That was the biggest giveaway comparing the 16/44.1 streams on Qobuz versus the 320kbps or the Ogg 320 on Spotify Premium. Highest notes from certain sopranos would cause horrible distortion/crackle/ringing or whatever one would call it on the lossy format streams, but not on the 16/44.1 stream, nor on the actual CDs in my collection. Kathleen Battle's Handel recordings are very consistent for this in my experience. Something about the lossy algorithms and unusual energy at certain frequencies causing a problem? Or perhaps it is coincidental to some other flaw in those particular files provided by the music label to Spotify and Qobuz. I found it consistent with all of my headphones as well as using my KEF LS50s on my desktop. No issue whatsoever at any volume with the compact discs or the Qobuz lossless streams.
This may be a different issue than
@noobie1 is reporting.
Tracks 1 and 2 from that album, on Spotify Premium, and the same issue on the lossy stream from Qobuz (unless they've replaced the files, I haven't checked in the past month, I just play my CD haha!).
Also the climaxes of a couple of the bravura arias in Kathleen Battle's complete recording of Handel's
Semele. When I first heard it, I thought it was a problem with my LS50s, as I'd never heard such distortions on any other KEF speakers I own. Then I found that all of my headphones also had a problem, and so I tried the CD and found to my relief that it was something in the streamed files, and not a defect in my speakers or headphones (well, they most likely have some kind of "defects," but at least not horrible crackling or other distortion on playing soprano high notes haha!).