If you want the best audio quality, you have to pay the price — in addition to the basic subscription. Spotify would be about to introduce a new one subscription plan called Music Prowhich will include the‘audio lossless a 16 e 24 bit. Furthermore, it should also have additional remix functions, according to what emerged from the code analysis of the latest version of the app. But the service will cost more than the basic one, and not all speakers and headphones support the technology.
Spotify: lossless audio coming soon, but paid with Music Pro
The Reddit user (via DDay.it) who inspected the code of the Spotify app discovered explicit references to the introduction of music in lossless format with encoding up to 24 bit e 44,1 kHz. This new plan, called Music Prowill replace the previous Spotify Hi-Fi or Superpremium, announced but never launched.
Analysis of the code reveals that the app will support audio up to 15.9 MB/min, in FLAC format. Furthermore, he reveals that Spotify has already prepared advertising for the new subscription level, talking about “Lossless has arrived” and “Your favorite music with 16-bit or 24-bit high fidelity sound”.
In addition to lossless audio, the Music Pro plan will also include new remix functions, such as the ability to accelerate the speed of songs, for example. Additionally, Spotify will introduce a “new patented technology” to improve playback with selected headphone models. In particular, Apple's AirPods are named in the code.
Unlike some competing streaming services, Spotify appears to have no plans to include support for audio Dolby Atmos or for sampling rates higher than 44.1 kHz (as Tidal does for example).
How much does quality cost?
The introduction of the Music Pro plan will bring lossless audio to Spotify, according to the code of the app in development. But there are still several details to be clarified: first of all the cost of the additional subscription.
The individual plan for Spotify currently costs 10.99 euros for the single plan (5.99 euros for students, 14.99 euros for Duo and 17.99 euros for Family). On services that already offer lossless audio such as Tidal, the price remains 10.99 euros for the individual plan (plus 9 euros to use it on DJ hardware and software), while the Family and Student plans actually cost one euro less. For comparison, Apple Music offers lossless audio for similar prices to Tidal, as does Amazon Music Unlimited, while Qobuz it costs 12.49 euros per month (for the annual subscription). So, the margin for increasing the price of your Spotify subscription seems really small.
Additionally, not all users will need to stream music in high fidelity. Lossless audio is an audio compression format that allows you to reduce file size without compromising the original sound quality. This means that a lossless audio file, once decompressed, is identical to the original. But it should be remembered that the Standard Bluetooth does not natively support lossless audio: The most popular Bluetooth codecs, such as SBC, AAC or aptX, are “lossy”. Qualcomm recently introduced the codec aptX Lossless, which promises Bluetooth streaming in CD quality (16 bit/44.1 kHz), and Apple also has its own proprietary codecs. However, to enjoy high quality audio you need have compatible headphones, whether wired or wireless. The same goes for speakers.
Not all users will be able to take advantage of lossless audio, but we like the fact that Spotify adds the possibility of listening to it. Of course, you need the right ear to appreciate it. But audiophiles will have another streaming option. Although it remains to be seen how much it will cost — and when Spotify will announce the release of the new subscription. We will keep you informed.
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