Spotify is the most popular streaming app in the world, loved for its curated “daylists” and annual Spotify Wrapped breakdowns. Despite its popularity, though, Spotify still lags behind many of its competitors in terms of sound quality. That may soon change with the highly anticipated arrival of Spotify HiFi, the app’s premium audio add-on.
Although Spotify HiFi hasn’t yet been released, there are plenty of hints about what it will include, how much it’ll cost, and what it’ll mean for music lovers. We’ll break down the latest news and rumours about Spotify HiFi and offer some suggestions for how to improve your Spotify audio quality right now.
What is Spotify HiFi?
Spotify HiFi is an audio-quality upgrade for the popular music streaming app, rumoured to finally offer subscribers lossless audio, the highest sound quality available. In addition to offering lossless audio, leakers suggest the update will include mood-based organization, headphone optimization, and other new features. Spotify HiFi is not currently available, but recent signs, including a confirmation from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, point to a release in the next few months.
That said, Spotify’s eventual update might not go by the name “HiFi.” Though Spotify HiFi is the original name for the update and the one that still gets referenced the most, it’s also been rumoured, at different times, to be called Supremium or Music Pro. Most recently, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told investors that the premium audio add-on was coming soon and would likely cost an additional $5. He didn’t call it HiFi, though, instead opting for yet another new word: “deluxe.”
Does that mean Spotify HiFi is dead? Far from it. All signs point to Ek’s “deluxe” add-on as the newest name for the lossless audio add-on previously called HiFi, Supremium, and Music Pro.
What is lossless audio?
The term “lossless” is used to describe audio that is no different, sonically speaking, from the original master recording. “Lossless” doesn’t have an absolute definition, though the bitrate (the amount of data being transferred) for lossless streaming services like Apple Music and Tidal is between 600–1,000kbit/s. The highest quality Spotify offers, which is only available to Premium subscribers, is 320kbit/s.
Image: Spotify
Spotify’s relatively low quality has led many audiophiles to avoid the streaming service and caused popular artists like Neil Young and Mac DeMarco to voice their complaints about the poor user experience. So far, there’s no official word on the audio quality for the Spotify HiFi upgrade, though the update's code purportedly references “lossless audio.” Hopefully, that means sound that will compete with Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and others.
What else will Spotify HiFi include?
One of the more likely reasons Spotify’s add-on is no longer called HiFi is because the upgrade won’t be limited to a lossless upgrade. Bloomberg reports that the optional add-on will also include AI tools for generating playlists and new ways to manage song libraries. The additions will cost $5/month, tacked on to a customer’s pre-existing monthly subscription.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek believes customers are willing to pay that additional fee. “There’s a good subset of that group of 246 million subscribers that want a much better version of Spotify,” Ek said on a call with investors. “Those are huge music lovers who are primarily looking for even more flexibility in how they use Spotify and the music capabilities that exist on Spotify.”
Spotify HiFi Canada release date
There’s no official release date for Spotify HiFi in Canada. Bloomberg reports the add-on will be available by the end of 2024, but we’ve heard these kinds of promises before. After all, the company originally announced HiFi in 2021 and promised it would be out in the same year.
What we do know for sure is that Spotify’s U.S. Premium plan prices will increase by $1 per month later this year, and prices in Canada are expected to follow. Subscribers will be notified by email and given a one-month grace period before the new price takes effect.
Will the “deluxe” add-on Ek mentioned arrive with this change in pricing? We think there’s a good chance that will be the case, but it’s too early to say for sure.
Can I get better sound on Spotify?
There’s nothing you can do right now to get lossless audio on Spotify, but there are some things you can do to improve Spotify’s default sound. Here’s what we recommend.
Change your settings
Spotify’s default settings include lower audio quality to keep your data usage to a minimum. If you’d like to enhance Spotify’s audio quality on your phone or desktop, you can do it in a few easy steps.
Improve Spotify audio quality on mobile
- Go to Home.
- Tap your account icon in the upper lefthand corner. It’s a circle with the first letter of your username.
- Tap Settings and privacy.
- Tap Audio Quality.
- Tap Very high under WiFi streaming and Cellular streaming.
Improve Spotify audio quality on desktop
- Go to Home.
- Tap your account icon in the upper righthand corner. It’s a circle with the first letter of your username.
- Click Settings.
- Scroll down to Audio quality.
- Select Very high from the dropdown menu to the right of Streaming quality.
Upgrade your headphones
Sometimes, improving the sound of Spotify is all about your hardware. Grabbing a pair of high-quality headphones might be the easiest way to pick up some higher-quality audio. Here are some of the best headsets available now.
Soundcore Space A40
Forget AirPods: if you’re interested in earbuds with some real sonic depth, these headphones will do the job for a fraction of the cost. They also allow you to filter through audio filters, including LDAC, a lossless technology developed by Sony. When Spotify eventually brings lossless audio to its platform, these buds will be able to deliver it to its full extent.
JVC Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
These aren’t the cheapest headphones on the market, but we’ve found that over-the-ear sets produce a richer sound quality, especially when they’re designed to cancel out all other noise. These are also Bluetooth-enabled, allowing you to listen to your favorite playlists without being chained to your phone or laptop.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones
Bose is one of the most trusted names in home audio, so it’s no surprise that they’d produce one of the best sets of headphones. All that prestige, though, comes at a price—these are the priciest headphones we’re recommending. They're probably not worth the investment if you don’t consider yourself an audiophile.
Kevin Kearney
Kevin is an experienced journalist and writer whose musings on tech, education, and culture have appeared in Stereogum, InsideHook, The Millions, and elsewhere. As Deputy Editor for WhistleOut, he offers unique expertise on the inner workings of the mobile industry, and has a particular passion for emerging efficiencies within smartphone apps. When he’s not researching the telecom market, he enjoys reading, running, and playing music.
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