Music streaming services ...

[Saracen999]

As regulars will know, I'm new to this and currently experimenting.

Currently, I have Amazon unlimited on free trial for 3 months. It might just be coincidence based on what I've played, but the recording quality seems markedly better (through a 3rd Gen Echo) than the basic Music service with Prime. Currently, I have a Planxty selection playing (not available on the basic service).

And it made me wonder ... how much difference is there between Amazon Unlimited, Spotify, etc?

Given that the one-device Amazon Unlimited subscription (which is enough for me) is £3.99/month, are there any options that are better, both for quality and value for money? I'm sure some of you have tried multiple services over the years.

[Jonj1611]

I use Spotify Premium as it means I don't have any ads, lots of special offers around. Have found the quality very good even at 320kbps

I have used Tidal in the past with their highest quality offering and it was ok, 1411kbps! And their Master quality is higher still but limited songs compared to others and price point made it unattractive

However Amazon is 320kbps same as Spotify but Amazon HD is supposed to be up 850kbps, is that the one you have? And also Amazon UHD is supposed to be a lot higher again

[spacein_vader]

Of all the services Tidal is the one that sells itself on higher quality and lossless encoding. No idea if they're the only ones who do it though, nor the size of their collection and if it will talk to an Echo. They do a 30 day trial though so worth a test drive I'd have thought: https://tidal.com/

[jimborae]

Deezer & Tidal are better quality and if sign up via VPN & from a country like Argentina or Turkey you can get it for a significantly cheaper price e.g. £2:30/m. Eitherway both do free trials so check them out but also remember alot will depend on what you're playing it back through as to whether you can hear the difference, but of course I don't need to tell you that.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/rec...-tidal-3471894
https://www.deezer.com/en/offers/hifi

[Jonj1611]

Of all the services Tidal is the one that sells itself on higher quality and lossless encoding. No idea if they're the only ones who do it though, nor the size of their collection and if it will talk to an Echo. They do a 30 day trial though so worth a test drive I'd have thought: https://tidal.com/

Apparentally Tidal is 60 million tracks, obviously gone up since I first joined!

[DanceswithUnix]

My son, who complains about high pitched coil whines etc that many people can't hear so seems to be fairly sensitive to sounds quality, has settled on Spotify premium.

Compression has improved over the years, as my hearing has worsened. I suspect the intersect of where to me they all sound as good was some time ago

[Saracen999]

@Jonj .... No, standard unlimited, not HD.

The context is playback (currently) through an Echo 3rd Gen. Which is .... okay. Audiophile it is not. One thing I have found, already, is that where you locate it is hugely important. I guess it's no surprise but (to me, anyway) it's best in relatively open space.

Location 1 was on a shelf, very close to a wall. Result = boomy, muffled bass drowning midrange and any vocal subtlety.

Location 1 but modified. Instead of sitting on a wooden shelf, put a couple of felt pads underneath. Result = marked improvement, but still boomy.

Location 1 with mod 2. Add a bit of cloth behind, between wall and Echo. Again, better, but still not great.

Location 2 ... on a window ledge, close to a window. Result = arghhh!!! Move off window ledge.

Location 3 = on a table, in relatively open space, still on felt pads. Result = .... okay. As I said, audiophile it is not, but then, it's really for background listening, often with a radio station on a chat show.

Oh, and at my age, my ears aren't what they were 40 years ago.

So that's my context. When seeking "quality", I'm really after "decent" but certainly not audiophile. I want clear, not muffled, and bass should be deep but capable of being tight, not just a boomy mess.

The limitations are, clearly, the Echo is no better than okay, and my ears are, well, same age as the rest of me. Sadly.

So I'm picky enough to play with different locations, and with felt pads, etc, but not picky enough to find the Echo unacceptable ... just about. I have a sneaky suspicion, having bought the Echo's, that auditioning Sonos, or B&W, etc, might be a mistake.

But if a recording is bad enough to make even an Echo sound bad .... well what can I say.

I guess really what I'm after is quality sufficiently high for the Echo, optimised in setup and location, for the Echo to be the weak link in the chain, not the recording. And that isn't really setting the bar that high, IMHO.

The problem is that sound quality is subjective, in the ears of the belistener.

[jimborae]

If you’re only playing back through an Echo then Spotify is more than good enough. By the way I have an echo & Sonos in the same room and I wouldn’t say the Sonos is significantly better. I think their perceived quality is vastly overrated for the price you pay, this is a Sonos 3 by the way.

