If you have ever considered streaming music, you might have wondered if it is worth spending the extra money to purchase high quality audio. It is true that many music services offer high quality versions of songs for a fee, but not everyone knows what to look for. Here is some information to help you make a decision.
320 kbps
If you’re a music lover, you may be curious to know whether or not Spotify offers 320 kbps high quality streaming. You might be thinking to yourself, “Is Spotify really capable of providing me with that quality of sound?” But you should be wary, as it’s not a given. However, if you subscribe to Spotify’s Premium plan, you’ll get a glimpse of the high-fidelity sound of your favorite tunes.
Basically, Spotify offers four playback tiers: Normal, High, Very High and Automatic. The highest quality is a 320 kbps bitrate, and you can even choose to use a 256 kbps high-quality stream. This is definitely the highest quality you can expect from Spotify, but you should be aware that not all songs are available at that quality.
The Spotify app itself has an equalizer feature. To take advantage of this, you first need to download the app on your device. Once you’re done, you can then enter the app’s Settings page, where you can configure audio quality settings for your device.
Among the various features, the most important is the one that allows you to change the bitrates of the songs you listen to. While you can choose between 320 kbps and 256 kbps, you can also choose between playing your music through the Wi-Fi network or over a cellular connection. Depending on your connection speed, the latter option might be more efficient.
In addition to the aforementioned features, you can use the app’s sleep timer function. This will allow you to play a song or set of songs for a certain amount of time, thereby ensuring that you won’t exceed your data limit.
In the Spotify app, you can even download your favorite tracks in a format that’s more compatible with your mobile device. Although this may sound like an extravagant gesture, it’s a worthwhile one. As long as you have a fast internet connection, you can enjoy your favorite tunes in a crisper sound. Moreover, you can download hundreds of tracks for free.
Ultimately, you’ll need to decide whether or not you want to pay for the extra perks, or just stick with the standard version. A subscription to the app will also give you access to the Premium version of Spotify, which includes unlimited ad-free streaming, a smartphone app, and ad-free cellular listening. All of these things add up to about $9.99 per month.
Alternatively, you can try out Qobuz. For a small fee, you can subscribe to their Hi-Fi service, which will allow you to experience lossless audio streaming. Tidal, on the other hand, will let you enjoy a bit more high-fidelity sound for a bit more money.
Overall, though, it seems that most people don’t know what the best high-quality streaming options are. Having said that, there’s one major exception to this rule.
Tidal
Tidal and Spotify are two of the leading music streaming services available today. They offer a range of features to help users enjoy their music in different ways. Some of the main features offered by each service include the ability to find and listen to songs, videos, and playlists. You can even share your favorite songs on social media.
Tidal is the first major music service owned by artists. Hip-hop star Jay-Z bought the company in January 2015, and the company has since expanded its presence in Europe. Its catalog currently has more than 80 million tracks.
One of the main reasons for its popularity is the high-resolution audio. The company offers lossless 16-bit and 24-bit audio, as well as MQA studio mastered audio. This gives a quality that is nearly CD-like, but with the advantage of higher resolution presentation. If you’re a fan of music, especially the genre of hip-hop, you’ll definitely want to try out Tidal.
The service’s interface is similar to that of Spotify. On the left side you’ll see a tile-based pane, with various options to choose from. When you click on an artist, song, or playlist, you’ll be shown its listening history. From there, you can view charts, discover similar artists, and view curated playlists.
In addition to the music library, you can also find live performances and virtual reality concerts. These are available through Tidal’s venues app. You can also download tracks, purchase albums, or take up a HiFi plan to hear the best audio possible.
Tidal’s subscription plans differ in price. Their most affordable option is their Family tier. For that price, you can stream music at a high-res, 16-bit FLAC lossless format. However, you will have to pay an extra dollar per month to get the same quality with the HiFi Plus tier. At this price, you can also have immersive Dolby Atmos mixes, as well as access to the company’s exclusive artist content.
Tidal’s catalog is diverse, spanning a number of genres. Users can find playlists and recommended albums based on their mood and musical tastes. Another feature is the Tidal Connect feature, which allows users to cast MQA or Dolby Atmos files to their speakers.
While both apps offer excellent sound quality, Spotify is much more social. You can share your favorites with your friends on social media, and you can watch music videos and podcasts. As an added bonus, you can also use Spotify Connect to stream music to your TV.
Both services have apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. There is a range of music and video formats available through the app, and you can also watch music videos through a flash-based web player. But it’s the company’s selection that sets Spotify apart from Tidal.
Amazon Music HD
The Amazon Music HD streaming service delivers the best of both worlds – high quality sound and no ads. You can listen to this high-quality audio through a desktop or mobile app, Fire TV, Sonos speakers, and Echo devices. To make the most of this streaming service, you’ll need a computer, an Echo speaker, and an internet connection.
Amazon Music HD offers seven million songs in Ultra HD, and an even larger number of lossless songs. If you don’t want to pay for the service, you can try it out with a 30-day free trial. In addition, the company has rolled out an enhanced subscription plan that provides users with more than 50 million songs in High Definition.
Amazon Music HD includes many formats, such as Enhanced Lossless Audio Coding (FLAC), which intelligently removes information that can’t be processed. Songs are accompanied by remixes in Sony 360RA 3D Audio formats, which yield a bitrate more than 10 times that of standard streaming services. The average bitrate of a song in Amazon Music HD is 3730 kbps, compared to the more than 3 MB/sec of some standard streaming services.
While most mobile and desktop computers support the basic HD or Ultra HD audio formats, you’ll need a dedicated hardware setup to take full advantage of the higher-end options. Some of the highest-end smartphones and tablets support these technologies, though. There are a variety of different wireless standards that can help you connect your device to a speaker, such as the Qualcomm aptX/aptX HD wireless standard, and the Sony LDAC wireless standard. For the best results, you’ll want to pair your device with high-quality headphones and speakers that support the highest sample rate you can find.
One of the benefits of the Amazon Music HD streaming service is that it’s easy to set up. After creating an account, you’ll need to give Alexa permission to access your media library. This allows you to create personalized playlists, download music to your phone, and listen to streaming radio stations. You’ll also need to have an Alexa-enabled Echo speaker.
The Amazon Music HD app is also available on PCs and Macs, as well as on Google Play and the Amazon App Store. It is easy to use, and offers a search bar at the top. A handy feature is the Set Up Profile, which lets you choose preferred brands, genres, and playback settings.
When you’re streaming Amazon Music, you’ll be treated to a variety of features, such as personalized radio stations, skipping tracks, and offline listening. In addition, the site features thousands of curated playlists. Unlike its competitors, however, Amazon hasn’t yet made a commitment to offer the service on Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra.
For a full picture of Amazon Music, you’ll need to sign up for a free trial. Afterwards, you’ll have access to a massive library of high-quality music, as well as thousands of curated playlists.
