Many users don’t know this but they are not getting the best sound quality on Spotify. The default audio settings of Spotify are designed to balance performance and data usage. This ensures Spotify works well for everyone but it does compromise the music quality.
The good news? You can easily use the audio settings on Spotify to get the best sound quality. So in this practical guide, we will walk you through practical tips to get the best audio quality on Spotify on any device (speakers, wired headphones, earbuds, & more).
1. Set Download Quality
The downloaded songs don’t sound as good as the ones you stream? That’s actually a common issue where the offline tracks sound way worse than the music played over Wifi.
This has to do with the download quality and you can easily adjust it via these steps:
Open Settings in the Spotify (web/app) and then choose Audio Quality. Now, set the Download Quality to the same level as the streaming quality (ideally it should be Very High).
You can only use the download feature on the Spotify premium subscription. A safe place to get the Spotify premium (individual/family) is U7BUY.
After making these changes, you will not see any difference in the output quality between offline and streamed tracks. You will actually get the same level of clarity and detail when you are listening offline.
Once again, setting the download quality to high means it will consume more data while downloading. Also, the downloaded track will take more storage space but the difference will be totally worth it.
2. Set Streaming Quality
Spotify sets the quality to normal (lower bitrate) to save data. This keeps the tracks playing without buffering at the cost of reduced clarity and details.
The good news is that you can adjust the streaming quality on Spotify (web/app). You can easily set the streaming quality via these steps:
Go to Spotify Settings > Audio Quality. From there, select the streaming quality to “Very High”. With this simple change, the app will start to stream audio at the highest available bitrate. The end result? A richer sound with more details and better dynamic range.
Remember to apply these settings separately for both the Wifi and the cellular data. Another thing to keep in mind is that this setting will use more data. So, it is best used when you have unlimited data plans or you are on a Wifi.
While you are at it, also check your internet speed as choosing the “high quality” will lead to buffering if the speed is not sufficient.
3. Use Equalizer
The Spotify app has a feature called equalizer (EQ). You can use it to adjust the frequencies for better vocals, bass, or treble.
Especially, if you are on speakers or headphones and can’t get a balanced sound, then the EQ is the solution. You can access the EQ in the following way:
Go to Settings and then open Audio quality on the Spotify (it only works on app). From there, you will see many options, including the EQ which can be adjusted to get the desired audio output. If you are on the web, then you need to switch to the app to use the EQ.
You can also use the presets offered by the app. This includes Vocal Booster, Treble Booster, Bass Booster and so on.
4. Turn Off Audio Normalization
This feature keeps all the songs at the same level to ensure you don’t experience sudden jumps between tracks. This is very useful for mixed playlists but it does compress the dynamic range of the music.
So, a major downside of audio normalization is that the quiet parts of the sound become quieter and the louder parts less powerful.
Another tip to improve the sound quality is to turn off this feature:
From Settings, go to Playback and turn off the “Normalize Volume”. After this change, you will start to hear the music just like the artist intended. The highs, the lows, and all the subtle details will be preserved after turning off this feature.
But keep this feature enabled if you are streaming music in a noisy environment. As for high quality headphones, you should try turning off the normalization to experience the difference.
You should try this feature under different conditions to get an idea of when it actually improves audio quality.
5. Enable Gapless Playback
This feature removes the brief pause between the tracks… So when you play an album, the tracks flow from one to the next with no delay. This makes a huge difference when you are listening to live albums or DJ mixes.
Follow these steps to enable gapless playback:- Go to Spotify Settings > Playback and find this feature. Then, toggle the gapless playback on.
The difference might be less noticeable if you are listening to a playlist with unrelated tracks. However, you can experience its full impact when you are playing full albums.
