It’s been a long time since we last checked in with the world of hifi, but it seems as if the new year is finally bringing with it some good news. If you’re looking for a hifi with lossless support, you might be pleased to hear that Spotify and Tidal are now offering such a service.
Apple Music
Apple’s rumored HiFi lossless streaming option seems to be on the chopping block. The company hasn’t announced a release date, but it’s rumored to be coming later this year. This isn’t the first time that the company has teased a lossless feature. In fact, it was announced in May before Apple’s launch of its high-resolution upgrade to its own service.
At first glance, it would appear that the lossless streaming option is only available to subscribers. However, this is not entirely the case. Standard quality is still available for purchases in the iTunes store. And, the company does have a premium tier, which costs $9.99 a month.
It’s also worth mentioning that Apple Music offers other features. For instance, you can download songs to play offline, and listen to music on the web, mobile and Wear OS devices. Plus, the company has its own automotive solution with Apple CarPlay. These are all nice extras, but don’t do much for the core music listening experience.
Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming app, with 406 million users worldwide. It’s available on a wide variety of devices, including Android phones, tablets, desktops and Xbox. It even supports Google Wear OS wearables. Moreover, the service supports Sonos, Fitbit and Roku.
Unlike the competition, Apple Music’s free tier does not limit the number of songs you can save to your device. You can save up to 10,000 songs at a time. On top of that, you’ll have access to a variety of playlists, based on your activity and music tastes. But, you won’t be able to skip songs on the fly.
The company’s free tier includes over 40 hours of audio, as well as 15 collaborative playlists. As far as other features, it’s worth mentioning that it uses an algorithm to determine which playlists to recommend. There are three different algorithms in play: the most basic one is based on user preferences and recommendations, while the others factor in music elements like genre and tempo.
The onboarding video that was leaked in August seemed to be hinting at the existence of the HiFi feature. Fortunately, it turned out to be nothing more than a glitch. Though the “HiFi” icon remained on the app’s main screen, it was not actually visible.
Another cool gizmo that was reportedly on the way was a spatial audio feature. This would allow users to experience a better-than-CD quality listening experience. That’s a pretty big deal for audiophiles.
One of the more notable features of the new service is the fact that it offers an open letter to distributors and artists. Although there is no exact date yet, the company hopes to expand its global footprint in the near future.
As for the music itself, Apple’s lossless service offers superior sound quality. A high-quality DAC and headphones are required to take advantage of the audio quality. While this may seem like a hefty price tag, the company plans to make its lossless feature accessible to as many fans as possible.
Tidal
Tidal is a music streaming service that launched in 2014 and has since expanded to 61 countries. The company’s main focus is on personalized experiences and quality audio. Although the platform has been available for free, it also offers paid plans. For those interested in more high-fidelity audio, the company’s lossless stream is expected to be available later this year.
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services in the world. Its subscription plans are priced in a way that makes them more affordable for individuals. They also offer more features that appeal to individual music tastes. These include editorial playlists, more audiobooks, and a more extensive selection of genres. Unlike Tidal, Spotify does not offer a high-fidelity stream. However, it does offer a free tier that can help you decide if the service is for you.
During its first eight months, Tidal managed to acquire a million subscribers. At the beginning of this year, the company announced several changes to its platform. These changes include the introduction of new tiers, a new User-Centric Payment System, and a new pricing structure.
Tidal’s new plan, called HiFi Plus, includes more advanced audio quality. In addition to standard (320 kbps) and Master audio, Tidal also offers Dolby Atmos and MQA. While the audio quality is excellent, the cost is a little higher than that of Spotify.
In addition to the free tier, the company has recently introduced two other tiers: a Family subscription, which is similar to Spotify’s Premium family plan, and a free version that lets users stream all of their music for free. Both of these plans offer access to Tidal’s exclusive features and events. But what is the difference between the two?
TIDAL is a music streaming service owned by rapper Jay-Z. The service does not allow users to download or rip their own music library. Instead, it employs a third-party service to transfer music. However, users can choose to pay half of the price for the MQA ‘Hifi plus’ tier.
The first tier, called Standard, uses AAC. On the other hand, Tidal’s HiFi tier offers CD-quality audio. This audio quality is better than Spotify’s Standard tier, but not as good as its Master tier. Another difference between the two services is that Tidal uses FLAC for its HiFi audio quality. The use of FLAC is supposed to provide a more accurate, close-to-original sound. Despite this, the company’s website does not specify the exact codec used for its HiFi streams.
Although the company does not publish detailed listening statistics, it does collect data about how its users listen. The service displays this information in the form of a graphic. Users can also check to see where their streams are going. Ultimately, though, the company wants to make music streaming a viable source of income for artists.
Spotify Wrapped
The music streaming service, Spotify, has a high-resolution tier titled HiFi. It is expected to launch in select markets later this year. This tier will allow users to enjoy music in a lossless audio format. A human ear can’t tell the difference between lossy and lossless streams, so a lossless tier will be of interest to audiophiles and anyone who appreciates great sound quality.
The Spotify HiFi tier will allow users to enjoy music in CD-quality audio, while also allowing them to enhance the 16-bit depth and resolution of the music they play. Those benefits will be accompanied by a seamless user experience. Users will be able to toggle the feature by tapping on the icon in the lower corner of their screen.
Spotify’s flagship tier, Premium, currently delivers audio at 320kbit/s. With the HiFi tier, the service will be able to offer up to 44.1kHz. That’s a huge improvement on the previous streamer’s offerings.
Spotify’s new high-res tier will come at a price. It’s not yet clear how much this will cost. At the time of writing, it hasn’t been confirmed, but it isn’t likely to be cheaper than the usual Premium subscription. However, it is possible that it may be similar in price to Amazon Music’s $7.99 per month Prime service.
Streaming services have offered lossless versions of their services for some time now. Spotify has previously used HD-AAC and ATRAC, two algorithms that are used in lossless music formats. These are not easily discernible on cheap audio gear, but they do add credibility to Spotify’s music catalog among audiophiles.
When asked about its plans for this new tier, Spotify’s official account said that it was “on its way,” a tweet that was shared almost two years ago. After this, however, there’s been a lull in HiFi news. During this lull, it was rumored that Spotify was planning to roll out the new tier in the next few months. Earlier this year, though, the service confirmed that it would be launching its HiFi tier in “select markets” later this year.
In the meantime, however, Spotify’s newest update to its community forums seems to indicate that the company’s hi-res tier is not ready for primetime just yet. One thread in particular went into details on the features and functionality of the HiFi tier.
While the company hasn’t confirmed the features and functionality of the HiFi i, the rumors suggest that it will be a “studio sound” experience. It will also give you information on the most popular songs and audio content that you’ve listened to on Spotify. Lastly, there’s a slide-out menu that will show you the strength of your internet connection.
Among the most intriguing features of Spotify’s new tier, however, is the lossless audio streaming that will be available to customers in the near future. Although the service is still under construction, it will certainly be interesting to see what comes of this upcoming launch.
