How to unlock lossless audio across major streaming services

Listeners can dramatically improve music quality in minutes by adjusting playback settings rather than buying new gear. Lossless audio preserves every detail from the original recording, meaning nothing is removed to shrink the file. Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music all offer lossless or high-resolution streams, while YouTube Music has not offered true lossless playback yet.

That said, many popular apps default to settings that prioritize convenience over clarity. By turning off volume normalization and tuning the equalizer to taste, listeners can hear more of the artist’s intent and dynamic range.

Major services and the current landscape vary when it comes to lossless playback. Apple Music and Spotify have long offered lossless or high-resolution options, while Amazon Music has rolled out Ultra HD and similar tiers. YouTube Music, as of 2025, still lacks native lossless streaming, though Google has begun rolling out a Consistent volume feature aimed at equalizing loudness across tracks. In practice, the default settings on many apps are tuned for data efficiency and ease of use rather than maximum fidelity, so users can often improve sound quality by adjusting a few controls.

Spotify users can take several steps to preserve dynamics and clarity: open the profile menu in the upper-left corner, go to Settings and Playback, and disable Enable Audio Normalization. This removes the app’s automatic leveling, which can compress the dynamic range. For tone shaping, use Spotify’s built-in Equalizer to choose a preset such as Bass Booster, Vocal Booster or Acoustic, or create a custom profile by adjusting the sliders.

YouTube Music users should note that the service does not include its own equalizer on most devices. If your device has a system-level equalizer, you can use it through the YouTube Music playback settings. In 2025, Google began rolling out a Consistent volume feature that normalizes loudness between tracks; if your account has the toggle, turning it off may yield the widest dynamics, though the option may not be available on all devices or versions.

Amazon Music provides a similar approach to preserving dynamics: in the mobile app, open your profile, go to Settings, then Playback and turn Loudness Normalization off. On a Mac, open the Amazon Music app, click your profile photo, go to Settings and Playback, and switch Normalize Volume off. The desktop web player may or may not expose this option depending on account type and browser.

Across platforms, the experience of EQ varies. Apple Music on iPhone does not include an in-app EQ by default, but users can enable it via Settings > Apps > Music > EQ and select from presets such as Vocal Booster, Reduce Bass or Acoustic. On Mac, Apple Music exposes an Equalizer through the Mac menu bar under Window > Equalizer, with presets and a toggle to enable or disable. YouTube Music generally relies on the device’s system equalizer; if the system EQ is not available on your device, third-party apps such as Wavelet (Android) or Boom (iOS) can provide added control.

Amazon Music does not include its own built-in EQ; instead, it uses the device’s system equalizer. If a device exposes an Equalizer option under Settings > Playback, tapping it will open the device’s sound settings. If your device does not expose a system EQ, third-party options remain available.

Avoiding Dolby Atmos when chasing lossless quality is often advised by listeners who want the purest stereo image. Atmos adds a spatial effect that, while immersive, is not the same as lossless fidelity. On Apple Music, you can download songs in Dolby Atmos or in lossless, but not both for the same track; enabling Atmos may prevent lossless downloads. Other formats like Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music may override Ultra HD if both exist.

Beyond service-specific adjustments, users can often improve sound quality by addressing hardware as well. If your earbuds or headphones support high-resolution Bluetooth codecs such as LDAC or AptX Adaptive, enabling those codecs can preserve more detail in wireless playback. A USB-C digital-to-analog converter can help when your headphones lack native high-resolution support. Matching your audio gear to your source reduces the risk of compression eroding fidelity. And if you want an overall quick uplift, consider trying a system-wide EQ app on Android or iOS to tailor the sound to your preferences.

In short, upgrading audio quality across streaming services is often a matter of turning off automatic processing, enabling higher-quality streams where available, and using the right EQ settings or external tools to suit your ears. Small changes can yield noticeably richer, more dynamic sound on a wide range of devices and services.