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The long-awaited day for music lovers has finally arrived: Spotify has officially entered the lossless audio arena. With the recent rollout of Spotify Lossless, the streaming landscape is heating up, bringing the debate of Spotify Lossless vs TIDAL HiRes back into the spotlight. For anyone who craves every musical detail, this is a game-changer. While TIDAL has long been the go-to for audiophiles with its high-resolution offerings, Spotify's massive user base is now getting a premium sound upgrade. But what does this really mean for your listening experience? How do these two giants actually compare, and more importantly, can you enjoy their top-tier quality without a subscription?

This guide will cut through the noise, comparing Spotify Lossless Audio with TIDAL HiRes, and even show you how to download your favorite tracks with lossless quality for keeps. Let's dive in.

Part 1. What is Spotify Lossless? How to Enable It？

Spotify Lossless is the platform's new high-fidelity audio tier, finally delivering true CD-quality streaming to Spotify Premium subscribers. It uses the FLAC format to stream music at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz resolution. It means you hear the completely uncompressed audio data exactly as it was mastered in the studio, capturing subtle details and nuances that are lost in standard 320 kbps streams. Spotify Lossless audio is included at no extra cost with a standard Spotify Premium subscription, making high-quality sound more accessible.

How to Enable Spotify Lossless Audio Quality?

To experience this improved sound, you must manually enable the setting on each device, as it is not turned on by default.

On Mobile (iPhone & Android):

STEP 1 Open the Spotify app and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner.

STEP 2 Go to "Settings and privacy" and select "Media Quality".

STEP 3 Under the "Wi-Fi Streaming" and "Download" sections, choose "Lossless".

On Desktop (Windows & Mac):

STEP 1 Click your profile at the top of the app interface.

STEP 2 Go to Settings and scroll down to the "Audio quality" section.

STEP 3 In the "Streaming quality" dropdown menu, select "Lossless".

Part 2. What is TIDAL HiRes? How to Play HiRes on TIDAL?

TIDAL HiRes has long been the gold standard for audiophile-grade streaming, and it has recently become more accessible. In a significant move in October 2024, TIDAL has replaced its HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers with three new plans: Individual, Family, and Student, priced at $10.99, $16.99, and $5.49 per month, respectively. All plans now enable subscribers to enjoy lossless HiRes audio, without the need for a separate and more expensive Plus plan.

This single plan enables subscribers to stream music in HiRes FLAC at up to 24-bit/192 kHz, a resolution that captures exceptionally fine detail from the original studio masters. Beyond sheer bit depth, TIDAL also supports immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, adding another layer to the listening experience.

How to Play HiRes on TIDAL?

On Mobile & Desktop:

STEP 1 Open the TIDAL app. Click the "Three Dots" button next to your profile picture. Then click "Settings".

STEP 2 Find the "Audio Quality" section. Select "Max".

On Supported Hi-Fi Systems:

For the optimal experience, use TIDAL Connect. This feature, available on many high-end audio systems and network streamers, allows you to select your compatible device directly from the TIDAL app. The app then sends the high-resolution audio stream directly to that device for the best possible decoding and playback.

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Part 3. Spotify Lossless VS TIDAL HiRes

Now that we've explored both services individually, how do they stack up side-by-side? The choice between Spotify Lossless and TIDAL HiRes often boils down to your priorities: Is it seamless integration and discovery, or is it the absolute pinnacle of sound quality? The following table breaks down the key differences to help you decide.

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Part 4. How to Download Spotify/TIDAL Lossless Music🔥🔥🔥

While both Spotify and TIDAL offer official offline download features, they come with significant restrictions. The downloads are DRM-protected, which means that they are locked within the official apps and become inaccessible if your subscription ends.

If you don't want to subscribe to either platform but still want to enjoy lossless audio quality, alternative options are available. Tidabie Music Go is a fantastic choice. With it, you can not only download lossless music from Spotify and TIDAL, but also a wide range of other streaming services.

