For fans of high-fidelity audio, Spotify HiFi could be the Holy Grail. After unveiling its plans for lossless, CD-quality audio in 2021, audiophiles around the world have been patiently waiting for Spotify to bridge that gap to competitor services like Tidal and Apple Music. Though we still regard it as one of the best music streaming services, Spotify has yet to deliver its highly anticipated HiFi tier – and it’s been almost five years.
Table of Contents
- Spotify HiFi Release Date Rumors
- Spotify HiFi Price Predictions
- Spotify HiFi Audio Quality
- Spotify HiFi Song Catalog
- You Might Also Like
Spotify HiFi Release Date Rumors
To cut a long story short, we don’t have a specific date we can point to. It’s been five years since Spotify unveiled its plans to introduce lossless audio to enhance music listening for its subscribers, which was expected to arrive in 2021. One of the first leaks we came across was back in 2021, when a user on Reddit shared a video with the caption ‘Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming HiFi onboarding process from modifying the app’, giving prospective HiFi users a backstage tour of the service:
Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming HiFi onboarding process from modifying the app from r/truespotify
Despite sharing this in its Five Things to Know About Spotify HiFi blog post, and confirming that it would be available as an upgrade to Premium, there’s still been no addition of HiFi audio. Spotify stated, “Beginning later this year, Premium subscribers in select markets will be able to upgrade their sound quality to Spotify HiFi.”
However, we’ve been waiting quite a while for another official update. We really have no idea when Spotify HiFi will finally release. Even Spotify CEO Daniel Ek isn’t certain, claiming the delay in adding Spotify HiFi largely comes down to licensing issues.
Aside from licensing rights, the delay can also be attributed to Spotify’s focus on its social features, including Spotify Wrapped, and its mission to further integrate AI into the user experience. Recent reports indicate Spotify plans to double down on music in 2025, which could lead to either the long-awaited HiFi tier or additional AI advancements.
Spotify HiFi Price Predictions
As of now, there’s no set price for Spotify HiFi, leaving us to speculate. Initially thought to be a brand new subscription tier, recent insights suggest it may not be standalone, nor a new Music Pro feature. It’s possible that Spotify HiFi will be a $5 add-on for the Premium plan.
Currently, Spotify Premium is priced at $11.99/ £11.99/ AU$13.99; if the add-on rumor is true, we’d estimate Spotify HiFi could cost between $14.99 and $19.99. This estimate is influenced by competition: a Tidal subscription costs $19.99 per month, and other Hi-Res audio streaming services like Qobuz and Deezer range from $11.99 to $14.99 per month.
Spotify HiFi Audio Quality
How good will the lossless audio from Spotify HiFi be? It is expected to stream CD-quality lossless audio to your devices, ideally through a network connection capable of utilizing Spotify Connect. For users relying on Bluetooth, the audio quality may diminish.
While we await Spotify HiFi, you can adjust your audio streaming quality by navigating to account settings and selecting ‘Audio Quality’. This change yields a marked improvement over Spotify’s current offering of 320kbps and brings its potential audio quality closer to that of Tidal and Apple’s Digital Masters.
Lossless audio formats carry more detail and data than their lossy counterparts, allowing listeners to hear new details in songs that were previously lost during compression. The experience should feel wider and more immersive, depending on the quality of your headphones or speakers.
Spotify HiFi Song Catalog
The biggest uncertainty surrounding Spotify HiFi is the catalog of songs that will be available. While it’s safe to assume that it won’t cover every song in Spotify’s extensive library of over 100 million songs, millions are expected to be included.
Top hits from major record labels are likely to be part of the HiFi offering, though some music from smaller labels and older titles may not be available. For now, if you have a CD collection, it might be wise to hold onto it until further details about the HiFi catalog emerge.
You Might Also Like
- Check out: I changed this one small Spotify feature and it made my music sound dramatically better
- Explore: My top 5 tips to make more of your Spotify playlists – and trust me, I’m a playlist obsessive
- Consider: Forget Spotify – I’m going all-in on Bandcamp for music in 2025, here’s why you should too
Leave a comment