Spotify is apparently toying with the idea of introducing a platinum subscription. The option should offer a particularly high sound quality, but also cost significantly more.
On Reddit, people were amazed when a former Spotify user asked what Spotify Platinum was. He was asked by the Swedish company if he would return to the streaming service if a higher quality subscription model was available. What is meant is a tariff called Platinum, which essentially differs from the others in terms of sound quality. Included should probably be, among other things, hi-fi quality, a studio sound option and headphone optimization. Additional functions for the music library and playlists as well as the option for less advertising in Spotify podcasts are also being discussed.
Spotify Platinum with a decent price premium
Spotify has been planning to stream music in CD quality for a long time. This is based on the belief that customers want music of a higher quality. A corresponding test was already running in 2017 within the Spotify premium subscription. Finally, the music streaming service announced the launch of a Hi-Fi offering for late 2021. Little has been heard about the project since then, save for a statement in January 2022:
“(…) We know that Hi-Fi quality audio is important to you. We feel the same way and look forward to bringing a Spotify Hi-Fi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don’t have any timing details to share just yet. (..)”
Spotify Community website
However, with the surveys that have now surfaced about the platinum subscription, the offer is slowly taking shape. Aside from the features that are likely to be planned, the survey also includes a suggested price – and it packs a punch. A regular subscription to Spotify currently costs $9.99. However, Spotify seems to be priced at $19.99 for a corresponding hi-fi option. That would mean a price increase of over 100 percent. Can the higher sound quality justify this price?
Also read: Spotify vs. Apple Music – which service comes out on top?
Quality vs Price
When talking about lossless audio formats, the compression of the audio files is meant. For example, if you convert a large WAV audio file to the popular MP3 format, the file loses some of its quality in the process, similar to images. However, this requires less storage space. In order to achieve this, sounds that are hardly perceptible to humans are simply omitted. For example, this can be tones that are covered by louder elements. If there is a particularly high compression rate, an MP3 file is of higher quality. From a compression rate of 192 kBit/s, there is almost no difference to classic CD quality.
Also interesting: What is the difference between megabit and megabyte?
Can the high-priced Spotify Platinum subscription be worth it? Audio producer Serdar Deniz sees this critically. “CD quality only works with headphones of the right quality,” he explains. The transmission rates must be correspondingly high, especially for end devices with a Bluetooth connection. Not all devices offer a correspondingly high standard. The platinum subscription should therefore be “enjoyed with caution. In the end, the headphones are crucial,” says Deniz. Podcasts and music in particular are often listened to on the go and not via the high-quality system at home. His tip: As a rule, only headphones from 150 euros upwards can reproduce a corresponding quality at all. In addition, products with a cable are advantageous if no compromises are to be made in the transmission via Bluetooth etc.
Ultimately, in addition to the technical equipment at such a significantly higher price, the length of time the user stays is also important. If you listen to Spotify music for more than an hour a day, you can get your money’s worth in terms of value for money.