Lossless Listening Arrives on Spotify Premium

[PristineSound]

So Spotify has an universal 24/44.1 (edit: for high res). All (edit: high res) recordings couldn't possibly have been 24/44.1 natively available for all of the record companies' catalogs. I would imagine many (edit: high res) tracks had to be a down sampled somewhere to meet Spotify's 24/44.1 universal standard.

Why, why, why? Why couldn't Spotify just give you the highest damn format in it's native form from the record company? I mean, I have an idea why, likely technical reasons, but man what a half ass.

Edit: I meant for high res.

 

[gvl]

I’m yet to encounter a 24 bit track, using an iPhone if that matters. Only see 16 bits. I’m fine with 44khz sampling, that’s really all you need.

 

[PristineSound]

I’m yet to encounter a 24 bit track, using an iPhone if that matters. Only see 16 bits. I’m fine with 44khz sampling, that’s really all you need.

I agree. However, the topic of need vs want comes up very often here on ASR.

 

[Mnyb]

So Spotify has an universal 24/44.1 (edit: for high res). All (edit: high res) recordings couldn't possibly have been 24/44.1 natively available for all of the record companies' catalogs. I would imagine many (edit: high res) tracks had to be a down sampled somewhere to meet Spotify's 24/44.1 universal standard.

Why, why, why? Why couldn't Spotify just give you the highest damn format in it's native form from the record company? I mean, I have an idea why, likely technical reasons, but man what a half ass.

Edit: I meant for high res.

Or upsampled for some older stuff the only master that exists might be 16/44.1 .

I would have settled with the original resolution whatever that might have been. And not have Spotify’s grubby little hands touching the material. Let it be whatever the labels provide ?

I think I may speculate to why ? Things like crossfade and volume normalisation probably requires an uniform sample rate , especially crossfade.

Another speculation, the labels provide mostly 16/44.1 not a big stretch to go to 24/44.1 for volume normalisation and volume controls to work better .

Another speculation , a modern popular original resolution seems to bee 24/48 . I think that would have been choosen if it where more common.

Records done at native 24/192 or similar is not as common as we might hope .

But yes I would have expected Spotify’s high res to bee 24/48 that the most reasonable rate we have . It’s good enough but not excessive waste of bits

 

[Moti]

Do we know what is the format record companies provide new music (published 2025 first time) to streaming services? Is there a standard or a lot of variation?

 

[SigbergAudio]

So Spotify has an universal 24/44.1 (edit: for high res). All (edit: high res) recordings couldn't possibly have been 24/44.1 natively available for all of the record companies' catalogs. I would imagine many (edit: high res) tracks had to be a down sampled somewhere to meet Spotify's 24/44.1 universal standard.

Why, why, why? Why couldn't Spotify just give you the highest damn format in it's native form from the record company? I mean, I have an idea why, likely technical reasons, but man what a half ass.

Edit: I meant for high res.

A reasonable explanation would be that higher resolution means higher bandwidth.

 

[SorenTyson]

Spotify is Swedish, so was Nyquist. They took the scientific approach. No need for more than 44.1

 

[MrBlueSky4470]

Except that lossless doesn't cost any extra from before, so you're not really paying for it.

Of course you're paying for it. They've just raised prices, just didn't admit it is due to lossless.

 

[TTT15]

Is the proven Shannon Whittaker theorem , peer reviewed psychoacoustic research published in scientific journals and a university study not a scientific approach or do we only have to take some selected information which supports our confirmation biases for something to be scientific.

 

[Burnside]

So Spotify has an universal 24/44.1 (edit: for high res). All (edit: high res) recordings couldn't possibly have been 24/44.1 natively available for all of the record companies' catalogs. I would imagine many (edit: high res) tracks had to be a down sampled somewhere to meet Spotify's 24/44.1 universal standard.

Why, why, why? Why couldn't Spotify just give you the highest damn format in it's native form from the record company? I mean, I have an idea why, likely technical reasons, but man what a half ass.

Edit: I meant for high res.

This is what Spotify say. I post it without comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/truespotify/comments/1nf17py/comment/ndtien2

 

[PristineSound]

This is what Spotify say. I post it without comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/truespotify/comments/1nf17py/comment/ndtien2

I wonder what hardware are they talking about.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Can anyone hear the difference between lossless and 320kbps in Spotify ?

 

[TTT15]

I’m yet to encounter a 24 bit track, using an iPhone if that matters. Only see 16 bits. I’m fine with 44khz sampling, that’s really all you need.

Most recent tracks are nearly all 24 bit on iPhone Apple Music with a mixture of 44, 48 and 92KHz with 48 most popular.

 

[TTT15]

This is what Spotify say. I post it without comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/truespotify/comments/1nf17py/comment/ndtien2

MRD.

 

[PristineSound]

Can anyone hear the difference between lossless and 320kbps in Spotify ?

The truth is, nearly everyone won't be able to tell the difference without a back to back A/B comparison at best. Maybe except for very few technical people who are experienced in DSP knows what artifacts to look for without needing to do a back to back A/B comparison.

I personally, absolutely cannot tell without a back to back A/B comparison, and even that would be a very difficult task for me that would require full concentration.

If anyone tells you otherwise. . .well, be skeptical.

