Anybody Subscribe to HD Music Streaming Services?

[Qs Laptop]

I'm looking for feedback from people that use an HD music streaming service. Notable services are Amazon Unlimited Music HD, Apple Music, Tidal HiFi, and Qobuz. These services stream music at higher bit rates than the typical 256 kbps or 320 kbps.

(Spotify was supposed to launch Spotify HD "by the end of 2021", but that obviously is not happening.)

I'm wondering about the sound quality. Yes, I'm one of those music snobs that can hear the difference between MP3 files and FLAC files. (Or thinks he can hear the difference, Mwa-ha-ha-ha!)

So if you have one of these HD music services can you hear the difference?

Also, doesn't listening to your HD music service via bluetooth headphones (or earbuds) defeat the purpose of paying for HD, since bluetooth headphones bit rate is lower than the HD music bit rate?

 

[Peter]

I've downloaded a couple of .wav files from Q0buz. Higher resolution files are also available. Quality is very good. One advantage of the .wav dowloads is that they bypass any deficiencies in a home CD player. Haven't signed up for a streaming subscription, although I may end up doing that, since my only other music streaming service is sirius-xm and you don't have to have golden ears to tell that it's rough around the edges.

 

[silvor]

I’ve download files from HD Tracks. I wound recommend them if you are looking for permanent files.

 

[zinger1457]

I had Amazon Music before switching to Amazon Music Unlimited HD. Major improvement in sound through my Beats bluetooth headphones with the HD music. Also major improvement in sound when playing HD music from my phone through my car stereo using bluetooth, much better than SiriusXM music quality. Can't tell you what the bit rates are, just using my ears to gauge the difference but it is noticeable.

 

[CoolRich59]

So if you have one of these HD music services can you hear the difference?

I cannot.

Last year, I got trial subscriptions to Tidal and Amazon HD and compared them with Spotify. I put together a playlist of 30 songs on each service, then played about a minute of each song*.

There were only a few songs that sounded noticeably better or more distinct via Tidal or Amazon. Most sounded the same as Spotify, so I stayed with Spotify.

Of course, my ears are 60+ years old. My 35yo son was visiting and raved about how much better Amazon and Tidal sounded.

(* I ran the music on my laptop, connected to a headphone amp and stand-alone DAC to Sennheiser HD660 headphones).

 

[OldShooter]

... Of course, my ears are 60+ years old. My 35yo son was visiting and raved about how much better Amazon and Tidal sounded. ...

This is real. As we age we lose high frequency hearing. Mine seemed to me to be gone above 8khz so I just had a hearing test. Actually it falls off beginning more like 6khz.

The principal advantage to sound recorded at higher sampling rates and, to a degree, lossless recording schemes is more accurate reproduction at the higher frequencies. So I'm pretty sure my experience would be the same as @CoolRich59 and I don't doubt his son's report.

There are plenty of test tone recordings that can be downloaded and played on your home stereo equipment. Almost any equipment will give good reproduction at 8khz and somewhat higher. By the time you get to a 15khz test tone, though, inability to hear it might be due to your ears or to your equipment (manufacturer specs notwithstanding).

 

[audreyh1]

We are subscribers to Apple Music. I play from it often on our fancy audio visual system via AppleTV which is hardwired to our internet router.

But I haven’t been paying attention to fidelity - I just know that most of it sounds fabulous! Was listening to some marvelous piano Chopin today and the piano is a pretty demanding instrument to record well.

 

[T-Minus]

I've done several A:B comparative listening sessions and sadly, am now to the point where I cannot reliably distinguish between Spotify's highest tier and full high-resolution audio (conducted with very good audio gear - which has since been sold off). That's the result of decades of being around live music, loud engines and gunfire. Well, at least this saves me a lot on audio gear and source material.