Want to get the best sound quality when using Spotify? Let’s see how to increase the volume or quality of the songs you listen to
Spotify is a point of reference for anyone who wants to listen to some free streaming music: it is now omnipresent on all mobile devices (it is downloaded almost automatically together with social apps) and can also be used from a PC, via web player or dedicated app (available from Microsoft Store).
Even though the default settings of Spotify are good for listening to music, we can change some items to increase the sound quality thus obtaining songs with a volume and quality comparable to old CD Audio or recording studioswithout having to change your listening device.
In the following chapters we will show you how to increase Spotify sound quality using some settings present within the various apps of the service. To be able to access most of the settings you need to subscribe Spotify Premiumbut some modifications can also be done on the free version.
Normalize the volume level
Some tracks are louder than others, just as it is possible to obtain different volume levels within the same track; in order to correct this problem it will suffice normalize the volumeactivating the specific item.
To proceed, open the Spotify app, press on our profile icon, open the menu Settings and activate the voice Normalize volume. After activation, we can also change the normalized volume level, using the drop-down menu next to the item Volume level: we can choose between Loud, Normal And Bassso as to adapt it to our listening environment.
Change audio quality
Spotify automatically chooses the best streaming audio quality based on network conditions: on a Wi-Fi network the quality will be very high, while with a connection via a cellular data network the quality will be lower (to occupy less bandwidth and avoid blockages) .
If we are sound purists and always want the highest quality, we can change it by opening the app, pressing on our profile, clicking on Settings and opening the drop-down menu next to the item Listening quality. From the menu we can choose between the various settings:
- Automatic
- Low
- Normal
- High
- Very high
To get the best audio performance, select the voice Very high and restart the app for the changes to take effect. The highest audio quality is only accessible to Spotify Premium users: if we use the free version we can only select High as maximum quality, resulting in any case already an excellent compromise compared to the automatic mode or the other settings.
If we want to find out the bitrates per second of each quality option available on Spotify, just check out the following list:
- Low -> 24 kbit/s
- Normal -> 96 kbit/s
- High -> 160 kbit/s
- Very high -> 320 kbit/s
This explains the very different audio rendering between the various voices, given that only from 128 kbit/s upwards can we speak of quality music.
Adjust the equalizer
On the Spotify apps for Android and iPhone we can also find the equalizer, excellent for increasing the sound quality of Spotify by playing with the sound frequencies. To access the Spotify equalizer we open the app, let’s go to the path Settings -> Playback -> Equalizer and turn on the function.
After turning it on, we use the suggested profiles to change the sound rendering of the songs played, we use one of the items available below to increase the volume or the bass rendering or we play with the frequency indicators, so as to be able to choose the best audio quality for the our device.
On some Android phones the equalizer is integrated within the operating system: in this case it is better to act on it, because it is able to manage the sound emitted directly by the phone’s audio chip (while the Spotify equalizer applies software-level changes). To use this equalizer, open the Settings app, press the top of the search bar, type Equalizer and we open the screen suggested by the phone.
Once on the screen, activate any sound effects supported by the phone (for example Dolby Atmos), press on the item Graphic equalizer and choose one of the profiles present to improve the performance of the songs played on Spotify.
If our phone doesn’t have a built-in equalizer we can download a third-party app for the purpose, as seen in the guide to Equalizers app to improve sound on Android. If, on the other hand, we want to apply an equalizer on a Windows PC, we invite you to read our guide on how change Windows audio settings and apply equalizer.
Use quality headphones or earphones
Often the sound rendering of Spotify songs is not up to our Hi-Fi system because we use Chinese headphones or earphones for a few euros. In order to increase the sound quality of Spotify, it is advisable to use only quality headphones and earphones, such as the Apple AirPods Pro (€180).
These earphones work very well on the iPhone (but we can also use them on Android) and allow you to obtain a superior audio performance compared to any other model of headphones or earphones. As an alternative to AirPods we can use (on Android devices) the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 or the Huawei Freebuds 4.
Other models of headphones and earphones can be viewed in our guides to best bluetooth headphones for smartphones similar to AirPods and at best wireless headphones.
Conclusions
By reading this guide we will immediately have all the tricks and tips available for truly increase the sound quality of Spotify, using the settings that the streaming app itself offers on both smartphones and PCs. The best possible configuration to obtain an unrivaled audio performance foresees activating Very Loud voice on Spotify and using AirPods ProAirPods Pro on iPhone; alternatively we can use one of the ear kits recommended in the dedicated chapter.
To learn more we can read our guides on how to connect AirPods, Apple’s wireless earphones And how to improve the sound of wireless headphones (PC and smartphone).