Will you stop using Spotify now? Vote

[Kegemusha]

I can hear the diff between 320kps and FLAC (depends of the music, playing some 70's punk does not matter at all) but, most of the time I listen music as background, wile working, or playing music in different rooms then 320Kps is ok. But if I really want to listen to music then is in FLAC, apple music losseless from mobile to a balance DAC is real nice, but is the only way I can get the apple music to play lossless. I have windows 10 (lossless seems to be working in windows11 app) and Adroids devices.
The chromecast from apple music is not so stable to an old audio cromecast while spotify always works 100%.

 

[Zensō]

Spotify is great if you don’t mind not owning what you buy but just rent it, subject to be changed or removed at any time.

I guess I never really felt like I owned the music I bought in physical format anyway; it was just renting in another arguably more fragile form.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

I look at it like having access to the biggest music library I could ever imagine, and simply paying a few bucks to enter the front door and have access, to 10s of thousands of albums. Nearly limitless.

Renting to me, is more of a pre-determined time limit.
I have not seen much be removed or changed all that often. In fact, it seems quite stable playlist and artist wise.


But I get your sentiments completely. At first I was not sure about it, but find myself drifting further and further from physical media.....
I find so much new stuff randomly it boggles my mind!

Agree that it is super at new music discovery. My friends used to come over to listen to the music I discovered when we were young. Now I still am discovering really cool music before anyone else I know. But at this age (64) no one I know cares about cool music anymore I am cool in my own head at least.

 

[SimpleTheater]

I guess I never really felt like I owned the music I bought in physical format anyway; it was just renting in another arguably more fragile form.

For some reason, one of my all time favorite albums, isn't available on Spotify or Amazon or Apple. The original soundtrack from Conan the Barbarian.

 

[Axo1989]

For some reason, one of my all time favorite albums, isn't available on Spotify or Amazon or Apple. The original soundtrack from Conan the Barbarian.

Don't know if these is the ones you want, but they might be:

 

[Atanasi]

Is "Supremium" an imaginary word to describe imaginary audio improvements?

It is probably a reference to the mathematical concept of "supremum", which means it doesn't necessarily exist and when it exists, it is often irrational.

 

[Kegemusha]

It is probable a reference to the mathematical concept of "supremum", which means it doesn't necessarily exists and when it exists, it is often irrational.

"As a general blend word of supreme and premium, supremium can also imply something or someone is particularly excellent and/or exclusive."

and it will be expensimium compared to others

 

[DanielT]

"As a general blend word of supreme and premium, supremium can also imply something or someone is particularly excellent and/or exclusive."

and it will be expensimium compared to others

Well described. Fantabulous I must even say.

 

[beagleman]

I think it would be great despite any of those relatively minor caveats. Anyone that had their own collection of music would probably still benefit greatly from subscribing to at least one of the streaming music services. If money was the main concern, I would always side for getting the streaming service over purchasing a material collection. Skip a month or two of streaming service and put that money towards some music you can't live without, in some pathological situation. If someone is unable to spend the money on a subscription, how much music can they purchase?

I know guys, that quite literally listen to the same 50-60 albums their entire life. Maybe buying 2-3 new things every few years.

For those guys, it makes zero sense to stream, as they are stuck with listening to their favorites only a different way.

 

[DanielT]

I know guys, that quite literally listen to the same 50-60 albums their entire life. Maybe buying 2-3 new things every few years.

For those guys, it makes zero sense to stream, as they are stuck with listening to their favorites only a different way.

Here's another one who listens to a few albums and he's also a pretty good (understatement) musician:

Steely Dan's Donald Fagen Discusses His Influences -- New York Magazine - Nymag

Steely Dan was the quintessential L.A. band, but Fagen himself has always been a New Yorker at heart.

nymag.com

 

[Adi777]

Except for classical music, which has consistently well engineered recordings and exists outside the blast radius of the loudness wars.

What about older jazz, progressive rock and electronic like Tangerine Dream?

 

[Galliardist]

What about older jazz, progressive rock and electronic like Tangerine Dream?

