User: I think classical piano on Spotify sounds terrible, as if the strings were muted. On YouTube Music it's better, even though they also work with lossy codecs. Am I imagining this? Same effect with classical guitar, among others.
Assistant: You're not imagining it - there's actually something to that! Several factors can explain this:
Different audio codecs and bitrates: Even though both services use lossy compression, they often use different codecs (AAC, Ogg Vorbis, etc.) and different bitrates. YouTube Music sometimes uses higher bitrates or other encoder settings that work better with classical instruments.
Mastering and source material: The platforms often get their music from different sources or use different master versions. Some labels deliver specially optimized versions for certain platforms.
Audio processing: Spotify applies additional volume adjustments and normalization that can be problematic for classical music. These automatic processes can compress dynamics and make the sound "flatter."
Particularly vulnerable are instruments with complex overtones like piano and classical guitar. The fine harmonic details and natural decay of strings suffer greatly under aggressive compression.
You could try setting Spotify's audio quality to "Very high" and disabling "Volume leveling" in the settings - that sometimes helps. But basically you have a good point: for classical music, it's often worth comparing different streaming services.
User: Everything is already set to highest quality. I thought ogg vorbis from about 200 KB/sec is transparent.
Assistant: You're right - Ogg Vorbis from ~192-256 kbps is normally considered transparent. But with classical music it's more complicated:
Classical music is particularly demanding: The enormous dynamic ranges, complex harmonies, and natural decay of piano strings challenge codecs extremely. What sounds transparent with pop/rock can still have audible artifacts with a Steinway grand piano.
Encoder tuning: Not all Ogg Vorbis encoders are the same. Some are optimized for rock/pop, others consider classical music better. YouTube could simply use better encoder settings or newer versions.
Pre-echo and ringing: With percussive instruments like piano, codecs can create "pre-echo" - a slight "ringing" before the actual attack. This can sound like muted strings.
Psychoacoustic models: These are often calibrated for "normal" music. With classical instruments with their long reverb tails and subtle overtones, they can make wrong decisions about what's "inaudible."
It's quite possible that YouTube Music simply uses more conservative compression settings or better encoders for such critical content. Your hearing isn't deceiving you - with classical music, the differences between platforms are often more apparent than the bitrate alone would suggest.