Tidabie Music Go is a versatile desktop application designed for music enthusiasts who want to build a permanent and high-quality audio library from various streaming services. It effectively bridges the gap in the Spotify Lossless vs TIDAL HiRes debate by allowing you to download music from both platforms and enjoy it offline on any device. This tool lets you download both Spotify Lossless audio and TIDAL HiRes tracks. You can also convert them into universal formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, amd AIFF. A key feature is that Tidabie preserves the original lossless audio quality and full ID3 tags during the conversions. Furthermore, it simplifies the process to download TIDAL or Spotify content in batches and operate at up to 10x speed for efficiency. Once you've downloaded your preferred audio content, you have the freedom to play your downloaded music on any media player for a flexible and high-fidelity listening experience, not just within the app.

How to download Spotify/TIDAL lossless music with Tidabie?

Check this tutorial with Spotify as an example to demonstrate the process, which is virtually identical for TIDAL. Here's how to do it in a few simple steps:

STEP 1 Select Download Source

Open Tidabie and select "Spotify" or "Tidal" as your download source from the "Music" tab. Make sure the download source is set to "Spotify App" or "Tidal App" in the top center, not "Spotify web player" and "Tidal web player". Log in using your Spotify or TIDAL Premium account to grant access to your music library.

STEP 2 Customize Output Settings

Before downloading, click the settings icon in the bottom left corner to open the preferences panel. Here, select "Recommended" as your output format to ensure your downloaded files retain their original Spotify Lossless audio quality. For TIDAL, you should also set the quality to "Max". You can also customize the conversion mode, output folder, and output file name, etc., at this stage.

STEP 3 Add Music to Download List

Browse your Spotify or TIDAL music library, find the songs, albums, or playlists you wish to download, and click the blue "+" icon in the lower right corner. Tidabie will quickly analyze and load the track list. A window will appear where you can select specific songs, then click "Add" to place them in your conversion queue.

STEP 4 Start the Conversion

Once your tracks are added, hit the "Convert" button. Tidabie will begin converting and downloading your selected music into FLAC files. The process is fast and efficient. Once finished, you'll own high-quality FLAC copies of your favorite music, ready to play anywhere, free from subscription limitations. You can review and access to the downloaded lossless FLAC files in the "History" tab.

This method helps you build a personal FLAC library from both Spotify and TIDAL, and even other streaming platforms.

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Part 5. FAQs about Spotify Lossless and TIDAL HiRes

Q1: Is FLAC 100% lossless?

A: Yes, FLAC is 100% lossless. The name stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, and it works like a ZIP file for audio. It compresses the size of an audio file without discarding any of the original musical information. You can always decompress a FLAC file back to an exact copy of the original source, such as the WAV file straight from a music CD.

Q2: Can you download FLAC from Spotify?

A: Yes, but not directly. Although Spotify has introduced a "Lossless" quality, it is for Premium subscribers. Furthermore, Spotify's official download feature for offline listening only works within the Spotify app. You'd better find a tool like Tidabie, which allows you to convert and download audio from Spotify into true lossless FLAC files, or other formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, and AIFF.

Q3: Can I use Spotify Lossless for free?

A: No, Spotify Lossless is exclusively for Premium subscribers. The feature is not available to users on the free tier.

Q4: Does HiRes audio sound better than CD?

A: Yes, Hi-Res Audio has the potential to sound better than a CD because it can capture more musical data. The technical specifications show a clear difference. CD quality audio is fixed at 16-bit/44.1 kHz, while Hi-Res audio files have higher sampling rates and bit depths (e.g., 24-bit/96 kHz). This means Hi-Res audio can reproduce a wider range of frequencies and more subtle details from the original studio recording.

Q5: Why can't I hear a difference with lossless audio?

A: This is common and depends on several factors. The capabilities of your headphones or speakers play the biggest role. Additionally, on some devices like Windows PCs, the audio path may not be bit-perfect, meaning the signal is altered before it reaches your DAC, negating the benefits of lossless streaming. Individual hearing sensitivity also varies.

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Conclusion

This guide has explored the high-fidelity worlds of Spotify Lossless and TIDAL HiRes, from their technical specs and setup to a direct comparison of their strengths. We've seen that while both offer exceptional quality, their official downloads are tethered to their apps. If you want true freedom to enjoy your music collection anywhere, on any device, and forever, the most reliable solution is to make it permanently yours. Tidabie Music Go provides exactly this power, effortlessly bridging the gap between streaming services and a high-resolution music library. Download Tidabie Music Go build your audio collection in lossless audio quality!