Poor quality Billie Eilish album

[ApocalypticDoom]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Pixel 2

Operating System

Android

My Question or Issue

I just tried listening to the new Billie album and the sound quality is very poor. Very distorted, scratchy, and a dumb amount of bass even when the bass equalizer is turned all the way down. Can you guys re-upload it and fix it, I really wanna give it a listen. 

[raikorious]

Same here on MacOS and on a Denon AVR. Please fix.

[RaZorHamZteR]

Yea, all songs same problem. And bass way to loud multiple places. Wierd.

[rpitz]

Same impression here, but I start to think that the recording is intentionally overblown and distorted in some places. I purchased the vinyl and the effect is even worse, to the point where I jumped from my seat to stop playback as I assumed something in my chain was broken.
Maybe the album is meant to be primarily played on mobile phones?! 😞

[Barty63]

It's ruined for me, I'm amazed Billie herself finds this acceptable

[y8sscott]

After her success at the 2020 Grammy Awards, I decided to give Billie a listen on Spotify through my Bose SoundTouch 20 speaker. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had to turn it off. Billie has a good voice and the songs are well written and arranged but the recording quality sounded like they were recorded in someones bedroom.......... wait a minute, they were. From reading the other comments in this thread I see I'm not alone. This also makes me question the ears of the people who pick the winners at the Grammys. 

[QUIVE]

The distortion is intentional. its not a loudness thing either. Bad Guy is really interesting at around 2.30sec the bass has a layer of 'vibration' on it that sounds like distortion. I'm just back from a major HiFI show and heard this track on a €100,000 system using electrostatic speakers by Martin Logan - so clear that this effect was stunning. The bass was super also but will be too much on bass heavy headphones like BEATS.  I can see how most regular mortals / non millionaires have issues on regular gear like most people have.

[RaZorHamZteR]

I am sure I read some place that it was not intentional but a result of
recording in their bedroom. Anywho. I am listening on my tv or some mid
range headphones so I guess i am missing out. 🙂

[QUIVE]

yes, that's all over the net, but when you hear it on a VERY high resolution system its not distortion at all. its textures. cant say I like it a lot. all explained here

[RaZorHamZteR]

Thx for the link 🙂

[y8sscott]

This reminds me of a bit of wisdom I heard from a wise friend of mine about Richard Wagner’s music: It’s better than it sounds!

[Sebasty]

Wow I was unaware of this sort of issue with her music! :')

It is indeed produced in that particularly interesting way. I don't hear distortion, but patterns. At the same time I am listening to that on what is considered 'studio' gear - K712 hooked to Focusrite Scarlett. It sounds obvious that a lot of these patterns and other little detail could go missing on audio equipment less revealing, and that amount of bass can distort.

So I guess it's an album that unknowingly tests the audio equipment? That's cool.

You don't need to buy $100k system to enjoy it tho, you really don't. 😅

[QUIVE]

I listened to a few tracks on these extraordinary Martin Logan Electrostatic speakers from the USA with PMC / Bryston / AMV gear - stunning resolution

    

[Ivan]

Hey there folks and @ApocalypticDoom, 

Thanks for reaching out to the Community about this. 
 

If you notice a track or an album on Spotify isn't playing correctly, or the information (title, cover art, release date) is incorrect, you can report it to us. 

We suggest you check out this help page and follow the steps on how to report the issue you've spotted. 

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any more questions.

[Bullit2003]

Spotify, do not change a thing. I have a REL T7 subwoofer and Billie Eilish has the only songs that utilise the subs fool frequency response at 30hz and it sounds amazing. Most Hip Hop songs base line are around 50hz. Only a small amount of Hip Hop reach 40Hz.

[OleksandrShkurat]

It's just impossible to listen. Literally "blood from ears"

[Tave5]

I thought it was my system that song after song distorted on bass tracks.   Only way this pop divas music and have that not happen is if volume is turned down so low and here isn’t the type of presentation