Ideas: Higher Audio Quality

[pboser]

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

[Me-myself-I]

I would really like for the bitrate to be stepped up.  It is important with evolving technology.

[omahasc2]

100% Agree with increasing the audio quality!  I'm happy to pay a premium for 320+.

[smeyers]

I agree with folks here.  I like genome project the best amongst all the services for track selection, but am getting tired of waiting for something of higher quality.  I just signed up for Tidal HiFi, and am also looking at Qobuz and Deezer.  Sound quality is so much better on those services.  C'mon Pandora, people would pay more for the service; what are you waiting for in this day and age!!!

[cabotcove]

Agreed 100%. The audio quality / low bitrate is really frustrating and has been my primary frustration with the service for many years. We need a hq stream quality offering for mobile and “home devices” such as amazon Alexa etc. I think mobile is still limited to 64 aac+ and home devices are 128? 
I think home devices should stream at 320 and mobile should offer at least something at 192 or higher? 

[Adubs]

I really dont understand why there cant be another tier of quality unless they simply dont have the source quality to serve that to begin with. This could be the case I suspect, but it would be a terrible oversight if true. I dont see any reason or harm in a higher tier, perhaps in the $15 area, that satisfies the market of people who enjoy nicer quality.

I can tell a difference between local flac on my phone and pandora in my car even. Theres no soundstage, the highs are rolled off such that it lacks clarity, and details are harder to hear. Even youtube on 1080p with their VP9 codec has better quality. It boggles the mind no one seems to be listening.

[Bri-an]

Hello Everyone!

Reminder.

If you haven't given this thread a like (click the heart), please do so we can get this to the top of the Feature Requests list!

It's at 103 likes right now.

https://community.pandora.com/t5/Feature-Requests/Higher-Audio-Quality/idi-p/1046

The Top Feature Requests list:

https://community.pandora.com/t5/Feature-Requests/idb-p/Backstage/tab/most-kudoed

Thanks.

[KevinEyewanders]

I've been asking about this for 5 years now. Initially it was a canned "it's coming" responses. For the last two years it's been nothing but silence.

[Bri-an]

I don't want to wait any longer. I've resubscribed to Amazon Music HD ($12.99/mo) for only $3 more a month over Pandora Premium ($9.99/mo) to get current, industry standard audio quality as well as lossless, hi-res audio when available. I will, sadly, have to unsubscribe from Pandora (Premium) at some point. Life is too short to have all this equipment being fed low quality audio content. Music should really be enjoyed, uncompressed and dynamic, as it was intended.

[KevinEyewanders]

@Bri-an Ugh. At least move to Qobuz or Deezer.... Heck even Tidal is better than giving more money to Amazon.

[Bri-an]

@KevinEyewanders I hear you, but I chose Amazon because of the pricing, convenience and Amazon/Alexa integration.