[matts-uk]

I'm another one on Spotify premium. Audio quality is good enough for casual and distracted listening and to not annoy me. The features that sold it are the choice of tracks and the convenience of Spotify Connect...And no adverts.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Qobuz is another higher quality streaming service. However,the problem with all of these services,is the cost. Unless you use some regional pricing trick or get a cheap special offer,they cost between £10~£20 a month. I don't see the point of spending £120~£240 a year on music I don't actually own. Over 5 years that is £600~£1200,over 10 years £1200 to £2400. The only music I would care about being "better quality" would be the kind of music you would be liable to own. It can be 1 billion tracks,but I doubt anyone will have even a few thousand tracks you really care enough about over your whole lifetime! I have been down the route of "better quality" audio formats such as SACD,and basic Red Book standard CD(despite it's technical flaws),is "good enough" and after that it's mostly down to the mastering from the original recordings.

Also you need to consider what kind of devices you intend to be streaming to - is it a £5000 Hifi setup or a £100 wireless speaker?? Unless you have some really decent setup,just get the cheapest option. The limitation will be the device,and the location/positioning of the device. Also AFAIK,most of these music streaming devices are mono anyway! As long as you can get 256KBPS~320KBPS quality you will be fine for casual listening.

Edit!!

The Amazon Music Unlimited standard subscription seems to be reasonably priced. I did try out it out and it was perfectly fine through a pair of Grados and a decentish headphone amplifier.

[neonplanet40]

So, I have a cheat...

I used holovpn to register a tidal account in argentina. Using a revolut card. I have the top hi-fi subscription and it costs £1.88 a month...


Just an idea if you want to try it out...

I should say that I have paid full price for ALL of the music streaming services. If I had to pick one:

It would be Spotify. It just works. Has few bugs and is great with a variety of devices etc. The downside is that it tops out at 320kbps music.

However, most people don't have equipment to notice the difference. If the bitrate is your focus, Tidal is the best. But it will cost you (unless you do the region trick).

[Saracen999]

If you’re only playing back through an Echo then Spotify is more than good enough. By the way I have an echo & Sonos in the same room and I wouldn’t say the Sonos is significantly better. I think their perceived quality is vastly overrated for the price you pay, this is a Sonos 3 by the way.

Interesting. Very interesting.

The Sonos 3 is the current one, about £200, IIRC, yes? The only Sonos I've heard, and even that only briefly, was older. Certainly pre-Alexa days, but about twice that price. I don't know the model.

[Saracen999]

Qobuz is another higher quality streaming service. However,the problem with all of these services,is the cost. Unless you use some regional pricing trick or get a cheap special offer,they cost between £10~£20 a month. I don't see the point of spending £120~£240 a year on music I don't actually own. Over 5 years that is £600~£1200,over 10 years £1200 to £2400. The only music I would care about being "better quality" would be the kind of music you would be liable to own. It can be 1 billion tracks,but I doubt anyone will have even a few thousand tracks you really care enough about over your whole lifetime! I have been down the route of "better quality" audio formats such as SACD,and basic Red Book standard CD(despite it's technical flaws),is "good enough" and after that it's mostly down to the mastering from the original recordings.

Also you need to consider what kind of devices you intend to be streaming to - is it a £5000 Hifi setup or a £100 wireless speaker?? Unless you have some really decent setup,just get the cheapest option. The limitation will be the device,and the location/positioning of the device. Also AFAIK,most of these music streaming devices are mono anyway! As long as you can get 256KBPS~320KBPS quality you will be fine for casual listening.

Edit!!

The Amazon Music Unlimited standard subscription seems to be reasonably priced. I did try out it out and it was perfectly fine through a pair of Grados and a decentish headphone amplifier.

I think standard Amazon Unlimited is £8/month, -ish.

There's a personal version, limited to one device, at £3.99/month. Fifty quid a year for effectively unlimited choice, and convenience, seems pretty good. Maybe even Good enough to not bother digitising all my old LPs. And then C90's of friends LP's that I liked enough to tape but was too tight to buy.

[jimborae]

Interesting. Very interesting.

The Sonos 3 is the current one, about £200, IIRC, yes? The only Sonos I've heard, and even that only briefly, was older. Certainly pre-Alexa days, but about twice that price. I don't know the model.

Sorry yes it's a Sonos Play 3, which is although now recently discontinued is still available online for about £250. You probably heard the larger Sonos Play 5. Have to say I've never rated Sonos on their musical ability and I dont rate their soundbar home cinema set up either. It's purely all about convienience.

[MrJim]

I'm currently using a Bluesound Powernode 2i with a pair of Mission 7 series floor-standing speakers, using the Amazon HD service...quite an impressive sound on the whole. Having read Neonplanet40's post though, I might give that a go!

[jimborae]

That VPN & fee free card trick also works with other services. E.G. I pay £1:43/m for YouTube Premium albeit in Indian Rupees via my Revolut card.

It worth checking out as the savings can be substantial.