When we listen to music through Spotify on our Android phones, many times in reality we are not taking full advantage of the audio quality what the app offers, and Spotify is to blame. While it is true that Spotify does not yet offer a subscription plan with Hi-Fi audio quality, there are ways to improve the audio quality of the streaming service, without paying more or installing an additional application.
This is hidden among the system settings. This is an option offered by Spotify to, according to the company, provide a more uniform experience when listening to music, but in reality it can alter audio quality in the songs of our favorite artists.
How to improve audio quality on Spotify for Android in just one click (or almost)
The most discerning audiophiles, those who call themselves audiophiles, often prefer to listen to music exactly as the artist intended when writing, recording and producing their songs. Spotify doesn't have lossless audio quality or “Lossless”, at least for now, while other services like Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music offer this quality. Still, I wouldn't dare say that Spotify doesn't have good sound quality, the music is simply compressed to reduce data consumption, among other things.
The problem is that Spotify also changes the sound quality of songs by applying something called volume normalizationwhich is detrimental if you're looking for the best possible audio quality.
You may be wondering: What is volume normalization and why is it bad? Volume normalization, Spotify explains on its support website, allows the app to “balance soft and loud songs to provide a consistent listening experience.” Basically, change the volume songs so that everything has the same level and nothing sounds too low or too loud.
What's wrong? In short, it can compress music sound and affects its quality if it is judged too loud, and changes it when it is too quiet, which could increase the background noise in a recording. This feature can alter what's called the dynamic range of audio, which is the difference between the loudest and quietest sound elements, and artists produce their songs by playing with or varying precisely how their elements sound and their volume, especially musicians who put a lot of emphasis on production and mixing, like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Pink Floyd or Steven Wilson, to name just a few examples.
To disable audio normalization in Spotify, follow these steps:
- Access the application on your mobile and tap your photo in profile in the upper left corner
- Select Configuration
- Scroll down until you find the option Normalize the volume and turn it off
That's it, but since you are in this menu, remember that you can configure the Spotify playback quality when connected to a Wi-Fi network, which we recommend setting to “Highest”, and when using mobile data, this will depend on your mobile data plan, but the higher the quality you choose , the better.
Finally, a warning: whether or not you turn off the volume normalization feature, listening to music or any type of content with Too high a volume can be harmful to your health hearing, keep this in mind when listening to music, especially with headphones. When the volume bar on your mobile turns red, it is precisely a warning in this regard.
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