Spotify hi res audio4/13/2023 ![]() ![]() Reaching far beyond audiophile niche interests, Spotify’s announcement puts the issue of better streaming source quality in front of mainstream listeners. In 2021, CD-quality streams still form the backbone of every ‘hi-res’ streaming service: over 90% of Tidal and Qobuz’s ‘hifi’ libraries stream at a maximum of 16-bit/44.1kHz and go no higher. However, hi-res fanciers need only peek over their garden wall to see that their field of digital audio interest is a niche within a niche. We don’t know yet if ‘HiFi’ means that a small percentage of the Spotify HiFi library will also be made available to stream at rates higher than 16-bit/44.1kHz, as per Amazon HD, Tidal Hi-Fi or Qobuz. As we’ve argued before, a lossless streaming service effectively puts a CD store in your house (or on your smartphone). CD-quality streaming will see data rates rise to anything between 700kbps and 1400kbps. It is happening.Ĭurrently, Spotify’s Ogg Vorbis lossy-encoded streams top out at 320kbps. Side note: cynics complaining that we have heard all of this before ( and we have) are reminded that this time the news originates from Spotify’s own newsroom. ![]() The new ‘HiFi’ tier will offer CD-quality streaming to all Spotify apps – smartphone and desktop – as well as Spotify Connect-able audio devices. As bombs landing on the hi-fi/audiophile world go, they don’t get much bigger than this: Spotify is set to launch a lossless streaming tier sometime in 2021.
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