Exploring Audio Quality: An Examination of Spotify's Latest Lossless Audio Feature and its Significance
Spotify has taken a significant step forward in the world of music streaming by introducing a new Lossless Listening feature. This update promises higher quality, audible music for its users. Lossless audio is a type of compression that retains high audio quality. Unlike traditional compression methods, lossless audio reproduces the original analog sound perfectly, making it audible to the listener. It does this by compressing audio and programmatically tossing out unnecessary information while keeping everything needed to recreate the original. To enjoy Spotify's new lossless streaming feature for exact lossless audio playback, a compatible network player or streaming device that supports Spotify Connect with lossless quality is required. Devices such as network players from Cambridge Audio with StreamMagic from the 4th generation onward are suitable. Users just need to select the highest media quality ('Lossless') in the Spotify app and stream via Spotify Connect. While lossless audio provides enough information so that a human can't detect a difference from the original, it's not an exact copy. For instance, CD quality, differentiated by a bitrate of 16-bit/44.1kHz, is a type of lossless audio. More advanced formats like 24-bit/48kHz or 96kHz, and even 32-bit with as high as 128kHz for a sample rate, offer even higher quality. However, Bluetooth can pose challenges for audible streaming, making it a maybe for some devices. To avoid potential interference, companies like Spotify recommend using wired headphones. There are still workarounds and accessories available to take advantage of Spotify Lossless if your device and headphones are not supported. For example, the Snapdragon sound platform, supported on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or newer and the S3 audio chip or newer, allows devices like the Pixel 9a to take advantage of a lossless stream. Qualcomm's aptX Lossless Bluetooth codec can stream CD-quality audio at about 1.2 Mbps, while the aptX Adaptive codec has a maximum bitrate of 420kbps, and the aptX HD codec has a maximum bitrate of 576kbps. Sony's LDAC codec has a maximum bitrate of 990kbps. Understanding lossless audio can help in making informed decisions about audio quality in streaming music. With Spotify's new Lossless Listening feature, users now have more options to enjoy their favourite tunes with enhanced sound quality.
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