Consistent quality to begin with? Um, no. Older jazz goes back to the beginning of stereo recording and older microphones as well as trying to work out how to do stereo in the first place. And some of the places things were recorded were, well, fine for 78s... Earlier prog and electronic are caught in a similar situation with still learning about multitrack and studio techniques. A couple of the big names got good treatment but once you reach "lesser" bands and European prog the wheels sometimes fall off.

Suffered from compressed remastering? Yes, though often with Prog and early electronic it's a case that they put back the bass and reduce crosstalk, which shows up as a lower DR with the software, and some of the remasters are actual remixes where the individual tracks have been handled well first. Tangerine Dream? I have a couple of first pressing CDs there, and the later remasters certainly sound compressed to me: treble sounds odd on the 2018 remasters as well.

Mind you, there are some awful digital transfers of vintage classical recordings out there as well. It isn't so much dynamic compression there, but odd changes of balance and such. I've got some solo instrument discs ruined by heavy handed artificial reverb as well. I won't go on, it's depressing.

 

[Philbo King]

First....

1. Tried it on WHAT exactly?
2. What bitrate were you using?
3. What speed was your internet?
4. What "compression" are you referring to??

On my modest regular Hifi Stereo system on relatively fast internet it sounds great all the time.......

There are so many variables you do not even mention, it could be you or your set up, whatever it is, causing or limiting the sound.....

I don't know and don't care. The mere fact they inserted Mariah Carey into my blues & jazz stream was a deal killer. No further investigation was warranted.

 

[MRC01]

What about older jazz, progressive rock and electronic like Tangerine Dream?

Yes there are some exceptions to the sad state of affairs that is the norm. I don't know about Tangerine Dream, but Steven Wilson's remixes of older prog rock albums sound consistently great and they are not squashed.

I find jazz to be more of a mix. Much of the older remastered jazz and blues is well done (especially the Geffen release of Muddy Waters Folk Singer), though some are squashed.

 

[Galliardist]

Yes, music disappears, but that's something that consumers should know: it can and will happen with any of these services. Music labels get acquired and the agreements get revised or voided. Artists can also change their minds about where and how to publish, provided I guess they have the rights to their own music, etc etc. That's why I still buy music and keep a library I 100% own.

More insidious is that the version of an album will suddenly be replaced by a newer “remaster”. The labels control that, of course, and it happens on all the streaming services at once so you can’t escape. Often the greatest hits albums will have the tracks concerned changed as well. That can be really jarring.

 

[recycle]

Forget any platform that provides compressed audio: we're not in 2003... the way to go is Flac 96/24

 

[MRC01]

Forget any platform that provides compressed audio: we're not in 2003... the way to go is Flac 96/24

I almost agree. The way to go is to stream each recording in its native format, without conversion or lossy compression.

 

[Steven Holt]

I have said it before, and I will say it again : select the streaming service that carries the most music that you like and that has the best UI and do not worry about this lossy/lossless stuff. I would doubt that most people can tell the difference between MP3 and FLAC (and if u can, you should be really helping out the artist and buy the CD). Just concentrate on the true advantages of streaming instead of being neurotic about the SQ.

 

[recycle]

I have said it before, and I will say it again : select the streaming service that carries the most music that you like and that has the best UI and do not worry about this lossy/lossless stuff. I would doubt that most people can tell the difference between MP3 and FLAC (and if u can, you should be really helping out the artist and buy the CD). Just concentrate on the true advantages of streaming instead of being neurotic about the SQ.

This is an audiophile forum: anyone here with a decent sound system can spot the difference between an AAC compressed stream and a flac stream. I believe you are wrong when you say that "most people can't tell the difference".
About the CD: it is an obsolete technology, abandoned for at least 15 years: new CD players are difficult to find on the market and no record label prints albums on CD anymore. The only way to directly support artists is to buy their music on Bandcamp (and yes, it is in Flac format)

 

[Zensō]

This is an audiophile forum: anyone here with a decent sound system can spot imagine the difference between an AAC compressed stream and a flac stream.

There, I fixed it for you.

Seriously though, have you tested your own abilities? If not, you might consider trying this and letting us know how you do:

ABX High Fidelity Test list

A set of browser-based ABX tests comparing lossless and lossy music samples

abx.digitalfeed.net

You might be surprised, or it could turn out you’re one of the rare golden ears who can reliably pick out high bitrate lossy (256 AAC, 320 Ogg) from lossless.