If they want lossless, we’ve got Qobuz and Tidal. But the younger crowd? They’re not into Hi-Res, they prefer a chaotic symphony of beeps and oempfs and proudly call it music.
Thankfully, the older one is starting to discover the magic of '80s tunes. So yes, there is hope… and synthesizers.
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One thing I forgot to mention is the Spotify sub fee. Like you, I’m also on a family plan so the per person outlay is much much less than a single stand alone Spotify sub. I think this is something those of us on family plans would feel less of a sting about.
Also yes, I thought that if a premium Volumio user wanted lossless, they could simply use Tidal or Qobuz…then those of us with Spotify family subs will have to consider switching everyone over.
With regards to age and preference, I think it’s more just a matter of Spotify being convenient and where more than just music exists.
My feeling right now, based on a seeing several videos about deploying Spotify Lossless and comparisons with Tidal and Qobuz, if I was seeking a premium lossless streaming experience, I too agree that Tidal and Qobuz are likely superior offerings based on those reviews.
So the real issue I see with this, is how and why you’re tied into a Spotify sub…convenience or a lossless experience.
So disappointing, i loved using Volumio for years on my Rpi but now because of this I have purchased a Wiim streamer to use Spotify lossless. I really really appreciate the effort put into this project over the years but no lossless is a real deal breaker, sorry to say goodbye
Thank you very much for years of fun
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My search for lossless audio on Spotify led me to purchase a Wiim streamer, which I integrated into my high-end setup featuring a tube amplifier with my preferred tube rollings. However, I found that the Wiim dulls the sound quality. My preferred method of playback is through VOLUMIO on a Raspberry Pi via USB. Although many tracks aren’t lossless, I experimented with a Qobuz subscription and concluded that CD quality sounds best when streamed directly, without using the Wiim Ultra. I mainly use the Wiim in my home office for streaming radio as background noise. For critical listening, I rely on VOLUMIO with Spotify or the Linux Spotify app on my PC, both of which provide better sound quality than the Wiim Ultra.
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While the amplifier obviously is an important part of the chain, speakers and in this case the DAC are as important to evaluate the resulting performance.
Also, if the seperat components of a system have carefully been chosen and have reached a certain quality level, replacement of one unit imho results in ‘it sounds differently’ rather than ‘it sounds better/worse’.
Needless to say that these perceptions are highly subjective.
Sorry for being slightly off-topic.
Cheers
Michael
I have a love/hate relationship with Spotify. But besides that, what I don’t get, is that if Volumio integrates lossless into the premium plan than surely more people will subscribe not only to Volumio but also to Spotify? Especially in this community. Isn’t that a win/win situation ?
To be honest, looking at the current very competitive streaming market, where even Tidal is cheaper then Spotify, I don’t understand the holdback from Spotify.
I do get the fear from Spotify for illegal access, but Volumio has a well designed back-end to take care of that part.
But it’s Spotify holding back, not Volumio.
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Same here. Had the Primo Mk1 which sounded great. Went and bought the Bluesound Node Nano at the weekend and now have Lossless and just added Tidal. I should have made the move sooner. Sounds fantastic and no issues at all.
Hi @Wheaten! I guess you could look at this from both angles: Spotify on Volumio currently depends on Librespot whereas other platforms like some mentioned in this thread may be employing a closed integration path. And I REALLY appreciate all the work done by all the teams and people involved in this plugin!!
However, while it may be Spotify’s decision whether or not to work with or accept Librespot integration, the fact is it is also Volumio’s decision if it plans to develop a closed integration with Spotify to welcome the lossless tier into the system’s sources & functionalities. And yes, including it be maintained behind the premium or paid tier, or not, particularly for OS subscribers and hardware clients.
I installed the plugin, but it does not allow lossless playback yet. I know you can’t speak for the authors of the plugin, but does the Volumio team have any plans to implement an option to use Spotify lossless?
AI request summarize the conclusion of this thread in under 100 words: New 2023 Spotify Plugin - #626 by TubularBells
The conclusion of the thread regarding the new 2023 Spotify plugin indicates that Volumio respects Spotify’s request to avoid integrating lossless audio due to potential IP issues. Despite multiple attempts to gain access to Spotify’s official SDK, they have not received support. Volumio remains committed to enhancing user experience while complying with content protection laws, inviting Spotify to collaborate for future improvements. The overall sentiment reflects disappointment at the current limitations but a determination to seek better solutions for users.
The summary so far is that yes, Spotify doesn’t allow open source software to access premium lossless streaming, which in turn affects Volumio users because Volumio’s Spotify functionality is dependent on the excellent open source Librespot solution.
At the same time, if it sees fit, it is up to Volumio to work with Spotify to develop a closed integration - perhaps behind Premium pricing for its OS subscribers and Hardware customers.
Maybe a silly question, but when I use the Spotify app to stream to volumio over airplay, the app on my phone tells me it is streaming lossless quality (which it doesn’t do when using the Spotify Connect plugin). My DAC tells me that the stream comming from Volumio is 44.1khz. Is this actually lossless or is Airplay still converting it to a compressed format?
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Why the Bluenote, when Rivo can play Tidal lossless?
Great!
As a work around, if we had a chromecast plugin, I could stream spotify lossless from my phone to Volumio. Maybe the go forward effort should be on getting chromecast working. I know some users have had some success on getting it working in V3 but maybe Bookworm will be easier to implement.
AFAIK, Spotify does not stream lossless to Chromecast.
Allow lossless playback to Chromecast Audio device - The Spotify Community
Oh… txs for pointing that out!
Someone in this community must know someone who has good business connections to the relevant people at Spotify. After all we are related to everyone else on this planet through max. 5 connections.
Come-on guys!
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