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Spotify announces HiFi music streaming


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Spotify announces HiFi music streaming

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Artists and fans have told us that sound quality is important to them. We agree, and that’s why today at Stream On we announced Spotify HiFi.

Beginning later this year, Premium subscribers in select markets will be able to upgrade their sound quality to Spotify HiFi and listen to their favorite songs the way artists intended.

Read on for five things you need to know about our new high-quality music experience:
  • High-quality music streaming is consistently one of the most requested new features by our users.
  • Spotify HiFi will deliver music in CD-quality, lossless audio format to your device and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers, which means fans will be able to experience more depth and clarity while enjoying their favorite tracks.
  • Ubiquity is at the core of everything we do at Spotify, and we’re working with some of the world’s biggest speaker manufacturers to make Spotify HiFi accessible to as many fans as possible through Spotify Connect.
  • HiFi will be coupled with Spotify’s seamless user experience, building on our commitment to make sure users can listen to the music they love in the way they want to enjoy it.
  • Spotify HiFi will begin rolling out in select markets later this year, and we will have more details to share soon.

Want to learn more? Listen as American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and record producer FINNEAS speak about the importance of high-quality audio options for creators and fans: https://youtu.be/W07MvWbuWkI

For more information: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-02...ify-stream-on/

W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs

 

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This could be really bad news for Qobuz and Tidal. I think most users who care about SQ would prefer the giant Spotify catalog in CD to what the others offer in hi-res.

If it is, it could also force Roon to make a change in it's requirements for streaming integration in order to stay viable.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protectors +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Protection>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three BXT (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three BXT

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I think different CD quality choices is good for the consumer, bad for Record labels and Tidal maybe Qobuz too.

 

We shall see.

Current:  Daphile on an AMD A10-9500 with 16 GB RAM

DAC - TEAC UD-501 DAC 

Pre-amp - Rotel RC-1590

Amplification - Benchmark AHB2 amplifier

Speakers - Revel M126Be with 2 REL 7/ti subwoofers

Cables - Tara Labs RSC Reference and Blue Jean Cable Balanced Interconnects

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I'm surprised Spotify hasn't launched yet.  Apple and Amazon have both made announcements, Apple starting HiFi and Amazon dropping price on its HD music.  I think Spotify was a caught off guard by the pricing of both Apple and Amazon and this isn't going to be the cash cow they thought it was.  They will have to give it away for free with Premium to compete with Apple and Amazon.

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On 7/16/2021 at 6:43 AM, HC515 said:

I'm surprised Spotify hasn't launched yet.  Apple and Amazon have both made announcements, Apple starting HiFi and Amazon dropping price on its HD music.  I think Spotify was a caught off guard by the pricing of both Apple and Amazon and this isn't going to be the cash cow they thought it was.  They will have to give it away for free with Premium to compete with Apple and Amazon.

Hopefully, I can then ditch Tidal/mqa and save money, win win! 

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On 7/16/2021 at 12:43 AM, HC515 said:

I'm surprised Spotify hasn't launched yet.  

 

Agree,

today they released a new version of the desktop app for Mac (1.1.64.561) but no Spotify HiFi in sight.

It is a pity.

 

Matt

"I want to know why the musicians are on stage, not where". (John Farlowe)

 

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It has to be a money thing.  If you can't monetize it no rush to do it.  The only thing Spotify has going for it now is their expansive catalog and their algos that people seem to think recommends new music better than any other music service.  I could be perfectly happy with Deezer if they'd be more competitive with their HiFi price.  Amazon HD pricing and the additional 5% discount when you use Amazon Prime is enticing but Amazon hasn't embraced the RasPi ecosystem so my Hifiberry DAC2HD I bought earlier this year would become useless.  Which leaves me waiting for Spotify to get HiFi rolling at a price that competes with Apple and Amazon.

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I think it's a marketing and market positioning thing.

 

Spotify's main competition is Apple Music. Spotify announced lossless CD quality. Then, Apple came out with lossless CD and high resolution. If Spotify just follows through on its lossless CD offering, it falls behind on the marketing check boxes and it can't subsidize its pricing through iPhones, iCloud services, etc... 

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11 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I think it's a marketing and market positioning thing.

 

Spotify's main competition is Apple Music. Spotify announced lossless CD quality. Then, Apple came out with lossless CD and high resolution. If Spotify just follows through on its lossless CD offering, it falls behind on the marketing check boxes and it can't subsidize its pricing through iPhones, iCloud services, etc... 

Then again, if they don't launch hifi they will be offering a lower quality product from a SQ and marketing perspective and will lose market share. 

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1 hour ago, Rexp said:

Then again, if they don't launch hifi they will be offering a lower quality product from a SQ and marketing perspective and will lose market share. 

 

Even worse, Spotify would lose all credibility.......

 

Matt

"I want to know why the musicians are on stage, not where". (John Farlowe)

 

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  • 1 month later...

The real product differentiator would be to give lossless type SQ but with bandwidth efficiency.  With todays computing power, why has not anyone brought codec/algorithm like this market yet, or is that what MQA was trying to be?

 

Six months later...[#popcorn]

RIG:  iFi Zen Stream - Benchmark DAC3 L - LA4  AHB2 | Paradigm Sig S6 Cables:  anything available

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm almost thinking of boycotting Spotify Hifi when it does come out.  Can't believe we're in mid-October and they still haven't released it.  I gave up my Deezer Hifi back in April when I got a 2-month retry offer from Tidal.  Then I used another 3-month free trial with Deezer creating a different account.  I was sure by the end of those two free trials Spotify Hifi would be out but I was wrong.  Now I don't have any Hifi streaming music service and wondering what to do next.  I'd go with Amazon HD since it's the cheapest but I've moved to a RPi streamer and Amazon HD is not compatible with any RPi devices. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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