 

[PristineSound]

This is what Spotify say. I post it without comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/truespotify/comments/1nf17py/comment/ndtien2

And yet, they don't support ASIO. Dumb.

I hope ASIO is a feature they are working on and will be available shortly.

 

[Burnside]

And yet, they don't support ASIO. Dumb.

I hope ASIO is a feature they are working on and will be available shortly.

If you read further in that thread, they do say they have a few developers very keen on it so if you take that optimistically they might well be already working on it.

 

[PristineSound]

If you read further in that thread, they do say they have a few developers very keen on it so if you take that optimistically they might well be already working on it.

The ASIO feature has been requested for years, it's actually an officially feature request. . .so let's hope they get that out there.

 

[Multiway]

Been lurking here a while..

Time to contribute.

Performed a quick blind test..

In the red corner; Sonore Ultrarendu into Gustard U18 reclocker into 4 in 8 out Najda DSP. Using Qobuz.
Ultrarendu does not have Spotify Lossless Connect implemented yet.

In the blue corner; Wiim Pro Plus into Najda.
Using Spotify Lossless Connect.

Both using Lan connection.

This came about as brother in-law is over from Sweden for the week - he’s interested in music and hifi, plays a mean death metal guitar and much Metallica on acoustic.

We set up the Wiim Pro Plus.
Played it in using Optical SPdif, so I could seamlessly switch between Ultrarendu on Coax in and Wiim on the fly.

Cued up the same playlist on both and had a back to back listen..

It surprised us. Was much closer than expected!

I had previously dismissed the Wiim Pro Plus and even the Ultra reclocked by Gustard U18. (Was using Qobuz at the time).

We then cooked up a blind test between the two streamers/services.

6 tracks, 3 normal res and 3 hi res in Qobuz, all lossless in Spotify..
Qobuz was played using DLNA.
Spotify using Connect.

Made sure the listener had no idea which streamer was playing.
Could be switched at the whim of the listener.
Preference recorded.

The results were interesting.

Brother in-law chose 4 of 6 in favour of Wiim / Spotify Lossless.
All 3 hi res lost - he chose lossless/Wiim!

Tested a fresh set of 6 songs on me..

I chose 5 of 6 in favour of Spotify lossless/Wiim!

Absolutely gobsmacked.
What the!..

Can it be Spotify and Wiim have cooked up the perfect match that suit my system / ears.
Is it that it sounds new and fresh to me?
I’m so used to the Ultrarendu/Quobuz sound.

Listened to Spotify Lossless / Wiim rest of the evening. Genuinely impressed!

Will Ultrarendu (when Spotify lossless implementation arrives) sound even better? I don't know.
Will blind test again

We then did a blind test (same as above with new tracks) 320 orb Spotify v Lossless Spotify on the Wiim Pro +.
We both could tell which was which everytime.

Next up is blind test comparing Qobuz Vs Spotify lossless on the Wiim.

 

[PristineSound]

Been lurking here a while..

Time to contribute.

Performed a quick blind test..

In the red corner; Sonore Ultrarendu into Gustard U18 reclocker into 4 in 8 out Najda DSP. Using Qobuz.
Ultrarendu does not have Spotify Lossless Connect implemented yet.

In the blue corner; Wiim Pro Plus into Najda.
Using Spotify Lossless Connect.

Both using Lan connection.

This came about as brother in-law is over from Sweden for the week - he’s interested in music and hifi, plays a mean death metal guitar and much Metallica on acoustic.

We set up the Wiim Pro Plus.
Played it in using Optical SPdif, so I could seamlessly switch between Ultrarendu on Coax in and Wiim on the fly.

Cued up the same playlist on both and had a back to back listen..

It surprised us. Was much closer than expected!

I had previously dismissed the Wiim Pro Plus and even the Ultra reclocked by Gustard U18. (Was using Qobuz at the time).

We then cooked up a blind test between the two streamers/services.

6 tracks, 3 normal res and 3 hi res in Qobuz, all lossless in Spotify..
Qobuz was played using DLNA.
Spotify using Connect.

Made sure the listener had no idea which streamer was playing.
Could be switched at the whim of the listener.
Preference recorded.

The results were interesting.

Brother in-law chose 4 of 6 in favour of Wiim / Spotify Lossless.
All 3 hi res lost - he chose lossless/Wiim!

Tested a fresh set of 6 songs on me..

I chose 5 of 6 in favour of Spotify lossless/Wiim!

Absolutely gobsmacked.
What the!..

Can it be Spotify and Wiim have cooked up the perfect match that suit my system / ears.
Is it that it sounds new and fresh to me?
I’m so used to the Ultrarendu/Quobuz sound.

Listened to Spotify Lossless / Wiim rest of the evening. Genuinely impressed!

Will Ultrarendu (when Spotify lossless implementation arrives) sound even better? I don't know.
Will blind test again

We then did a blind test (same as above with new tracks) 320 orb Spotify v Lossless Spotify on the Wiim Pro +.
We both could tell which was which everytime.

Next up is blind test comparing Qobuz Vs Spotify lossless on the Wiim.

Confused. So this is a test between electronics and streaming format?

Try using the same exact electronics for different streaming formats.