Amazon Music HD

[What Hi-Fi?]

Amazon’s CD-quality and high-res streaming service is a seriously tempting package.

Amazon Music HD : Read more

 

[xela333]

I've been using Amazon HD for just over 2 months now, though that would give me a good amount of time to give it a fair review.

Have to say, I've just gone back to Spotify. The major drawback of Amazon HD is the smartphone app, which is absolutely awful. On the face of it, it looks clean, sharp and easy to use. But after using Spotify's excellent ecosystem for years, it is a million miles away. Some examples are not being able to download all of your music collection for offline playback, you have to do to each individual track to download it. Unless you put it in a playlist, but you still have to download again if you add new tracks. Simply selecting a new song to play will open up the full screen music controller, when I'm just trying to browse. Cannot remove a track from my library when I'm playing it. And had a few songs become corrupt after download.

Also, lack of integration with anything thats not Alexa.

These are just a few examples and make the whole experience incredibly infuriating for me. I also struggle (maybe in my old age or equipment) to really discern the different of the UHD tracks and Spotify tbh (Using Shure 215's and an APTX HD Transmitter)

So all in all, would not recommend.

 

[Sorepaws]

While the laptop and phone apps work very well there is a real hole in the support for streaming devices that audiophiles maybe using. Amazon are aware of this but there seems to be little progress in making sure that your streaming amp (or other system) can play anything better than AC3. Tidal does at least support FLAC on their "Masters" tracks. I should add that my experience is using equipment that is listed as a "partner" to Amazon.
My work around is to use a laptop to connected by an optical link to my chosen audio system.
As described in the review above there is a good selection of HD and UHD artists including many remastered tracks.

 

[Friesiansam]

I signed-up for the free trial when it was first reported on. I was running the app on PC and playing through my Audiolab M-DAC and Shure SRH1540s. I tried a number of tracks that I also have on the PC, as CD quality FLAC files and found the quality of the HD (CD quality) tracks was disappointing, flat and lacking treble and any sparkle and UHD didn't appear noticeably better. Amazon's idea of lossless is not the same as mine.

I only use streaming to try before I buy on CD and free Spotify is good enough for that.

 

[Dave Faraway]

It was a really difficult call, I agree with the comments before. Amazon Music HD is far away from the Spotify app, but having the chance to use the two. In the end I renewed my subscription on yearly basis as Prime member. Now, at the beginning the integration of the app was terrible, Alexa which I have was way happier to send music to My Sonos devices from Spotify rather than their own service, this actually improved and by the moment is almost on par. Nevertheless their app on my iPhone lacks Spotify perks like an equaliser inside the app.
Music quality: The reason I renewed, my current equipments which barely reach (or miss) the HI-FI mark show a remarked improvement over Spotify. This is the case over my iPhone and Sony wireless Earbuds/headset, my Sonos amp Home Theatre and the House's Little Man Headset Amp fed through a Cyrus Soundkey as DAC. By the moment I subscribed I was unhappy with the Spotify general equalisation/sound quality. So I am suffering rather than happily enjoying Amazon Music HD but I rather have their Hiccups than paying for something like Tidal which is more expensive and no value for money on my current set up. Amazon Music Hd has improved my enjoinment of my audio equipments and is going nowhere at the moment.
On the other hand I found no difference from Spotify on the old and forgiving Sonos Play3 and my car stereo. I mean none at all. It is obvious a case by case judgement if worthy. In my case, I am happy to have jumped to the High Resolution on the cheap.

 

[MechaNikos]

As much as enjoyed listening to Amazon Music HD tracks over the trial period, I did not renew as I found the lack of integration extremely frustrating. I tried numerous combinations, but was unable to get bit-perfect playback on any of my external DACs.
When they offer an API so that third-party devices/transports can connect and stream, I will consider signing up again. Spotify has a much better interface, suggestion algorithms and most importantly the “Spotify connect” feature.

 

[arbitrabbit]

For me the lack of Chromecast support on the iOS app is the deal breaker... that's how I get high res audio to my receiver and almost every other service supports it (TIdal, Qobuz...not least Spotify etc). Amazon needs to sort its internal politics if they want to make an impact in the competitive audio streaming industry.

