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Will you stop using Spotify now? Vote

Will you stop using Spotify?

  • Yes

    Votes: 143 34.5%
  • No

    Votes: 226 54.5%
  • I don't know

    Votes: 35 8.4%
  • On the contrary, I'll start using Spotify now!

    Votes: 11 2.7%

  • Total voters
    415

ThatM1key

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How is that different for any album streamed at 320kbps or any other data rate? I think you're confusing data compression with audio compression.
S
Not data compression, I mean Dynamic range compression
 

ThatM1key

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That has nothing to with FLAC. This has been going on long before FLAC was anywhere near mainstream.
Yes I know, I'm saying it affects the music on these streaming services too.
 

valerianf

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More than 10 years ago I started to create some music Playlists on Spotify (free version). I always enjoyed the user interface but was deceived by the audio quality. Thus I stopped listening streaming music.
One year ago I discovered Amazon music HD and starting to use it.
The user interface is not perfect but at the price for Prime members there is not really any competitor.
Audio quality is good, up to 24 bits/192 khz.
Sorry Spotify, I do not think that I will come back to you.
 

Yasuo

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Well I stopped using Spotify a couple of years ago, but for music only as I'm still using it for podcasts.
 

Mnyb

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I think spotifies 320k ogg compression is good enough. I’m happy they don’t gauge audiophiles by selling the same files with inflated data footprint .

A real hifi streaming service would care more about the provenance of the masters than the file formats involved.

But that takes real work in curating these albums and playlists and agreements with labels that goes far above the automated upload of whatever that is used by streaming services today . It would be an entirely manual labour effort and cost a fortune and I don’t think any reasonable monthly fee would cover it considering the extremely small percentage of listeners that would use this service .

I don’t think the concept is even possible . What if the label wants to promote the latest loudness war ultra compressed garbage version of an album? When the best version may be the 1987 CD version ?
 
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OP
DanielT

DanielT

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More than 10 years ago I started to create some music Playlists on Spotify (free version). I always enjoyed the user interface but was deceived by the audio quality. Thus I stopped listening streaming music.
One year ago I discovered Amazon music HD and starting to use it.
The user interface is not perfect but at the price for Prime members there is not really any competitor.
Audio quality is good, up to 24 bits/192 khz.
Sorry Spotify, I do not think that I will come back to you.
Now, I have not tried to create such large playlists on anything other than Spotify, but I wonder how smooth it would be, in a comparison between different providers.

 

voodooless

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Yes I know, I'm saying it affects the music on these streaming services too.
It affects basically almost any and every music. Physical new mediums just as much.

But yes, the streaming platforms don't let you play the exact album version from back then that was not or less affected by the Loudness War. I recently did a comparison of my stack of older CD's vs the versions on Spotify (and probably any other streaming platform), just by looking op the average DR, and indeed many albums suffer from crappy releases. Reason enough to start securely ripping all my CD's.
 
D

Deleted member 23424

Guest
I don't agree at all with that statement. I compared
tidal, Spotify, Apple music, Deezer and qobuz with each other and I prefer QOBUZ.

I compared my favourite Redbook CDs with the Qobuz version where there is only CD quality and it sounds the Same.

Spotify sounds the worst. Tidal is just a scam. I don't like the Deezer app.

And apple music does not work with other streaming apps (I'm using streammagic from Cambridge and had Roon for a while).
Agreed

Anyone claiming they can't hear a difference between Spotify and Qobuz needs to invest in some Q-Tips and soap. They're night and day.

Take Spotify's UI and algorithm out of the picture and it's just an awful service. Personally I don't want to be told what to listen to, least of all by a robot, so I have zero interest in their service whatsoever.

Having used all of the available services:

If sound quality is your main concern Qobuz is easily the best. It sounded marginally better on my old system, now, via a purifi amp it sounds distinctly better.

Tidal (I'm currently retrying it via the £1 deal) is grim. Mediocre audio quality (I don't want MQA so I'm left with 16/44.1) and seems to be hell bent on forcing R&B mumble rap pop bollocks into my ears at every opportunity. That aside, it does seem to have most underground/avant garde avenues covered.

Spotify is fine if A) you don't care about e poorer audio quality and B) you prefer a more radio like service that spoonfeeds you selections via algorithms.

Amazon: fuck those guys.


SOUNDIIZ PLAYLIST TRANSFER

Also, for those who feel tied to one service or another due to extensive library/playlists curation I can recommend Soundiiz.

