Amazon Music vs Apple Music vs YouTube

[MasterApex]

On the same music/song (say save your tear), the YouTube sounds more compressed.
Is that because it has video?

Amazon Music sounds the most dynamic for this song.

 

[nerdstrike]

If you're using youtube music for free, they spank you hard on the codec (or they did initially). The bitrate was pitiful. Amazon will stream a good-ish quality mp3, and Apple will do whatever it feels like and package it in their own format.

 

[3125b]

Apple Music uses AAC 256kbit, Amazon [doesn't say and seems to use different codes and bitrates] and Youtube ... no idea.
Keep in mind, that the files might differ in other ways than the codec, so that is not necessarily the (only) reason they can sound different.

 

[Katji]

It happens. Per production - mixing/mastering. One track might seem better on one platform, another track might seem better on the other. Even though they're all low-definition like 128 Kbps.

I often think Youtube Music sounds better than Youtube video. ...I just leave it there, because I like the Youtube Music UI and I dislike the Youtube UI.
I was wondering about it yesterday which format Youtube Music is using...because I was going between Soundcloud and Youtube Music trying to identify a track in a mix, for about 15 minutes. I found it, and it seemed like it sounded better on Youtube. So I tried to figure out if Youtube was a bit louder, decided it wasn't.

 

[dmac6419]

Apple Music uses AAC 256kbit, Amazon MP3 320kbit and Youtube ... no idea.
Keep in mind, that the files might differ in other ways than the codec, so that is not necessarily the (only) reason they can sound different.

Amazon uses Opus for lossy,
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/wh...c-encoding-audio-for-streaming-transcription/

 

[dkinric]

Youtube Music is 256kbps AAC at high quality setting

 

[Katji]

I just checked mine - default is Normal...so for me it's 128 AAC versus 128 mp3 Soundcloud. (Soundcloud is my "home.") ....hmmm, afaik, Soundcloud Pro is not going to get me anything better.

 

[DSJR]

I can't afford or justify subscribing to any services (I have enough LP's and CD's here which don't get played enough these days) but the straight Youtube playback of dedicated artists' pages do seem rather good on headphones. Now, this could be simple audio compression in addition to a lossy streaming platform, or just maybe (remembering how fussy 192 digital radio is as regards separating distortion from musical signals), the record companies are providing the very best master sources possible so more of the music is retained in the lossy streaming? Maybe there's some very subtle remixing going on but that would cost money to do... Maybe it's straight compression, I don't know....

 

[Robin L]

Amazon Music has dropouts, don't know where it's coming from. I don't have this problem with YouTube [the image will stall while the sound continues without interruption], I-Tunes never has any problems. Are the dropouts in Amazon Music fixable? Other than the dropouts, Amazon Music has the best sound, is 24/192 capable. And Amazon Music HD has a huge catalog of music I want to hear. Is there something I need to adjust in order to have Amazon Music not have dropouts?

 

[Jimbob54]

Amazon Music has dropouts, don't know where it's coming from. I don't have this problem with YouTube [the image will stall while the sound continues without interruption], I-Tunes never has any problems. Are the dropouts in Amazon Music fixable? Other than the dropouts, Amazon Music has the best sound, is 24/192 capable. And Amazon Music HD has a huge catalog of music I want to hear. Is there something I need to adjust in order to have Amazon Music not have dropouts?

Yup. I have drops too. Its not bandwidth on the WiFi /streaming as you can watch the file download in grey on the progress bar on windows app then playback.

I suspect the app itself or at least the way it interacts with the hardware and OS its on.

 

[dmac6419]

Amazon Music has dropouts, don't know where it's coming from. I don't have this problem with YouTube [the image will stall while the sound continues without interruption], I-Tunes never has any problems. Are the dropouts in Amazon Music fixable? Other than the dropouts, Amazon Music has the best sound, is 24/192 capable. And Amazon Music HD has a huge catalog of music I want to hear. Is there something I need to adjust in order to have Amazon Music not have dropouts?

I don't have any dropout on Amazon here in the US on the desktop app,the Android app can act up at times with updates but they always fix it rather quick.

 

[Robin L]

I don't have any dropout on Amazon here in the US on the desktop app,the Android app can act up at times with updates but they always fix it rather quick.

Mine's the desktop amp in Widows 10.

 

[Jimbob54]

Mine's the desktop amp in Widows 10.

I'm sceptical if this is a real solution , but https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GH48YSBUVMT3MUEP

 

[Robin L]

I'm sceptical if this is a real solution , but https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GH48YSBUVMT3MUEP

Isn't.

 

[Jimbob54]

Isn't.

What sort of frequency does yours drop? Mine might be only once in a 2 hour session and even then, its far from every session.

Oh, and I have noticed if I look at task manager, its a RAM hog.

 

[Robin L]

What sort of frequency does yours drop? Mine might be only once in a 2 hour session and even then, its far from every session.

Oh, and I have noticed if I look at task manager, its a RAM hog.

Every session, within minutes.

 

[Jimbob54]

Every session, within minutes.

Ah, very much more annoying to the point of unusable then.

 

[Robin L]

Ah, very much more annoying to the point of unusable then.

I'm going to see what happens when I shut down Explorer, Amazon Music has nearly as much overhead.
Still not as annoying as playing LPs.

 

[BinkieHuckerback]

Amazon HD Music on my PC sometimes defaults to Opus from FLAC when the bandwidth drops (only occasionally).
I can't get Apple music to work via iTunes or the Apple Music Beta on my PC - both are unusable, forever freezing, not updating the library.
So I use Apple Music on the go (iPhone and iPad) and Amazon HD for listening at home.

 

[Robin L]

What sort of frequency does yours drop? Mine might be only once in a 2 hour session and even then, its far from every session.

Oh, and I have noticed if I look at task manager, its a RAM hog.

I looked at task manager. Yup, the RAM appears to be the bottle neck. I can have Amazon Music HD or I can have Microsoft Edge, but I can't have both at the same time without dropouts. I-Tunes doesn't have that kind of use of memory, about 1/2 as much use as Amazon Music.