 

[Jimboo]

Workarounds , lack of support for some hardware or poor integration. It is all unacceptable. Spotify would rule the world if it upped the quality.

 

[Rob Littler 77]

Does not support hires playback on Android Devices.

Subscribed to the Amazon Music HD service expecting to enjoy hires music on my Samsung Note 10+ with a hires USB DAC. Upon streaming a few Hires tracks I noticed the app was reading the capabilities of my phones internal DAC for the speakers rather than the USB DAC that is the current audio device.

I emailed Amazon music's customer support and was told promptly that it is not possible to play Hires content on my device.

Looking into this further it says on the Amazon Music site under the section 'Who can get Hires' that all recent Android devices will play at up to 24 bit 48 KHz. This is not Hires, yet Hires capabilities are clearly advertised for the Android app on the Play Store. This false advertising unless we are now considering 48 KHz Hires.

I should add that Hires support up to 192 KHz is available for recent iOS devices using a USB DAC, so why not Android? It uses the same Universal Audio 2.0 standard as iOS and windows, and furthermore, why advertise the app as Hires capable on this platform?

I unsubscibed one hour later.

 

[abacus]

Does not support hires playback on Android Devices.

Subscribed to the Amazon Music HD service expecting to enjoy hires music on my Samsung Note 10+ with a hires USB DAC. Upon streaming a few Hires tracks I noticed the app was reading the capabilities of my phones internal DAC for the speakers rather than the USB DAC that is the current audio device.

I emailed Amazon music's customer support and was told promptly that it is not possible to play Hires content on my device.

Looking into this further it says on the Amazon Music site under the section 'Who can get Hires' that all recent Android devices will play at up to 24 bit 48 KHz. This is not Hires, yet Hires capabilities are clearly advertised for the Android app on the Play Store. This false advertising unless we are now considering 48 KHz Hires.

I should add that Hires support up to 192 KHz is available for recent iOS devices using a USB DAC, so why not Android? It uses the same Universal Audio 2.0 standard as iOS and windows, and furthermore, why advertise the app as Hires capable on this platform?

I unsubscibed one hour later.

Hi-res relates to anything above 16/44, thus 24/48 is classed as high-res. (24/48 is commonly used in most studios with only a few going up to 24/96)

Bill

 

[Lurker]

Does anyone know what codec Amazon HD uses? Can I purchase & download a .flac file, or do they use something else?

 

[Baltdelete]

Does anyone know what codec Amazon HD uses? Can I purchase & download a .flac file, or do they use something else?

I bought only 1 a track from them and it's flac. Depends on the artist in guessing because some streams are opus. Problem is there seems to be no way to find the file to play in external music app like UApp which supports internal & external dacs with Android, which amazon doesn't. So technically I don't own the song since I can't even find its file location and export. Even disappeared when all streamed offline music was expired. Which apparently happens monthly, they just don't tell you. I'd buy8nf elsewhere.

 

[DBB]

I've spent a fair bit of time recently testing Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon. I've been using my laptop (Surface Pro 7) or my phone (Pixel 4XL) and Sony XM3 headphones, running through a Cyrus Soundkey.

For all of Amazon's benefits, and there are many, of them, the downsides were too important for me.

Positives:
* Great library in CD quality - on par with Tidal in my opinion. Loads more than Qobuz.
* Great library in above CD quality - way more than Tidal, and on par with Qobuz.
* The price, as a Prime member.
* Good sound, although not quite as good as Qobuz to my ears.
* In-app EQ for Android is handy.

Negatives:
* The app. It's just horrible. Glitchy. Duplicate tracks appearing in albums etc.
* If you add a song from an artist to one of your playlists, the artist and album show up in your library, which leaves the library looking very cluttered. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was a huge turn-off for me.
* No support for external DACs for Android. Why not? And why are Android devices locked to 24/48, when LDAC supports 24/96?

If they address those negatives I'll happily resubscribe, but it's back to Tidal for me for the time being.

