stream available to the streaming company).