Can't hear the difference between Spotify and hi-res quality? That could be a blessing in disguise

[What Hi-Fi?]

Once you notice the difference good streaming quality makes to music listening, there’s no going back…

Can't hear the difference between Spotify and hi-res quality? That could be a blessing in disguise : Read more

 

[Corpus_Chain]

Great article! As both a hi-fi nerd and a whisky enthusiast, I can empthise with your situation. I think I envy people who are unaware of the joys of expensive hi-fi, and are happy to listen to their music on whatever device, while I go through life sneering at low quality audio. Sometimes people will play a song to me on their phone and ask what I think: my response is, "can you send me a link? I can't give an opinion without hearing it on a proper system." I think in these situations, I miss out on a little human connection due to my snobbery about hi-fi, and I wish I didn't care. But you can't unknow what you know, and I guess I can't really be too hard on myself for that.

 

[Friesiansam]

I think it is very simple. Many basic Spotify users are using devices that can’t make the most of higher quality streams, so they can’t tell the difference and, it’s likely most basic Spotify users don’t actually care.

 

[AndrewF]

This editorial comes across as a bit condescending, and considering the likely audience of audiophiles, more than a little self-congratulatory. I don’t think anyone is questioning that “good gear sounds better”, although there is very definitely a point of diminishing return and a lot of snake oil out there. It’s also reasonably clear that people can tell the difference between heavily compressed MP3 and better files. It’s not at all clear, though, from scientifically conducted, blinded A/B studies, that the overwhelming majority of people can tell “CD quality” from high-res files. I can only speak to my own experience- I have decent gear, appreciate the difference between my best system and the others, but am almost entirely unable to tell the difference between Apple Music streamed over AirPlay 2 and the “high-resolution” files I get from a hardwired connection.

(Sorry for the bold type- not sure what I did)

 

[bradavon]

No you haven't. Spotify Premium and TIDAL Hi-Fi both cost the same.

From the 10th of August Tidal Hi-Fi Plus id being abolished and you'll even get High Res audio for the same price as Spotify.

Two basic facts the author should've checked because they both the argument away.

Spotify and YouTube Music are now the only two music streaming services not offering at least CD Quality Lossless 🤷

 

[bradavon]

I think it is very simple. Many basic Spotify users are using devices that can’t make the most of higher quality streams, so they can’t tell the difference and, it’s likely most basic Spotify users don’t actually care.

Most users only use Bluetooth these days.

Which for the majority of users only supports Lossy Audio anyway.

To hear "the difference" you need to not be using bluetooth.

 

[Friesiansam]

Most users only use Bluetooth these days.

Which for the majority of users only supports Lossy Audio anyway.

To hear "the difference" you need to not be using bluetooth.

Indeed.

 

[Mac202]

I had been happily listening to Spotify on my home speaker systems for a few years. I then purchased some B&W wireless headphones. Despite the glowing reviews I was somewhat underwhelmed by the headphones performance.

Later B&W offered me a 3 months free subscription to Qobuz. I then started to realise what I had been missing. A bit of reading up also explained that in accessing my music via Bluetooth that I still wasn’t getting the best sound available. So I plugged my headphones into my laptop, set the sound card to 24/192 and a whole new world of sound opened up for me.

Inevitably this then lead to me getting a DAC so that I could access my music from my phone and after much reading and YT videos I am much more enlightened into the whole topic of lossless and Hi-res audio.

There is always the temptation to upgrade what you have but like AndrewF says there is very definitely a point of diminishing returns with all of this.

I’m just a rookie and have a lot to learn about hi-fi audio but nevertheless even my 69 year old ears could clearly make out the difference between Spotify lossy and lossless audio, given the right equipment.

Was I happy with Spotify before all this. Yes, but not entirely. I often felt that there was some clipping or distortion present, particularly with high-pitched sounds and that there was something generally missing from my music. Looking back now I can see that it was like I had been listening to it all through a tea towel.

 

[Blackswan]

The problem with audiophiles is that they often spend too much time listening to the hifi and not the music. It's a woods and trees scenario. Spotify might not be perfect but I'm happy to sacrifice a little sound quality for its flexibility.
Is Tidal better? Perhaps. Is Spotify good enough? Yes.

