Spotify FINALLY announces HiFi streaming

displayname
displayname Posts: 1,148
in 2 Channel Audio
Better late than never I guess! No mention of price hikes, so if it's coming to current Premium accounts without an extra charge I probably won't be renewing Tidal. Luckily I did a full year subscription of Tidal, so I should hopefully have a few months of overlap if they roll it out sooner than later.

https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-02-22/five-things-to-know-about-spotify-hifi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W07MvWbuWkI
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,013
    Going by the YouTube preview image, that's the first time I've seen Billie Eilish look somewhat tolerant of being on this planet with the rest of us.
    I disabled signatures.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    Billie who?
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,013
    The chick in the video, gramps.
    I disabled signatures.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    I wonder if it's hard to put a record onto a turntable with those fingernails.

    pc0dpn6sah5b.png
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,546
    Pretty face, too bad about the rest.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    edited February 2021
    Maybe now that Spotify is finally going lossless, Pandora will finally go from 192kbps mp3 to 320?!?

    Der duh der. Like two dinosaurs trudging along, refusing to accept that the future of streaming is lossless.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,801
    edited February 2021
    . . . .
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,640
    Billie eilish, her music is recorded incredibly. The soundstaging is off the charts. The bass is also very interesting and deep. The music is just so so

    Will have to check it Spotify
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    I wonder where the select markets are located?
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    edited February 2021
    gudnoyez wrote: »
    I wonder where the select markets are located?

    All those states that surround Iowa.
    :p
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  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,788
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    gudnoyez wrote: »
    I wonder where the select markets are located?

    All those states that surround Iowa.
    :p

    Dang it!
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    Welcome news. Now all the other services will have to up their game to compete with Spotify's UI...I think a lot of folks will be jumping ship to Spotify.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • RamZet
    RamZet Posts: 792
    No idea why anyone wouldn't use Amazon HD or Tidal with MQA.
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    RamZet wrote: »
    No idea why anyone wouldn't use Amazon HD or Tidal with MQA.
    UI, streamer integration, music suggestions and discovery, friends that use Spotify only.
    For me the question becomes what is Tidal or Amazon offering that Spotify isn't. MQA, higher rez, a few high profile exclusive artists.

    Like many things in audio, there just isn't a perfect solution.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
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  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,462
    RamZet wrote: »
    No idea why anyone wouldn't use Amazon HD or Tidal with MQA.

    I was annoyed with Amazon HD because they didn't have any facility for ensuring bitperfect streaming to an external DAC that bypasses the Windows Kernel Mixer. No ASIO or Wasapi integration into their desktop streaming software. Both Qobuz and TIDAL do have that.

    For people who are using a music streamer that has Amazon HD support that wouldn't be an issue.
    George / NJ

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  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 1,026
    It's about freakin time. I started with Spotify because of their great library. They lost me because of sound quality. I'm with Qobuz now. Depending on price,I may go back.
    See my profile for list of gear.
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited February 2021
    VR3 wrote: »
    Billie eilish, her music is recorded incredibly. The soundstaging is off the charts. The bass is also very interesting and deep. The music is just so so
    Will have to check it Spotify
    Exactly! How the hell did she win all those Grammy's, I don't know. Also, some of her comments had me shaking my head but she's said some good things as well.

    Anyway, when searching stations I run across her music from time to time. I agree that some of the tracks are recorded pretty well.

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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    F1nut wrote: »
    Pretty face, too bad about the rest.
    There is a long list for that.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    I will feel (more than) a little vindicated if this 'upgrade' really pans out. I've avoided Tidal at all 'costs' :D so curious to see if we truly experience higher quality with Spotify.

    There's no doubt this is due to Spotify's failure to actually turn a profit since...forever. You can easily see from the charts below that, even with increasing revenue year-over-year, they have yet to turn a profit.
    5h3nwvurz5gk.png
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,640
    WLDock wrote: »
    VR3 wrote: »
    Billie eilish, her music is recorded incredibly. The soundstaging is off the charts. The bass is also very interesting and deep. The music is just so so
    Will have to check it Spotify
    Exactly! How the hell did she win all those Grammy's, I don't know. Also, some of her comments had me shaking my head but she's said some good things as well.