 

[jesseinsf]

The Windows app has been updated today and now has a new UI and now supports "Exclusive Mode". The IU improvements are a step closer to perfection but it's not there yet. Now, with Exclusive mode, you need to be playing something to be able to turn it on. To turn it on, click the little speaker on the bottom right of the screen (the track playing bar), then toggle the Exclusive Mode Switch. It will stay actively on while the app is open and reset to the off position if you close the app and reopen it. Minimizing the screen doesn't affect it.

 

[GHL]

Maybe it was just the luck of the draw, but the very first song I chose, "The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy, sounded much worse than the version I have in my own iTunes library –The Amazon HD version adds an odd "warbling" quality to the guitar that I've never heard (and I don't recall hearing that on vinyl either). Both iTunes and Amazon HD versions are at 16 bit / 44.1 kHz. However, the iTunes version is in Apple Lossless (M4A) while Amazon uses FLAC encoding.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[mpwklipsch]

I have to say I can only think those giving amazon music HD a good review are either being paid by them or do not have very revealing HiFi set ups. I was listening through BluOS streamer Emotiva Stealth DC-1 DAC emotiva XSP - 1 Pre amp XPA 1- L class A amplifiers going to klipsch palladium p39f speakers. I was hoping for this to be a good way into high res music affordably but it isn't even close to CD quality. As well as possibly being able to ditch my CD collection into the loft. I have done back to back comparison with CD and streamer with non -'audiophile' friends and they can easily tell the difference. It sounds like I am listening to an MP3 despite bluos telling me it is pulling HR music from amazon. Something is clearly wrong I contacted bluos and they did not explicitly say but simply that they just pull whatever amazon provide. The good thing is they do a free 3 month trial so you can all hear it for yourselves. .. now - what to do with the bluos streamer I bought for this purpose?!

 

[jalbuque]

I have to say I can only think those giving amazon music HD a good review are either being paid by them or do not have very revealing HiFi set ups. I was listening through BluOS streamer Emotiva Stealth DC-1 DAC emotiva XSP - 1 Pre amp XPA 1- L class A amplifiers going to klipsch palladium p39f speakers. I was hoping for this to be a good way into high res music affordably but it isn't even close to CD quality. As well as possibly being able to ditch my CD collection into the loft. I have done back to back comparison with CD and streamer with non -'audiophile' friends and they can easily tell the difference. It sounds like I am listening to an MP3 despite bluos telling me it is pulling HR music from amazon. Something is clearly wrong I contacted bluos and they did not explicitly say but simply that they just pull whatever amazon provide. The good thing is they do a free 3 month trial so you can all hear it for yourselves. .. now - what to do with the bluos streamer I bought for this purpose?!

I tend to agree. I have been using Amazon HD for a month and was reasonabe happy - the access to a big catalogue in HD is a real plus for someone like me not previously having a streaming subscription. But satisfaction ended when I played one of my favourites, the Dvorak's violin concerto by Anne-Sophie Mutter. The Amazon version is supposed to be "Ultra HD" but the violin sounded horrible to my ears. As I have a Mac and was streaming through Bluenode, I could switch between Amazon and the same concerto in CD quality using Airplay. And with exactly the same equipmentn the later sounded much better. There is a world of difference! I still have not tested other tracks but will certainly try Tidal and Qobuz to be sure streaming is the way forward....
Happy listenign to all,

 

[John Galloway]

I was delighted that Amazon started to stream HD for a reasonable price. However the great disappointment is the fact that during streaming I get pops and cracks which sound like the noise from a scratched record. This is most apparent during quiet pieces. I tried free trials of Tidal and Qobuz both of which stream music with perfect clarity so it is not a fault with my computer(newish iMac) or broadband connection . I have been on the help line with amazon and they have no solution to offer other than clearing the cache and reinstalling the app neither of which help. I have a good hifi including a roksan caspian amplifier, arcam dac and spendor speakers which should show the best attributes of the service. When I listen to amazon music through the web browser there are no extraneous noises so the problem is with the app but the streaming on the browser is not HD so no better than Spotify. So if you are a hifi enthusiast with half decent equipment this streaming service is not worth the money even though it is cheaper than the competition. Perhaps the forthcoming Spotify Hi Res will be better.