 

[Blackswan]

I had been happily listening to Spotify on my home speaker systems for a few years. I then purchased some B&W wireless headphones. Despite the glowing reviews I was somewhat underwhelmed by the headphones performance.

Later B&W offered me a 3 months free subscription to Qobuz. I then started to realise what I had been missing. A bit of reading up also explained that in accessing my music via Bluetooth that I still wasn’t getting the best sound available. So I plugged my headphones into my laptop, set the sound card to 24/192 and a whole new world of sound opened up for me.

Inevitably this then lead to me getting a DAC so that I could access my music from my phone and after much reading and YT videos I am much more enlightened into the whole topic of lossless and Hi-res audio.

There is always the temptation to upgrade what you have but like AndrewF says there is very definitely a point of diminishing returns with all of this.

I’m just a rookie and have a lot to learn about hi-fi audio but nevertheless even my 69 year old ears could clearly make out the difference between Spotify lossy and lossless audio, given the right equipment.

Was I happy with Spotify before all this. Yes, but not entirely. I often felt that there was some clipping or distortion present, particularly with high-pitched sounds and that there was something generally missing from my music. Looking back now I can see that it was like I had been listening to it all through a tea towel.

Yeah using an external DAC with nice headphones sounds better than my BT wireless headphones but the flexibility of the BT headphones usually wins out for me in most situations.

 

[My2Cents]

This article comes across as one big ad for Spotify with the 'Today's best Tidal Music and Spotify deals' links at the end... but actually no link to Tidal at all, just three links to Spotify! Was this article paid for by Ek?
I have no desire to support the Beyonce - Jay-Z Empire or Tidals' MQA nonsnese and so I choose Qobuz.
Qobuz is, if one purchases an annual subscription, the same price as a single user Spotify premium subsciption and, while it may not provide some of the 'features' for many users on the move, it provides great sound and an excellent selection of music for those who are not consumers of 'junk' pop music.

 

[AndrewF]

The problem with audiophiles is that they often spend too much time listening to the hifi and not the music. It's a woods and trees scenario. Spotify might not be perfect but I'm happy to sacrifice a little sound quality for its flexibility.
Is Tidal better? Perhaps. Is Spotify good enough? Yes.

This is an excellent point. I sometimes have to tell my inner audiophile to “shut up and listen to the music, not the gear”.

 

[Blackswan]

This article comes across as one big ad for Spotify with the 'Today's best Tidal Music and Spotify deals' links at the end... but actually no link to Tidal at all, just three links to Spotify! Was this article paid for by Ek?
I have no desire to support the Beyonce - Jay-Z Empire or Tidals' MQA nonsnese and so I choose Qobuz.
Qobuz is, if one purchases an annual subscription, the same price as a single user Spotify premium subsciption and, while it may not provide some of the 'features' for many users on the move, it provides great sound and an excellent selection of music for those who are not consumers of 'junk' pop music.

TBH if it wasn't that my hifi only had Spotify connect then I might be tempted by another source. I like soundcloud for it's diversity but it's not something that is embedded into hardware unless perhaps with Chromecast.

 

[Crabbydude]

My wife uses Spotify for her daily desktop listening and workouts. I transferred her playlists to Qobuz so we can both enjoy the “proper” listening experience in the living room and/or car. The car is still lacking a bit with no DAC for Apple CarPlay but the fidelity is quite noticeable

 

[Wales1]

I've never been a fan of Spotify.

 

[YVR_Audiophile]

Couldn’t agree more. I don’t consider myself a ‘snob’. I do find it frustrating when people with the means, who love music, don’t at least give a little nod to better quality sound. I find I’m surrounded by people who will dump $100s on the latest AirPods or (shudder) Beats headphones, when better cheaper options are available. And they’re all listening to Spotify - the Ford Pinto of streaming apps (less than decent quality but tons of marketing genius behind it).

Constantly, family listening to music directly out of their phones, or via single Bluetooth speakers feels like nails on a chalkboard to me. As a HiFi angel of sorts, I try to bring them the gift of basic HiFi. I’ve given some basic 2-channel amps or even old AVRs and a pair of speakers, and little DACs hoping they’ll see the light (and those ones do - even if their SOs hate me for introducing them to this new hobby, lol).

