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Spotify sounds compressed

So now that I have more time to mess around with things like this, I started using Spotify and went premium right away. But it sounds compressed. I looked in the settings and the high quality streaming switch is on. When I switch it off, there is no change in sound.
I have my Samsung tablet hooked up to the preamp using it as the source while using my Asus notebook to manage things. The settings on the tablet are set to receive extreme quality signals. When I listen to Radio Tunes the signal sounds much better with extended highs and very deep lows. It just seems to me that the Spotify highs are compressed, not very extended. Is this the norm? I think Spotify is excellent for finding new music, but it doesn't sound the best.
128x128abucktwoeighty
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,993 posts
 
Spotify, unless it's changed, does NOT offer high quality streaming like Tidal or Deezer.

It's highest quality is 320K/MP3. Tidal offers 16/44.1 which is 1411kbps. That is over 4 times the resolution of Spotify/Beats/Rhapsody.
arh
366 posts
 
Something else is wrong I have heard Spotify premium on my system and it sounded very good. It certainly isn't compressed. I do have both Tidal and Classicsonline which are both better than spotify but not by that much. Can you try streaming directly from the ASUS?
Alan
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty OP
1,079 posts
 
Mofi, I think I remember reading about Spotify having less quality than others.

Arh, If something else is wrong, I don't know what it could be. Radio Tunes sounds excellent, Spotify not so good. I don't have the capability to hook the Asus up to the system. I'd have to buy another cable, and I just purchased the interconnect, an Audioquest Big Sur 3.5mm to rca, for using the tablet. I guess I'll look into an adapter for giving it a try.

I'm also going to look into Tidal to compare the two. I have time since I've just started using Spotify on a trial basis.

Thanks.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,993 posts
 
Abuck...you will LOVE Tidal. I have been a user since day 1 and it really is indeed an incredible service.

On my system, it trounces Spotify/Beats/Rhapsody. While I agree with Arh that the others can sound decent, Tidal is in a different league altogether.
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty OP
1,079 posts
 
I started to load the app on my tablet, but decided against it. Since there is no connect feature I won't be able to use the notebook to navigate, plus a lot of the reviews tell of many problems. No a very good rating. I believe it does sound a heck of a lot better than Spotify, but with all of the negative reviews and twice the cost, no connect option, etc., I think I'll pass.
Will see about connecting the Asus up to verify it's not the tablet, but Spotify.
The only reason I started with this was because the station I was listening to was starting to get repetitive. Can always change the channel for a while. This only costs $4.99/mo. for the premium service.
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