Android: Higher Quality Audio

[Steve40th396]

Is Pandora going to get into Lossless audio for higher end listening?

[AlyssaPandora · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @Steve40th396. 👋

Nice to see you around the community space.

I'd love to see an option like the one you mentioned. At this time, we have two feature requests that you may be interested in upvoting if you'd like to this option implemented:

• Lossless Audio
• Higher Audio Quality

To upvote these existing feature suggestions, click on the 💙 icon next to the title of the request and feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts. 🎧

[Steve40th396]

Of course we want lossless. That should be the minimum for any streaming service in todays technology.

MP3 and CD's are horribly compressed.

Give us a minimum 320 if you have to compromise. Its so much better than your 192 with decent headphones or speakers plugged in. Bluetooth is catching up and lossless will be delivered via bluetooth eventually.

Upgrade Pandora, or go the way the dodo. 

[davidaxxa]

Is Pandora's sound quality still maxed at 192kbps? I am considering subscribing as Spotify's radio algorithm is very poor. However I can't do less than 320kbps for sound quality. Is this an option? Using Android.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hi there, @davidaxxa. 👋

Nice to see you around the community space. I moved your post over to this existing thread to keep everything organized: Android: Higher Quality Audio

Here are the current bit-rates for each audio quality setting on Pandora Premium:

• Low (32kbps)
• Standard (64kbps)
• High (192kbps)

Keep in mind that each setting will affect:

• Data used while streaming on your cellular network.
• Bandwidth used when listening on Wi-Fi.
• Device memory when downloading music for Offline listening.

The following are general guidelines for each setting:

• Low audio quality is better for data efficiency and device memory.
• Standard audio quality balances data efficiency, sound quality and device memory.
• High audio quality is recommend for listeners with high fidelity audio systems, but will use more data and device memory.

We are constantly testing and evaluating what the right rates are for each setting level and do plan to migrate our high audio quality to 320kbps AAC over time. 🎧

[Steve40th396]

320 is the minimum in todays high tech world. High BW, Unlimited Data, etc. Lets move up or , well, we will move elsewhere. 

[MusicLover5463]

I had to switch to Amazon Music to get CD quality music even though I would rather listen to Pandora. Are they ever going to give us high quality audio?

[Steve40th396]

Doesnt seem to be any chatter anywhere of Pandora upgrading to higher quality audio

[Steve40th396]

I use TIDAL now. Very sad we have to revert to high tech, when our old home equipment was pretty awesome, using LPs. Not 8 tracks, cassettes or cds. LPs.

Now we have to invest in solid streaming with up to Master Quality , and then you have to have a system to replay it.. That is key. When you hear the difference, you will understand.

[mattcrwi]

CDs are lossless...

[Steve40th396]

Yes, sort of .. There are many different CD bit rates too now. SACD, Lossy, Lossless. And, sometimes you can only download at a certain rates..

Master Quality, very few have heard it. Or have the equipment too listen to. But, as we age we lose hearing.. But I digress. To each their own..

[imsimsj]

We have unlimited data. We do not care about the data it uses. We know how to set the quality of streaming. We want Lossless audio and pandora keeps making excuses for not getting it. Till pandora gets Lossless a Lossless audio option I will be going to Amazon music. They have great Lossless audio for the same price. Hope you make changes soon before we all get used to other services.

[DCM1]

In looking at this post, it's been more than 2 yrs and you still aren't there, what's going on?