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Spotify to launch 'Hi-Fi' CD Quality Tier.

FrantzM

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Hi

I hope Spotify is not reading this ...
I listen almost exclusively to Spotify although I have Apple Music... Spotify's algorithm has been suggesting music I really like and I would call myself eclectic... I have Premium and their best quality streaming which I believe ogg vorbis 320... I can't faut it for sonics... It is good , more than enough , I don't at this point in time see the need for lossless, except for bragging rights ...
Meanwhile Apple is aiming at offering all their catalog in lossless ... before year's end .
 

voodooless

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So, they didn’t make it… Now they are officially liars

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Jimbob54

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So, they didn’t make it… Now they are officially liars

View attachment 176493

Or incompetent. Or crafty. Or all of the above.

BUT- the acid test is whether their subs base grows or shrinks in the next 3-6 months. We may never know, but given the bulk of their competitors are already lossless, if Spotify still grows, thats your answer for how much "the consumer" cares about the whole file type/ quality debate.
 

DanielT

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Or incompetent. Or crafty. Or all of the above.

BUT- the acid test is whether their subs base grows or shrinks in the next 3-6 months. We may never know, but given the bulk of their competitors are already lossless, if Spotify still grows, thats your answer for how much "the consumer" cares about the whole file type/ quality debate.
Yes, you may wonder. You see here on ASR, a forum that is focused on sound quality, Hifi. How many people have Spotify and who said they will resign, change streaming provider, if not Spotify will come with lossless 2021? If not even they will change then...well .... I've said I'll change. But okay I admit I will test for example Amazon (again) possibly Qobuz (again) versus Spotify and compare for a few months. What I play with the most I keep.I will not make a comparison of the sound quality (do not know if it is the same master, blind test rules around that test ... blah blah I do not have the energy to fiddle with that). I will choose the one I use the most. Maybe I will have two different ones in the future (whatever it would be good for, it just seems messy).If it turns out that it will be Spotify so be it. I will have to "eat up" my bullshit about changing, canceling.

Spotify has the best UI, best usability. That's what's so damn good .... and damn bad, with Spotify.

Edit
By the way, when I think about it. In 2021, I have had test periods of Qobuz and Amazon, so there will probably be no more of these. I'm fu *** in other words. Now it's take it or leave it that counts.
(yes I overdramatize it will be as it will be) :)
 
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2M2B

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Meanwhile I can't tell Vorbis @ 192kbps from Flac, Outside Avant artists like Vomir & The Rita which I use Opus fore those since I don't like having 330 ~ 560kbps files. It blows MP3/AAC out the water at 192kbps and above, Opus is better but suffers from horrid bit rate bloat making 144 ~ 192kbps just as wasteful as LAME MP3 is.
 

Taddpole

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BUT- the acid test is whether their subs base grows or shrinks in the next 3-6 months. We may never know, but given the bulk of their competitors are already lossless, if Spotify still grows, thats your answer for how much "the consumer" cares about the whole file type/ quality debate.
Could be that it grows less fast than it would have. Market share comparisons possibly more useful.
 

Zensō

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Or incompetent. Or crafty. Or all of the above.

BUT- the acid test is whether their subs base grows or shrinks in the next 3-6 months. We may never know, but given the bulk of their competitors are already lossless, if Spotify still grows, thats your answer for how much "the consumer" cares about the whole file type/ quality debate.
Outside of this insular audiophile world, "lossless" audio has nearly zero relevance IMO. Infinitely more important is the ecosystem, the size of the catalog, and the quality of recommendations, playlists, and UI.
 

MaxBuck

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Outside of this insular audiophile world, "lossless" audio has nearly zero relevance IMO. Infinitely more important is the ecosystem, the size of the catalog, and the quality of recommendations, playlists, and UI.
Lossless audio is irrelevant to many of us inside this insular audiophile world.
 

