CleanSound
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Curious to know what you use for music streaming, assuming you stream. If you use multiple, which one is your primary.
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What streaming service do you use?
- Thread starter CleanSound
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Tidal, despite the recent price hike. Gave Qobuz a chance but it doesn't work very well with Denon. Maybe should have considered Spotify.
Anton D
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HarmonicTHD
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Qobuz works great with my X3700 using UPNP (mconnectHD app on iOS. BubbleUPNP on Android should work too).
Currently using Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal. All can output hi-res over HDMI using my Mac mini M1. To get Dolby Atmos from Apple Music, I have to use the Apple TV 4K. For Dolby Atmos from Amazon Music Unlimited, I have to use the Amazon Fire Cube. The Tidal apps in the Apple TV 4K, the Amazon Fire Cube and my LG TV all support Dolby Atmos. Apple Music gets the most plays of the lot.
D
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Nothing beats Spotify in GUI and library.
And I'm one of the very very few and rare audiophiles that can't hear the any difference between Spotify very high quality and lossless. -Phew, lucky me!
And I'm one of the very very few and rare audiophiles that can't hear the any difference between Spotify very high quality and lossless. -Phew, lucky me!
Cool! I am the first one to select the "Others" category checkbox.
Have access to Apple/Amazon music services but prefer my local NAS library, and rely on SiriusXM and our cable provider... if either can be considered streaming.
Have access to Apple/Amazon music services but prefer my local NAS library, and rely on SiriusXM and our cable provider... if either can be considered streaming.
OP
CleanSound
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You can't vote for your wife!
OP
CleanSound
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I sincerely doubt ANYONE can tell the difference between lossy vs. high def without doing back-to-back (within seconds at most) comparison.Nothing beats Spotify in GUI and library.
And I'm one of the very very few and rare audiophiles that can't hear the any difference between Spotify very high quality and lossless. -Phew, lucky me!
I can't, and I am able to distinguish between lossy vs high def back-to-back A/B comparison.
… don’t forget “and empty promises”…
No, your just one of the few that acknowledges thisAnd I'm one of the very very few and rare audiophiles that can't hear the any difference between Spotify very high quality and lossless. -Phew, lucky me!
most of the rest just pretends.Still, I was done with the Spotify lies about launching lossless audio, and switched to Apple Music. I can’t hear the difference, but the Amos tracks are nice, and the Family plan is a way better value of me.
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D
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I was never sold on the "lossless" idea anyway so all that drama with Spotify? -Couldn't care less.… don’t forget “and empty promises”…
No, your just one of the phew that acknowledges this
Still, I was done with the Spotify lies about launching lossless audio, and switched to Apple Music. I can’t hear the difference, but the Amos tracks are nice, and the Family plan is a way better value of me.
Qobuz for 10 years or so.
Was the first to stream in CD quality.
Works well with Blueos or from my Android smartphone.
No MQA nonsense either.
Quite a few friends see their albums on Qobuz as well, and Qobuz is renowned to be the streaming service paying the most to artists.
I wouldn't give a penny to Amazon, Apple and Spotify, anyway. Not to speak of YouTube.
Was the first to stream in CD quality.
Works well with Blueos or from my Android smartphone.
No MQA nonsense either.
Quite a few friends see their albums on Qobuz as well, and Qobuz is renowned to be the streaming service paying the most to artists.
I wouldn't give a penny to Amazon, Apple and Spotify, anyway. Not to speak of YouTube.
JeremyFife
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Amazon Music Unlimited... initially because it was the family choice but I like it now on its own merits. I don't fuss with 'features' though, I just play albums. Library is good enough.
Definitely need a multi-selection vote though. Also stream BBC Radio 6 which is excellent
Definitely need a multi-selection vote though. Also stream BBC Radio 6 which is excellent
Lossless vs hi-res isn’t the issue. Some lossy AAC sounds perfectly fine compared to lossless and hi-res ALAC and FLAC and all of the Dolby Atmos streams are lossy.
