How to Get Better Sound on Spotify
Whether you are a new Spotify subscriber who has just been gifted the service by a friend or family member, or you are a longtime user who is always shocked at how much you listened to when you receive your annual report , there is one little tweak in the desktop and mobile apps. Spotify, which audiophiles seem to disagree with.
While this feature sounds great on paper – a “ volume level ” option that balances whatever you’re listening to so you won’t be surprised at an ultra-loud track – this feature, turned on by default in your app, supposedly affects dynamic range. Goodbye WUB WUB WUB your bass heavy songs (if you can tell the difference). Reddit user WATSON_349 recently described :
“I noticed a difference in songs with very low synth bass. When turned on, the bass almost disappeared, like in a high pass filter. It was better on QUIET, but it still bothered me. Now I just leave it off completely because it can really change the feel of some songs when bass is touched in this way. I just noticed YMMV. I have to write down the result and analyze the change to see what it actually does. “
If you’re looking for technical details on what Spotify’s “volume level” feature does, the company has laid it out in a rather lengthy explanation . As far as your listening preferences go, the best option is to play around with the three settings volume levels – loud, normal (default), and quiet – while playing a representative sample of what you normally rock on Spotify. Turn this feature on and off to see if you feel a difference in sound quality. (It’s also worth checking to see if your quiet tracks are too quiet and your loud tracks overwhelming.)
You need to be a Spotify Premium user to adjust the volume levels, and you will have to adjust this individually on each device you use. On Android / iOS, open your Spotify preferences ( Your Library > Gear Icon ) and hit Play. Find the option “Enable Audio Normalization” .
On Windows / Mac, click the drop-down arrow next to your name and profile photo and select Preferences. Scroll down to the Music Quality section and find the Volume Level option. While I can’t tell you which setting works best for you , you’ll definitely want to play around with it for the best listening experience.