    Anyway, when searching stations I run across her music from time to time. I agree that some of the tracks are recorded pretty well.

    Dunno man, what she does with the soundstage in the mix is head turning.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    jdjohn wrote: »
    There's no doubt this is due to Spotify's failure to actually turn a profit since...forever. You can easily see from the charts below that, even with increasing revenue year-over-year, they have yet to turn a profit.

    Has any streaming service made a profit yet?
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Has any streaming service made a profit yet?
    Good question! I can't attempt to answer that with any confidence. I think Spotify is the only one publicly traded. Qobuz's library is apparently provided through Sublime+, FWIW. Tidal was originally owned by Jay-Z, but is now 'artist owned' by committee, so good luck with that.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,801
    edited February 2021
    jdjohn wrote: »
    I will feel (more than) a little vindicated if this 'upgrade' really pans out. I've avoided Tidal at all 'costs' :D so curious to see if we truly experience higher quality with Spotify.

    There's no doubt this is due to Spotify's failure to actually turn a profit since...forever. You can easily see from the charts below that, even with increasing revenue year-over-year, they have yet to turn a profit.
    5h3nwvurz5gk.png

    Looks like the trend for any good, modern tech company ;)

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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    I think they’ve teased us with this announcement once before.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    I think they’ve teased us with this announcement once before.

    Yessir!
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    I think they’ve teased us with this announcement once before.
    They have absolutely teased it with surveys, maybes, and other indirect responses to questions. But to my knowledge this is there first conclusive announcement committing to it. And paying for a high profile pop star to announce it shows a pretty serious financial commitment to it as well.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    displayname wrote: »
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    I think they’ve teased us with this announcement once before.
    They have absolutely teased it with surveys, maybes, and other indirect responses to questions. But to my knowledge this is there first conclusive announcement committing to it. And paying for a high profile pop star to announce it shows a pretty serious financial commitment to it as well.

    They beta tested it well over a year ago...that really fanned the flame!
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,801
    rooftop59 wrote: »
    displayname wrote: »
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    I think they’ve teased us with this announcement once before.
    They have absolutely teased it with surveys, maybes, and other indirect responses to questions. But to my knowledge this is there first conclusive announcement committing to it. And paying for a high profile pop star to announce it shows a pretty serious financial commitment to it as well.

    They beta tested it well over a year ago...that really fanned the flame!
    [emphasis added] B)

    as we used to say of one rather unlucky company I once worked for (whose product development cycle time was a bit leisurely, despite the best of intentions)

    "Bringing you yesterday's products tomorrow!"


    of course, in fairness, one might also invoke another old bromide:
    "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese"

    ;)


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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    I don't get the whole "select markets" thing. I guess they'll only transmit over a certain range of IP addresses, and certain cell towers?
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    jdjohn wrote: »
    I don't get the whole "select markets" thing. I guess they'll only transmit over a certain range of IP addresses, and certain cell towers?
    My guess would be that it has more to do with licensing. Of the music.

    For example, Chesky doesn't put any of their music on Tidal because they want you to purchase their full high res files. But they do have their music on Spotify to allow people to sample the music, and hopefully purchase the high res later.

    I'm sure they have large teams working on what markets make the most sense. The formula probably includes licensing, % of users willing to pay more for Premium or hifi, internet distribution laws/regulations, infrastructure to support hifi bandwidth, cost of supporting hifi with existing infrastructure, and some other things I'm sure.

    I would imagine the US and most of Europe will be in the first markets. Largest music markets, largest customer bases, strongest internet infrastructures. Plus people in the US tend to be willing to pay a little more on subscription services. But parts of Asia and Africa can be much more complicated to roll out something like this.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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