Hello all,
I am currently running Amazon Music HD through Bluetooth on my Tibo Bond 3 streamer connected via optical cable to my Yamaha DSP-AX861SE 7.1 UK Tuned Receiver. My speakers are Wharfedale Pacific EVO 30's and are bi-amped with QED XT-25 loudspeaker cable. It is a low-budget but sweet sounding combo.
Up until yesterday I was using Spotify Premium as my main streaming service. The sound quality is good but I was curious about the higher res options out there. For me the most cost effective step up is Amazon Music HD which costs £12.99 a month as a Prime member which is only £3 more expensive than Spotify with access to everything in at least cd quality and a substantial portion in the higher res versions (which Amazon calls Ultra HD). Tidal is just too expensive and although Qobuz is not much more expensive at £14.99 I have understood that it has significant gaps in its catalogue and that is an unbearable thought. Up until now I have found everything I love on Amazon.
I love the way in which you can organize your music in Spotify and its connectivity across devices is so convenient. In that regard the Amazon interface is a shambles. You can't add a folder and put subfolders in it which I find extremely annoying. Artist's albums are in random order, not in chronological order so finding an album from an artist with an extensive catalogue (David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis for example) is an adventure (I am trying to be diplomatic here). The desktop app (I am using a PC) is appalling. Take Frank Zappa again as an example. You can see a selection of albums but not the complete discography and that's the case with all artists with an extensive catalogue. Search function in the desktop app is ludicrous and rage inducing. The mobile app is way better in this regard, search prediction allows for typos and complete discographies are shown so fortunately it's not all doom and gloom.
Now for sound quality. CD quality just sounds better than what Spotify has to offer, it just does. If I compare 'Stratus' by Billy Cobham between the two the cymbals in Amazon lose the hard edge that Spotify has. Separation is better, the bass more pronounced. 'So what' from Miles Davis's superb album 'Kind of Blue' sound even better in Ultra HD. It must be said that I can't listen to Ultra HD in the full quality offered due to device limitations but the step up in Ultra HD from CD quality is audible, even to my ears. Again, Spotify's 320 kbps does a good job but I can hear the bass player plucking the bass on Amazon's version of 'So what' instead of just hearing the bass note and the soundstage is more concise. David Bowie's 'Blackstar' in Ultra HD is a real treat, just listen to the drums for instance and there is more definition in all frequencies. Katatonia's 'Forsaker' is more thunderous, Japan's 'Swing' has more breathing space, Steve Jansen's 'Grip' with all it's quirky sounds all over the place is way more refined and I can go on and on. Even after a day the difference (at least for me) is clearly audible and I will end my Spotify Premium subscription and will reconstruct my playlists in Amazon as best I can.
If Spotify would up its game it would be the perfect service for me with all its organizing abilities and if that is your main consideration stick to Spotify. How hard it may be to let go of all the music I have organized in the past years I will do it because the sound quality is just not up to par with Amazon Music HD. Make sure to turn the normalize volume off and choose highest streaming quality in the settings otherwise it may revert to its Standard setting.
I can wholeheartedly recommend it, there's a 30-day free trial. Just listen to a few of your favorite tracks side by side, I can't imagine you can't hear a difference. Even on my no-budget setup I can hear a marked difference so if you got higher spec'd equipment it should be immediately obvious.
I am currently running Amazon Music HD through Bluetooth on my Tibo Bond 3 streamer connected via optical cable to my Yamaha DSP-AX861SE 7.1 UK Tuned Receiver. My speakers are Wharfedale Pacific EVO 30's and are bi-amped with QED XT-25 loudspeaker cable. It is a low-budget but sweet sounding combo.
Up until yesterday I was using Spotify Premium as my main streaming service. The sound quality is good but I was curious about the higher res options out there. For me the most cost effective step up is Amazon Music HD which costs £12.99 a month as a Prime member which is only £3 more expensive than Spotify with access to everything in at least cd quality and a substantial portion in the higher res versions (which Amazon calls Ultra HD). Tidal is just too expensive and although Qobuz is not much more expensive at £14.99 I have understood that it has significant gaps in its catalogue and that is an unbearable thought. Up until now I have found everything I love on Amazon.
I love the way in which you can organize your music in Spotify and its connectivity across devices is so convenient. In that regard the Amazon interface is a shambles. You can't add a folder and put subfolders in it which I find extremely annoying. Artist's albums are in random order, not in chronological order so finding an album from an artist with an extensive catalogue (David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis for example) is an adventure (I am trying to be diplomatic here). The desktop app (I am using a PC) is appalling. Take Frank Zappa again as an example. You can see a selection of albums but not the complete discography and that's the case with all artists with an extensive catalogue. Search function in the desktop app is ludicrous and rage inducing. The mobile app is way better in this regard, search prediction allows for typos and complete discographies are shown so fortunately it's not all doom and gloom.
Now for sound quality. CD quality just sounds better than what Spotify has to offer, it just does. If I compare 'Stratus' by Billy Cobham between the two the cymbals in Amazon lose the hard edge that Spotify has. Separation is better, the bass more pronounced. 'So what' from Miles Davis's superb album 'Kind of Blue' sound even better in Ultra HD. It must be said that I can't listen to Ultra HD in the full quality offered due to device limitations but the step up in Ultra HD from CD quality is audible, even to my ears. Again, Spotify's 320 kbps does a good job but I can hear the bass player plucking the bass on Amazon's version of 'So what' instead of just hearing the bass note and the soundstage is more concise. David Bowie's 'Blackstar' in Ultra HD is a real treat, just listen to the drums for instance and there is more definition in all frequencies. Katatonia's 'Forsaker' is more thunderous, Japan's 'Swing' has more breathing space, Steve Jansen's 'Grip' with all it's quirky sounds all over the place is way more refined and I can go on and on. Even after a day the difference (at least for me) is clearly audible and I will end my Spotify Premium subscription and will reconstruct my playlists in Amazon as best I can.
If Spotify would up its game it would be the perfect service for me with all its organizing abilities and if that is your main consideration stick to Spotify. How hard it may be to let go of all the music I have organized in the past years I will do it because the sound quality is just not up to par with Amazon Music HD. Make sure to turn the normalize volume off and choose highest streaming quality in the settings otherwise it may revert to its Standard setting.
I can wholeheartedly recommend it, there's a 30-day free trial. Just listen to a few of your favorite tracks side by side, I can't imagine you can't hear a difference. Even on my no-budget setup I can hear a marked difference so if you got higher spec'd equipment it should be immediately obvious.
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