Amazon launches lossless high-res music service!

[Julf]

Well then keep on listening to your lossy files and enjoy .

Just in case you haven't noticed, this is Audio Science Review. Most of us prefer verified, confirmed objective evidence rather than pure subjective opinions, beliefs and perceptions. I would love to see your controlled, level-matched double-blind ABX logs comparing lossless to 256 k AAc and 320 k Vorbis. It is not hard to do - just download and install foobar2000 and the ABX plugin for foobar2000. Convert your favourite lossless albums, and run a double-blind ABX.

 

[Eirikur]

Y'all must not be from around these here parts....ain't you heered of that-there Nyquist fella? Always yammerin' on about bit-depth and samplin' rate bein' good 'nuff at Redbook, higher'n that bein' totally inaudible, or some such.

Seriously, saying a that 24 bit track sounds better than 16 is just wrong. <snark> Therefore, I have no choice but to discard your non-level-matched and sight-biased opinion. </snark>

Ehm, no. Nyquist is strictly about the frequency domain and doesn't say anything about dynamic range.
24bits allows for a much lower noise floor and a sufficiently large dynamic range in the entire audio chain - where 16bit may not be enough. Please study the link contents, its interesting!

 

[GrimSurfer]

Since all recorded contemporary music (1950s -->) has a dynamic range of less than 20 dB (10-15 dB is considered quite good), 16 bits of resolution appears to be more than enough.

I've never heard of a classical piece over ~22 dB of DR, which again makes 16 bits of resolution sufficient.

 

[Julf]

Ehm, no. Nyquist is strictly about the frequency domain and doesn't say anything about dynamic range.

True.

24bits allows for a much lower noise floor and a sufficiently large dynamic range in the entire audio chain

Yes, but pretty much no recording studio, commercial recording or domestic listening room has a range beyond 16 bits, 16 bits is enough as a storage and distribution format. Yes, ADCs and DACs should, as Amir notes, preferably have more, but that is a different discussion.

 

[rmo]

Just in case you haven't noticed, this is Audio Science Review. Most of us prefer verified, confirmed objective evidence rather than pure subjective opinions, beliefs and perceptions. I would love to see your controlled, level-matched double-blind ABX logs comparing lossless to 256 k AAc and 320 k Vorbis. It is not hard to do - just download and install foobar2000 and the ABX plugin for foobar2000. Convert your favourite lossless albums, and run a double-blind ABX.

Yawnnnnnnnm

 

[Julf]

Yawnnnnnnnm

Thank you for your valuable and profound contribution.

 

[rmo]

Thank you for your valuable and profound contribution.

Yeah here are my measurements asshole :
16/44 compared to 24/44 level matched
You must be a Spotify user .

 

[Soniclife]

Yeah here are my measurements asshole :16/44

Yours isn't round! What have you been doing to it? On second thoughts ignorance is bliss.

 

[Thomas savage]

Yeah here are my measurements asshole :
16/44 compared to 24/44 level matched
You must be a Spotify user .

For your antagonism and insulting behaviour your hereby awarded a 1 month suspension from the forum .

This kind of language used as a insult towards another member is simply unacceptable.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I'm waiting for a vinyl streaming service, real gains only for these golden ears.

FM radio was exactly that for many years, then they started using NICAM digital between studio and transmitter and all the analogue goodness was spoiled

 

[Julf]

FM radio was exactly that for many years, then they started using NICAM digital between studio and transmitter and all the analogue goodness was spoiled

Yes, back in 1972...

 

[GrimSurfer]

Yours isn't round! What have you been doing to it? .

Maybe he was successful in keistering a Pono in advance of his last tour of juvenile hall...

 

[Julf]

Maybe he was successful in keistering a Pono in advance of his last tour of juvenile hall...

Now, now, let's not descend to his level..

 

[josiah]

Would anyone confirm if Amazon Desktop App has been updated to allow direct signal (exclusive mode) to your DAC. I don't see the point in lossless if Windows is going to mess with my sound output.

Thanks.

 

[Ratatoskr]

Would anyone confirm if Amazon Desktop App has been updated to allow direct signal (exclusive mode) to your DAC. I don't see the point in lossless if Windows is going to mess with my sound output.

Thanks.

Not in my desktop app which says latest version. Expecting Amazon to change the app to use exclusive mode in just a few days might be optimistic; they may not even care about ultimate sound quality or they would have launched with exclusive mode.

 

[MusicNBeer]

I don't notice a problem with the sound. This is with the old Node. How would Amazon even mess that up on bluesound? Asking in earnest; I don't know the inner workings of this stuff.

I don't see any way to see what bitrate/depth is being streamed. I only see a 'CD' or 'HR' icon. There's no options in my BluOS app. I have no idea why it's sounding bad. I agree it makes no sense. Maybe I listened to 5 poorly remastered titles.

 

[GrimSurfer]

I don't see any way to see what bitrate/depth is being streamed. I only see a 'CD' or 'HR' icon. There's no options in my BluOS app. I have no idea why it's sounding bad. I agree it makes no sense. Maybe I listened to 5 poorly remastered titles.

Most remasters are junk. They're compressed to the nuts, with dynamic ranges measuring well below 9 dB. This is criminal, given the potential for digital editing to greatly reduce noise floor and produce copies with frequency ranges identical to what is on the master tapes.

 

[audimus]

So as not to be hypocritical in this Science forum, only reports of “bad sound” that have been confirmed with a double blind test of the same recording from a non Amazon source will be taken seriously. Ears cannot be trusted.

This is to prevent any personal biases that one may have against Amazon or the Amazon service from coloring the perception.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Run bad sounding tracks/albums past the DR database.

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=&album=

 

[Gus141]

I don't see any way to see what bitrate/depth is being streamed. I only see a 'CD' or 'HR' icon. There's no options in my BluOS app.
....

Connect an S/PDIF cable (TOSLINK or Coax) to an external DAC that has a way of showing bit-depth/sampling-rate. I connect my Node 2i to an RME ADI-2 DAC and can see the bits/SR.