Way back in 2017, we were promised lossless audio from the streaming giant that is Spotify. In 2021, it almost happened until we discovered the new Hi-Fi tier was CD-quality. Then, earlier this year, Music Pro was hinted at.
Now, it appears that the long wait is over, thanks to the newly announced 'Spotify Lossless.' We are told that this offers audio streaming up to 24-bit/44.1kHz in FLAC across "nearly every song" in Spotify's extensive 100 million+ catalogue. That's just higher than CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz).
You can upgrade to Lossless if you are already a Spotify Premium (£12/$12 per month) subscriber at no extra cost. Naturally, those who refuse to pay for music carefully created by musicians, engineers, and producers will miss out. However, current Spotify users will receive a notification once Lossless becomes fully available across mobile and desktop apps, as well as via third-party devices that support Spotify Connect.
Yes - Lossless works with Spotify Connect too, which will undoubtedly broaden its appeal. Launch partners include Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, Denon, Marantz, Bluesound and Yamaha, with Sonos support available "in the coming weeks".
Additionally, Cambridge has also confirmed that all its StreamMagic Gen 2-4 products are ready for Spotify's new streaming service. This includes MXN10, AXN10, CXN100 and EXN100, as well as the new Evo 150 SE streaming amplifier and the Evo One.
It is recommended that, to thoroughly enjoy Lossless, you need to use hardwired Ethernet or Wi-Fi streaming and wired headphones and speakers, or use Spotify Connect to stream music directly to compatible products, as Bluetooth just won't cut it.
To enable Spotify Lossless, you need to tap your profile icon and then head to settings and privacy. From there, tap on media quality and then select the option to enable Lossless quality – you'll have to do this for Wi-Fi, Cellular and Downloads options where needed. You'll know it's switched on when the Lossless indicator appears in the Now Playing view or bar.
Spotify Lossless will roll out incrementally to more than 50 countries throughout October, with premium subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK gaining access from launch.
We cannot wait to hear how Spotify Lossless stacks up against our current favourites, Qobuz.
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