Quality has always been one major reason I never fully bought into the Spotify hype. As convenient and beautiful as the app is, I’ve always leaned more toward Deezer. It has consistently delivered better audio fidelity.

For me, codec choice is the foundation of how music actually feels. If you’re serving me millions of songs but compressing them into a paid and watered-down stream, then I’d rather download my songs locally for free.

Now that Spotify has finally rolled out its long-awaited Lossless option with lossless audio codec (FLAC) playback, that will definitely change for me. It’s reportedly included for Premium users at no extra cost and poses a highly competitive feature against Deezer, Apple Music, and other services.

Lossless means the best listening experience 

I’ll admit that I may have made Spotify’s audio quality sound worse than it actually is. It’s not. I’ve just been spoiled by listening to too much lossless and hi-res audio across different apps and gear. When you’ve reviewed enough headphones and music services, you stop hearing music the same way again. I low-key wish these factors didn’t matter to me.

Before the new update, Spotify Premium audio quality maxed out at “Very High” setting, which was Ogg Vorbis at approximately 320kbps. Technically, it’s a compressed codec and some audio data is thrown out to make the file smaller and easier to stream. 

It’s not bad quality at all, and in fact, it’s indistinguishable from a CD quality for most ears. I’d liken it to a well-compressed photo on Instagram. Although it would appear sharp, you’ll notice heavy pixelation and missing details when you compare it side by side with the RAW image. 

Spotify Free users were limited to much lower tiers, such as 96kbps “Normal” (roughly like FM radio quality), and 160kbps “High” (comparable to a decent MP3 rip).

The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers. We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood. With Lossless, our premium users will now have an even better listening experience.

Gustav Gyllenhammar, Vice President of Subscriptions at Spotify.

Now, with the update, you can stream up to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC. Spotify delivers every bit of the original studio master that’s at least up to CD quality. Basically, a jump from 320kbps to over 1,400kbps of information. 

Related: Still No Date, But Spotify’s “Deluxe” Plan Will Be Under $20

Try FLAC audio on your Spotify app

Spotify is already rolling out its new lossless quality feature gradually. They’re starting with the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and Australia. More than 50 markets are expected to get it by October, and hopefully, my region is on the list. Premium users may already see the option in Settings and privacy > Media quality and choose the Very High option for WiFi playback and other sections.

You’ll need to turn it on manually for each device, even if you’re signed in to the same account. Once enabled, a Lossless tag appears in the Now Playing screen or Connect menu.

 Because the files are larger now, songs may take a moment to load, and Spotify recommends using Wi-Fi and wired headphones or speakers for the best experience.