One of my earliest recommendations to most is “okay, you got the AirPods… make sure you dump Spotify for Apple Music, or you will have wasted your money”. That generally gets them pointed in the right direction. I let them know that the CD quality service on a family plan will actually work out to a better deal for the whole family.

There is still a lot of work to do. Part of it is a desire to revive our hobby, which is slowly dying because of things like online shopping. I mean, you can’t appreciate the difference in sound of you can’t kick the tires on a few systems in the same listening environment.

I have separate HiFi systems in 5 rooms in my home. When friends come over they enjoy the sound and ask questions. Some of them now have their own little setups. I feel good about this. If I can save my local audio shops from the clutches of the dreaded Best Buy Bluetooth speakers my mission is a success!

 

[manicm]

This article is the biggest load of rubbish I've ever heard. I can clearly hear the difference between Spotify at max level and Tidal at Hi-fi quality, even on a phone with earbuds.

Utter and complete drivel.

 

[Leon74]

Yeah using an external DAC with nice headphones sounds better than my BT wireless headphones but the flexibility of the BT headphones usually wins out for me in most situations.

The LDAC codec and a good pair of headphones gives a very enjoyable sound.

 

[Leon74]

I think I envy people who are unaware of the joys of expensive hi-fi, and are happy to listen to their music on whatever device, while I go through life sneering at low quality audio.

It even doesn't need to be really expensive. I guess it's within reach for everyone middle class and up.
I guess the huge acceptance of Spotify's low quality is due to the younger generations having grown up with low quality devices and indeed, not knowing better.

Funny annecdote: My husband is a musician and one of his pupils had just bought a Harman/Kardon (mass produced, bluetooth) speaker. He had heard the sound and told me it was pretty good. I was rather sceptic but as my husband's birthday was approaching we decided he would get it as a present for his birtday.
Man, he was disappointed when he listened to the device at home: At the music school where he teaches, it was a big room with much better acoustics where he listened to the device but here at home it gave off a very dull sound. It went back to Amazon immediately. He hadn't expected it to sound as good as his Hifi set, but it sounded just terrible.

Maybe I am not audophile enough, but if I am in the mood, I can easily switch on an old fashioned little transistor radio and listen to FM. Or use a little Sony radio (Dab+FM) speaker that sounds a bit better. When I quickly want to hear a bit of music. But once you're hooked to a higher sound quality most of the time you do want to hear that higher quality. Downgrading isn't an option.

 

[ixon76]

I listen to YouTube Music mainly because it's part of the YouTube subscription, I only ever listen to it either in the car with Android Auto or on my phone with Nothing Ear 2's, & this is fine for me.

Way back in my youth in the early 90's I put together a decent Separate Hi-Fi system, hoping to hear to difference compared to my flashy light Aiwa System I had at the time, & tbh with the amount of money I spent I was kind of disappointed with the outcome, as I couldn't really tell the difference in audio quality as my ear's just aren't tuned for audio nuances, which nowadays is a blessing as this saves me a lot of money.

 

[boosy21]

This editorial comes across as a bit condescending, and considering the likely audience of audiophiles, more than a little self-congratulatory. I don’t think anyone is questioning that “good gear sounds better”, although there is very definitely a point of diminishing return and a lot of snake oil out there. It’s also reasonably clear that people can tell the difference between heavily compressed MP3 and better files. It’s not at all clear, though, from scientifically conducted, blinded A/B studies, that the overwhelming majority of people can tell “CD quality” from high-res files. I can only speak to my own experience- I have decent gear, appreciate the difference between my best system and the others, but am almost entirely unable to tell the difference between Apple Music streamed over AirPlay 2 and the “high-resolution” files I get from a hardwired connection.

(Sorry for the bold type- not sure what I did)

100% agree. This is back-patting that you're too used to it and too trained in the art of hi-fi to slum it with Spotify basic. It's been shown time and again that even experts can't discern between streaming services on the same equipment. You're just cursed with playing tunes on caviar equipment and parish the thought of anything else. But you'll survive, we believe in you.