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Ideas: Higher Audio Quality

Ideas: Higher Audio Quality

pboser
Underground
Status: Open Ideas

How about higher audio quality?  Amazon has introduced this feature, and others have been ahead of Pandora as well.  It would be great to have the Genome Project advantage with higher audio quality.  Do others agree?

Moderator Edit: Edited title for clarity

Labels (1)
284 Comments
AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager
Status changed to: Open Ideas
 
jhoglesr
Local Performer
Pandora would be my go to for streaming music if the quality was better.
Desertzune
Local Performer

Yes, please. The genome project is so much better than any other radio, but the quality really needs to be there. At least 320 on all platforms. HD is probably too much to ask for.

BreenX
Diamond in the Rough

Yes, I agree.

pboser
Underground

Desertzune, I'm curious - why do you say that HD is too much to ask for?  Amazon is now offering HD, as do Tidal and Qoboz, and all of the streaming services, including Pandora, have tiered pricing.  

Listener001
Not applicable
Agreed on this as well. Tidal, Amazon, and Spotify all have published higher bitrates. Apple music is arguably somewhere in the middle but considered greater than Pandora's upper end. Given the partnership with vehicle manufacturers and Sonos the premium market is a great way to also increase sales and market penetration.
DaveOzric
Local Performer

Yep, I am a family subscriber and just found out other services are all doing higher quality audio. Tidal, which is pretty expensive is HD.

Now I see Spotify is 320 for their premium plan.

Why does Pandora go from AAC to MP3 and not just at least use the 192 AAC at least for the premium? Isn't AAC better at lower bitrates?

I really hate to switch to another service over this.

spencerross
Local Performer

I am on the Premium trial and I am not going to pay for it unless Pandora offers a 320kbps option

DaveOzric
Local Performer

I started my 90 day trial of Amazon HD and it's looking like a possible replacement. I don't want to but 192kbps is fine for phones, but not for playing on high fidelity equipment like a stereo.  I mostly use Sonos which can utilize high-quality audio streams up to 1440kbps with FLAC, etc.

Is it a bandwidth issue? A library issue or some license issue? Could support at least chime in here with something?

What I cannot believe is this is not a more frequently asked question. I guess the younger generation has no clue to what real audio sounds like. I contacted support and they gave me zero answers just regurgitated the information from the website and told me to vote. Where is there vote option on this thread? I expected more from a service I pay $15 per month for.

mod edit: merged comments

bnjmn4
Local Performer

Absolutely. The only reason I subsribe to Spotify and not Pandora Premium is the audio quality issue. Spotify radio is nowhere near as rewarding as Pandora, but...I need high quality audio and am willing to spend more time curating my stations at Spotify for that reason alone.