A reviewer who tested Spotify's lossless HiFi mode says it brings back detail that normal streaming trims, but only on the right gear.
Spotify's top sound setting, called HiFi Lossless, can make music sound fuller, but mostly if you listen on wired headphones or good speakers. That is the finding of Android Police writer Dhruv Bhutani, who tested it and kept it switched on. His review was published on October 21, 2026.
Normal streaming shrinks music files so songs play smoothly. That shrinking removes some detail from the original recording. Lossless mode skips that step and delivers the full mastered recording. In practice, the review says, that means CD-quality audio instead of compressed streams.
It has limits. Lossless playback covers standard music tracks only. It does not apply to video, podcasts or audiobooks.
Bhutani expected small changes in bass and treble. Instead, he noticed the most difference in vocals, which sat more clearly in the mix. He could hear things like an artist breathing between phrases or a slight rasp in a voice.
He calls the gap noticeable and says it is not placebo, meaning not just imagination. He also says it is not night and day. It matters most when you are really paying attention to the music.
Bluetooth earbuds were the weak spot. Bhutani says Bluetooth compresses the signal enough that he could not really hear a difference. He used lossless with wired headphones connected to a laptop or an external DAC (a separate device that turns digital music into sound). He also used it with high-end speakers through a Wiim Ultra streamer and Spotify Connect.
He also says his ears adjusted fast. After a few days of lossless only, he could tell right away when he went back to standard quality.
He switches by situation. In the car, he connects his phone with a wire, and the system is good enough to show the difference. At the gym, with Bluetooth fitness earbuds, he goes back to regular quality because the benefit is not worth it.
The review does not say what lossless costs, which Spotify plans include it, or which phones and speakers support it. Those details are worth checking in the Spotify app before you count on the feature.
Try Spotify's lossless setting if you listen on wired headphones or good speakers, and expect little change with Bluetooth earbuds.
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