Haint

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Even if you have magic ears that can semi reliably guess at a difference between 320kbps and lossless (which may or may not be better and may or may not be the lossless track), it is so utterly meaningless and insignificant it might as well not even exist. Hopefully they're abandoning the borderline snake oil and transitioning to a clearly night and day audible feature like Surround/Atmos/Spatial/Etc... You may or may not like it, but at least it's an immediately obvious and meaningful add-on.
 

DanielT

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Even if you have magic ears that can semi reliably guess at a difference between 320kbps and lossless (which may or may not be better and may or may not be the lossless track), it is so utterly meaningless and insignificant it might as well not even exist. Hopefully they're abandoning the borderline snake oil and transitioning to a clearly night and day audible feature like Surround/Atmos/Spatial/Etc... You may or may not like it, but at least it's an immediately obvious and meaningful add-on.
Of course you hear no difference. Or.
In any case, the lossless options cost as much or less than Spotify. Why then risk losing possibly better sound? Just try other streaming providers for free for a month or so and you will understand why.

However, for example the only benefit of Qobuz, as I see it, is the support, that it works in conjunction with ROON.
 

voodooless

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However, for example the only benefit of Qobuz, as I see it, is the support, that it works in conjunction with ROON.
It’s also the biggest negative: it’s needs Roon to get a halfway decent interface. And Roon isn’t free either.
 

2M2B

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Of course you hear no difference. Or.
In any case, the lossless options cost as much or less than Spotify. Why then risk losing possibly better sound? Just try other streaming providers for free for a month or so and you will understand why.
Spotify uses 320kbps VBR Vorbis, Harder sections will be 384 ~ 640kbps if needed. I've got songs that MP3/AAC at 320kbps struggle with but 320kbps Vorbis is transparent. With Lossless VBR in FLAC you'll get bloat issues on loud noisy & chaotic music like 1390 ~ 1450kbps, So Vorbis being transparent even at 390 ~ 580kbps could still fine for most.

But Vorbis/Opus make more sense on a Phone/DAP with 128 ~ 200GB micro SD where 192kbps VBR makes more sense. Since 8 ~ 16mbit broadband enough for lossless audio.
 

DanielT

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Because for those of us for whom "it is so utterly meaningless and insignificant it might as well not even exist", this is no risk at all.
It is of course completely voluntary, a matter of taste. It is still just a hobby, to fix the sound you want. As long as you are satisfied and happy.:)

If its audible, these different quality levels of streaming? I do not know. Surely some blind tests should have been done around that?

In any case, I have actually started using CDs again. Looking for old uncompressed, loudness destroyed ditton.
I combines CDs and streamed. Actually, I also play vinyl now and then sometimes, but it's mostly for the nostalgia trip and fiddling with a turntable.:D

Tip:

Edit:
There are many at ASR who still use turntables. Of course, they know that the sound quality itself is pretty lousy, but that's not the point (sound quality) when it comes to cranking up the old vinyl lathe.:p
At the time of writing regarding the record player thread:
Replies194
Views13K.
That says a bit ..:)
 
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Haint

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It is of course completely voluntary, a matter of taste. It is still just a hobby, to fix the sound you want. As long as you are satisfied and happy.:)

If its audible, these different quality levels of streaming? I do not know. Surely some blind tests should have been done around that?

In any case, I have actually started using CDs again. Looking for old uncompressed, loudness destroyed ditton.
I combines CDs and streamed. Actually, I also play vinyl now and then sometimes, but it's mostly for the nostalgia trip and fiddling with a turntable.:D

Tip:

Edit:
There are many at ASR who still use turntables. Of course, they know that the sound quality itself is pretty lousy, but that's not the point (sound quality) when it comes to cranking up the old vinyl lathe.:p
At the time of writing regarding the record player thread:
Replies194
Views13K.
That says a bit ..:)
I linked a blind ABX test a few posts above you can perform yourself.
 

dkinric

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We finally have an "update" from Spotify:
Scroll down to Status Update from 1-7-22
 

DanielT

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We finally have an "update" from Spotify:
Scroll down to Status Update from 1-7-22
It was like hell. Would you look at that. :) Then we will see when and what details it is about.

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