If you are passionate about the audio fidelity of your music, then streaming services may not be your favorite goal. But you can get pretty high quality sound from some of the services on the market –there are quite a few options to consider based on the platform you use and whether you pay or not.
Although we will not delve too deeply into the techniques of audio formats here, you will encounter three main levels of audio quality in the various streaming services: first are lossy tablet formats such as AAC and MP3 encoded at bit speeds up to 320 kbps (the higher the better).
As you upgrade to better, lossless sound formats, the measurements differ: there is CD-quality audio encoded at a depth of 16 bits up to a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz (equivalent to 1,411 kbps) and encoded audio 24-bit studio quality up to 192 kHz (equivalent to 9,216 kbps).
Going through those audio levels is the same as switching to a better camera to improve the quality of your photo and make it bigger.-resolution images – there is much more detail and information stored as the quality of the parts increases.
Qobuz
Qobuz he is proud of the quality of the music he transmits. His plans go up to studio quality – this is the 24-bit and 192 kHz encoded FLAC format – and the plan will return you $ 15 a month (less if you pay a year at a time). There are desktop and mobile applications available, as well as a web player.
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The recently announced partnership between Qobuz and Sonos offers audiophiles another option to choose from. Qobuz is the first service to offer a lossless 24-bit format over Sonos systems, so if these are the speakers you installed at home (or are thinking of buying), then Qobuz is a systemaudio partner with resolution.
Tidal
Audio quality was a selling point for Tidal from the very beginning and if you pay for the premium 20 USD /the monthly plan you get quality music on 16 bits and 44.1 kHz. A selection of albums are also available in master quality – ie 24 bits and up to 192 kHz – but you will get this as part of the Tidal HiFi plan. The standard of 10 USD /the one-month premium package gives you quality music up to 320 kbps.
Tidal has also partnered with a number of speaker manufacturers to ensure high quality playback away from your applications and mobile devices: Bluesound, Denon, Naim, Cambridge Audio, and Astell & Kern are some of the many companies that have signed up. However, the transmission to the speakers (including Sonos) exceeds 16 bits, not 24 bits.
Amazon Music
Amazon offers a somewhat amazing range of music streaming packages, from free to package-with-Prime to high fidelity – and the latest is Amazon Music HD. It fits Tidal, offering its entire catalog at 16 bits / 44.1 kHz and a smaller subsection of music at 24 bits / 192 kHz and will cost you $ 13 per month if you are already a Prime subscriber and $ 15 per month if you’re not.
In addition to playing this 24-bit music on your mobile and desktop devices, it is also supported by a limited number of speakers and associated equipment – sspecifically, Echo Studio, Echo Link and Echo Amp. As long as you’re willing to go all-in to the Amazon ecosystem, you can get high-resolution music streaming throughout the house.
Deezer
Among the many reasons why you sign up Deezer is the Deezer HiFi plan, which gives you 16-bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC-quality music for $ 15 a month. Follow the $ 10 per month plan and you’ll get up to 320 kbps in streaming quality, and if you’re a non-paying user on the Deezer platform, then you’re limited to 128 kbps.
If you opt for the top HiFi plan, then you can enjoy sound fidelity on all platforms and devices that support Deezer (and the list it’s a long one, which extends from consoles to the web player). There is currently no 24-bit plan available, but 16-bit works almost everywhere.
Spotify
If you are paying $ 10 per month and using dedicated Spotify desktop or mobile applications, rather than the web player, you can get up to 320 kbps. Haccess the settings for the application on your platform choose and search the audio quality section to make sure you always get the best quality possible. IIf you leave these settings on Automatic, Spotify adjusts the bit rate to match your internet connection. For free users, this rate exceeds 160 kbps.
Better audio fidelity comes, although. Later this year, Spotify will be launched Spotify HiFi for an additional yet undisclosed fee that will guarantee you “lossless CD quality audio”, whether you’re listening to a device or through a Spotify Connect speaker setup. As soon as it launches correctly, we will bring it to you all details.
Apple Music
Apple does not publicly disclose the bit rate that its songs transmit worldwide Apple Music platform, although the general consensus is thats AAC 256 kbps based on indices such as the files you can buy from iTunes. For now, it’s one size it fits all options; there is no free level.
Apple has always made a lot of noise about being interested in audio fidelity since it began offering digital downloads at the turn of the millennium, which leads us to believe that something equivalent to Spotify HiFi won’t be too far away. It offers lossless downloads to buy for years, but so far no streams.
Music on YouTube
Music on YouTube fits Apple Music as 256 kbps AAC streaming – unless you currently subscribe to the premium service, in which case you’ll be downgraded to 128 kbps AAC.
There are no desktop applications with YouTube Music, but you can specify a streaming quality in mobile and web applications – the options are similar to those obtained with Spotify. Open the settings screen on your device, and under the playback and audio quality menus you can set the quality for streaming via wifi, streaming via cellular networks, and for tracks downloaded to your device.