Music streaming services aren’t supported in the same way across different platforms. Airplay, Chromecast, HEOS, MusicCast, and Play-Fi will all have different capabilities in streaming music from different services.
While all services have many titles, none have them all and Dolby Atmos versions may be available on one service but not on another at any given time. Some services also support Reality 360 audio. Tidal is moving away from MQA and some titles have already gone to hi-res FLAC.
If the there was one service that set the standard at the beginning of my search for a preferred service, it was Qobuz. Everything from them sounds good on any platform. Deezer, not so much and I’ve not used it in a very long time.
Music streaming services aren’t supported in the same way across different platforms. Airplay, Chromecast, HEOS, MusicCast, and Play-Fi will all have different capabilities in streaming music from different services.
While all services have many titles, none have them all and Dolby Atmos versions may be available on one service but not on another at any given time. Some services also support Reality 360 audio. Tidal is moving away from MQA and some titles have already gone to hi-res FLAC.
If the there was one service that set the standard at the beginning of my search for a preferred service, it was Qobuz. Everything from them sounds good on any platform. Deezer, not so much and I’ve not used it in a very long time.
OP
CleanSound
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Looks like Spotify is number 1 by a far margin. I personally started with Amazon Music, then Qobuz and now Spotify.
I find Spotify being the best in terms of user Interface, their AI on radio stations and personal DJ, and their library of playlist available (particularly when other users can share the playlist). I find myself discovery new to me music the most with Spotify. Of course, it sucks without high res music, but I doubt anyone can tell the difference without doing a back-to-back AB comparison.
When I was using Amazon Music, I wasn't able to save radio stations to my favorite, I find that very stupid. Does anyone know if this feature is available now? And their UI sucks. But Amazon Music was cheap.
Qobuz was my least favorite, there is virtually no AI, there is no radio station and playlist is super limited. The best feature was the ability to connect directly to a DAC via ASIO and WASAPI with their Windows app, that's nice.
Source (I can't vouch for the accuracy of this source): https://www.statista.com/statistics/653926/music-streaming-service-subscriber-share/
I find Spotify being the best in terms of user Interface, their AI on radio stations and personal DJ, and their library of playlist available (particularly when other users can share the playlist). I find myself discovery new to me music the most with Spotify. Of course, it sucks without high res music, but I doubt anyone can tell the difference without doing a back-to-back AB comparison.
When I was using Amazon Music, I wasn't able to save radio stations to my favorite, I find that very stupid. Does anyone know if this feature is available now? And their UI sucks. But Amazon Music was cheap.
Qobuz was my least favorite, there is virtually no AI, there is no radio station and playlist is super limited. The best feature was the ability to connect directly to a DAC via ASIO and WASAPI with their Windows app, that's nice.
Source (I can't vouch for the accuracy of this source): https://www.statista.com/statistics/653926/music-streaming-service-subscriber-share/
We use Tidal with a WiiM Pro which implements Tidal Connect and by using the optical connector, everything is digital up to the pre-amp. In controlled ABX tests I can tell the difference between CD and lower compression with some effort. However, whether it really makes any difference when actually listening to music isn't at all clear to me. OTOH, why not, plus we're not crazy about Joe Rogan.
AFAIK Spotify and Tidal are the only services with real remote capability and a decent interface. Our Denon has HEOS but because of the ridiculously bad interface I think it's more of a token advertising feature than anything intended for real use.
We tried Amazon HiFi with a Firestick, but the software was very buggy and it doesn't have a remote Connect capability.
AFAIK Spotify and Tidal are the only services with real remote capability and a decent interface. Our Denon has HEOS but because of the ridiculously bad interface I think it's more of a token advertising feature than anything intended for real use.
We tried Amazon HiFi with a Firestick, but the software was very buggy and it doesn't have a remote Connect capability.