Pay $4 for one month. Log into all of your streaming accounts via their website et voila it'll copy all of your playlists, favourite albums/artists/tracks across all of the services.

Then cancel.

I do this once every 6 months or so. Means I can flit between services whenever they offer deals and keep abreast of them all.
 

Thomas_A

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The service that will offer the most original masters (read early CD-versions), which is that?
 
D

Deleted member 23424

Guest
I don’t think the concept is even possible . What if the label wants to promote the latest loudness war ultra compressed garbage version of an album? When the best version may be the 1987 CD version ?
In this instance you ( I/we/us) are in the severe minority and this is where you/I need to buy/download/rip that particular album.

Putting down streaming services for the quality of studio work and files provided to them by the record labels is counter productive to this conversation.
 

Colonel Bogey

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Stockholm, Sweden

A bit OT, but is classical music also subjected to dynamic compression when streamed compared to the original CD version?

EDIT: After a little googling, it seems that is usually isn't. The only loudness war victims in classical might be the "best of" compilations by the largest, most commercial labels. I hope...
 
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Taddpole

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Aug 15, 2020
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I never understood the fuss made about Spotify, people go on about it's UI being much better but seems much of a muchness with all the other apps to me. Plus last time I used it it seemed to force you to use black background and white text and that hurts my eyes.

So didn't really use it before and wouldn't switch to it now they offer less than others for same cost.
 

voodooless

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Is it possible to hear the difference, sound quality, between different streaming providers? Have any serious, reliable blind tests been performed? Where you can read, in detail, about how the test was performed?

@dOSs might have:

Anyone claiming they can't hear a difference between Spotify and Qobuz needs to invest in some Q-Tips and soap. They're night and day.

Surely he has done an extensive controlled test and documented it all for us to evaluate?
 
D

Deleted member 23424

Guest
@dOSs might have:



Surely he has done an extensive controlled test and documented it all for us to evaluate?
Jesus. Here we go. The usual end to any discussion on here: snidey, condescending, snarky comments and WHERE IS THE WHITE PAPER YOU'VE PRODUCED WITH YOUR FINDINGS. Give it a rest.

If you don't notice any difference between Spotify and Quobuz you have my sympathies.
 

alont

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Jesus. Here we go. The usual end to any discussion on here: snidey, condescending, snarky comments and WHERE IS THE WHITE PAPER YOU'VE PRODUCED WITH YOUR FINDINGS. Give it a rest.

If you don't notice any difference between Spotify and Quobuz you have my sympathies.

I get why you feel this way, but you gotta understand that our brains can easily be fooled... I don't think anyone here is calling you a liar but unless you level matched the two services, made sure they use the same master and compared them blindly, there's simply no way to rule out the possibility that your brain is playing tricks on you, or that your findings are due to another reason (such as incorrect level matching).

Some people would react in the same way you did when discussing cable risers, resonator pucks placed around their room, "hi-end" cabling and other snake oil stuff. Just because you can hear a difference, it doesn't mean there really is such a difference.
 

JJB70

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I think the crux of the matter is whether you need something to listen to your equipment, or whether you just want to enjoy music. If it's the former then I guess people will do whatever it is they need to do, if it's the latter then Spotify is fine and I am perfectly happy with what it delivers.
 

voodooless

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Jesus. Here we go. The usual end to any discussion on here: snidey, condescending, snarky comments and WHERE IS THE WHITE PAPER YOU'VE PRODUCED WITH YOUR FINDINGS. Give it a rest.
So that means you did not do a controlled test? What do you expect, that we take your word for it? You made the extraordinary claim, you come with the poof. And you think:
Anyone claiming they can't hear a difference between Spotify and Qobuz needs to invest in some Q-Tips and soap. They're night and day.
Is not a snidey, condescending and snarky comment? Grow up!
If you don't notice any difference between Spotify and Quobuz you have my sympathies.
At least it saves me a lot of money :cool: Besides I never divulged if I could, or could not. Anyway, it was not about me..
 
OP
DanielT

DanielT

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I get why you feel this way, but you gotta understand that our brains can easily be fooled... I don't think anyone here is calling you a liar but unless you level matched the two services, made sure they use the same master and compared them blindly, there's simply no way to rule out the possibility that your brain is playing tricks on you, or that your findings are due to another reason (such as incorrect level matching).

Some people would react in the same way you did when discussing cable risers, resonator pucks placed around their room, "hi-end" cabling and other snake oil stuff. Just because you can hear a difference, it doesn't mean there really is such a difference.
Tip:

 

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