Spotify audio quality?

[avesraggiana]

As a mastering engineer, I highly recommend leaving Spotify loudness normalization ON, especially when playing via Bluetooth. Lossy audio conversion increases audio levels, so thoughtful mastering engineers will reduce maximum levels below 0 dbFS (maximum level in digital) so that their master still will not clip after being converted by Spotify or Apple. This consideration is at the core of Apple’s Mastered for iTunes standards. Some mastering engineers take this care, some don’t.


When playing Spotify over bluetooth, the audio is getting compressed again, twice in total, raising levels. This often results in another round of clipping during the lossy bluetooth conversion and even worse sound quality. If the mastering engineer didn’t even consider the effects of one conversion, this mistake will be compounded. I’ve tested this extensively on Spotify and Apple Music with dozens of real releases and custom test files.


Spotify and Apple Music’s loudness normalization eliminates or reduced playback clipping that is very common when normalization is turned off on Spotify (or not used when using Apple’s backend testing tools). When sending either service over Bluetooth, loudness normalization is downright required to prevent secondary clipping in the Bluetooth conversion in basically every track on Spotify I tested. The results are crystal clear - leave loudness normalization on it you want cleaner, more transparent, clip-free performance, especially over Bluetooth.



Relevant to Tesla, I expect one of the reasons for different experiences with Spotify via Bluetooth in Tesla cars is that without loudness normalization turned on, most music on Spotify will brutally clip the Bluetooth link and then pass those clips on the the ADC in the car, seriously reducing quality, I haven’t done serious listening tests with native Spotify vs Bluetooth link yet, but my Spotify via Bluetooth tests with normalization on/off were very clear and consistent with my above testing as mastering engineer: leave normalization on.

So does Spotify sound better coming directly from your MCU, or from your iPhone via Bluetooth?

 

[blueice89]

overall I just don’t like the Bluetooth sound . Spotify premium on Tesla is great . Sounds the best now .

As a mastering engineer, I highly recommend leaving Spotify loudness normalization ON, especially when playing via Bluetooth. Lossy audio conversion increases audio levels, so thoughtful mastering engineers will reduce maximum levels below 0 dbFS (maximum level in digital) so that their master still will not clip after being converted by Spotify or Apple. This consideration is at the core of Apple’s Mastered for iTunes standards. Some mastering engineers take this care, some don’t.


When playing Spotify over bluetooth, the audio is getting compressed again, twice in total, raising levels. This often results in another round of clipping during the lossy bluetooth conversion and even worse sound quality. If the mastering engineer didn’t even consider the effects of one conversion, this mistake will be compounded. I’ve tested this extensively on Spotify and Apple Music with dozens of real releases and custom test files.


Spotify and Apple Music’s loudness normalization eliminates or reduced playback clipping that is very common when normalization is turned off on Spotify (or not used when using Apple’s backend testing tools). When sending either service over Bluetooth, loudness normalization is downright required to prevent secondary clipping in the Bluetooth conversion in basically every track on Spotify I tested. The results are crystal clear - leave loudness normalization on it you want cleaner, more transparent, clip-free performance, especially over Bluetooth.



Relevant to Tesla, I expect one of the reasons for different experiences with Spotify via Bluetooth in Tesla cars is that without loudness normalization turned on, most music on Spotify will brutally clip the Bluetooth link and then pass those clips on the the ADC in the car, seriously reducing quality, I haven’t done serious listening tests with native Spotify vs Bluetooth link yet, but my Spotify via Bluetooth tests with normalization on/off were very clear and consistent with my above testing as mastering engineer: leave normalization on.

 

[avesraggiana]

overall I just don’t like the Bluetooth sound . Spotify premium on Tesla is great . Sounds the best now .

I would have to agree. I did my own rudimentary comparison test using the same musical track. Tesla’s built in Spotify sounds fuller and brighter. Spotify from my phone played through bluetooth sounds slightly muted, muddy and shrill at the same time. Just not a very pleasing audio quality.

 

[thechauffeur]

The are a number of variables that affect Spotify sound quality on my iPhone. As a premium Spotify subscriber, I have the option of selecting 320 kbps streaming. I believe non-premium subscribers are limited to 160 kbps. Also audio normalization settings and loudness settings will affect audio quality. I have not received my Tesla yet, so I can’t compare the native app to Bluetooth streaming. I also have not seen the bit rate specs for the Tesla app, but I doubt it allows 320 kbps streaming.

 

[ramonneke]

overall I just don’t like the Bluetooth sound . Spotify premium on Tesla is great . Sounds the best now .

AFAIK Spotify premium on Tesla isn't giving you high quality streams, only access to your playlists etc.

It doesn't give you high bitrate streams, no offline support, no decent playlist management.

 

[DelPhonic1]

As a mastering engineer, I highly recommend leaving Spotify loudness normalization ON, especially when playing via Bluetooth. Lossy audio conversion increases audio levels, so thoughtful mastering engineers will reduce maximum levels below 0 dbFS (maximum level in digital) so that their master still will not clip after being converted by Spotify or Apple. This consideration is at the core of Apple’s Mastered for iTunes standards. Some mastering engineers take this care, some don’t.


When playing Spotify over bluetooth, the audio is getting compressed again, twice in total, raising levels. This often results in another round of clipping during the lossy bluetooth conversion and even worse sound quality. If the mastering engineer didn’t even consider the effects of one conversion, this mistake will be compounded. I’ve tested this extensively on Spotify and Apple Music with dozens of real releases and custom test files.


Spotify and Apple Music’s loudness normalization eliminates or reduced playback clipping that is very common when normalization is turned off on Spotify (or not used when using Apple’s backend testing tools). When sending either service over Bluetooth, loudness normalization is downright required to prevent secondary clipping in the Bluetooth conversion in basically every track on Spotify I tested. The results are crystal clear - leave loudness normalization on it you want cleaner, more transparent, clip-free performance, especially over Bluetooth.



Relevant to Tesla, I expect one of the reasons for different experiences with Spotify via Bluetooth in Tesla cars is that without loudness normalization turned on, most music on Spotify will brutally clip the Bluetooth link and then pass those clips on the the ADC in the car, seriously reducing quality, I haven’t done serious listening tests with native Spotify vs Bluetooth link yet, but my Spotify via Bluetooth tests with normalization on/off were very clear and consistent with my above testing as mastering engineer: leave normalization on.

 

[Dutchie]

Is it me or has quality in Spotify changed? Somehow it sounds better the last couple of days.

 

[qdeathstar]

Slacker sucks big time. ANYTHING would be an improvement over Slacker.

But it’s free.... I am also on Spotify