Technologies

Lossless Audio Finally Arrives for Spotify Premium Subscribers. Here’s How to Enable It

The streaming audio company says the feature is rolling out to Premium subscribers in some regions.

Lossless audio, a format that Spotify says has been much-requested by subscribers over the years, is finally arriving on the streaming service.

In a post, the company says that 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC audio will now be an option for premium subscribers in select markets «across nearly every song available in Spotify.»

Subscribers will have the option to adjust music quality as low, normal, high, very high and now lossless, with the option to see how much data each tier requires.
While audio formats such as MP3 or AAC use varying degrees of compression to reduce file sizes — which means you don’t get the full depth and range of the music — lossless formats including FLAC and Apple’s ALAC preserve the original data from a song without any quality loss.

In addition to working in Spotify’s apps, the company says, lossless audio will be available on some Spotify Connect devices from Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser and other manufacturers. It plans to add support for Sonos and Amazon audio devices next month, according to the post.

The lossless feature has been a missing component on the service, which launched in 2008 and became available in the US in 2011. Some of its audio-streaming competitors added lossless before Spotify.

«Spotify has promised a lossless music tier for many years, originally dubbed Supremium, and it is one of the last of its competitors to add uncompressed tunes,» said Ty Pendlebury, TV and home video editor at CNET. «Both Apple and Amazon added complimentary lossless and hi-res files back in 2021, while YouTube Music is one of the only holdouts by only offering compressed music.»

Spotify says lossless is eventually rolling out to 50 different markets.

How to enable lossless audio on Spotify

Once you receive a notification from Spotify that lossless is available, you can use the Spotify app to enable the feature.

To do this, tap on your profile image, go to Settings & Privacy, then Media Quality and select where to enable the format: over Wi-Fi, over cellular or in downloads.

The company says you need to enable the feature manually for each device you use.

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Hurry to Nab the Baseus Bowie MH1 Headphones for Over Half Off With This Early Black Friday Deal

This deal drops the price of this premium pair to just $47, but this discount ends soon.

High-quality noise-canceling headphones can cost a pretty penny, especially if you are after adaptive ANC, all-day comfort, and a reliable battery life. Most options with all these features sit well over $100, but we just found a way to score a premium pair for less than $50.

Amazon has a solid early Black Friday deal on the Baseus Bowie MH1 headphones. You can get them for 20% off right now, which drops the price to $80. But stack that with the $25 on-page coupon and use the promo code 8JWTGEUN at checkout, and you slash another $33 off. That brings the final price down to just $47, which is a steal considering all the features you are going to enjoy.

The headphones come with cloud-soft protein leather earcups with resilient memory foam for cloud-like comfort. The pair is capable of blocking up to 99.8% of noise with –48 dB deep noise cancellation, and it adapts to your surroundings as needed.

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The 36mm drivers and full-range LCP diaphragms give you clear, rich sound no matter what you listen to. In addition, with Baseus Immersive Spatial Acoustics, the audio surrounds you for a more natural listening experience. For clearer calls, the headphones also pack 5-mic sound sensors with AI-powered voice enhancement and wind-noise reduction. You won’t have to repeat yourself constantly.

Battery-wise, you get up to 80 hours of playtime with ANC off, and 55 hours with it on. A quick 10-minute top-up can also get you up to an additional 10 hours of playback, which is great for when you’re out and about.

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Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

High-end audio gear doesn’t come cheap. This deal takes over 50% off a powerful pair of headphones, making the upgrade easy. It won’t last long, though, so it’s best to snap it up sooner rather than later.

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