Amazon launches Music HD with lossless streaming
May 25, 2021 at 7:06 AM Post #1,651 of 1,996
Yup, Amazon is so huge, I doubt they are interested in their music app serving the niche market like quobuz, loon. Highly doubt Amazon will share their API so others can mold the Amazon platform to our needs.

What you don't mention is how you found the SQ through your various journey. I used to care a lot about things like bit-perfectivity, bit-depth, sampling rate, etc, but I have found that the master and mix quality WAY trumps over any of that by a mile, to the point I hunt for the well-done mix and not care so much about the numbers.

For example, I compared the Amazon Exclusive mode to default Win mixer, but in My system, I preferred the exclusive mode off. This is a personal preference, but Default sounded more alive and more "raw," which is what I usually lean towards.
Yup, Amazon is so huge, I doubt they are interested in their music app serving the niche market like quobuz, loon. Highly doubt Amazon will share their API so others can mold the Amazon platform to our needs.

What you don't mention is how you found the SQ through your various journey. I used to care a lot about things like bit-perfectivity, bit-depth, sampling rate, etc, but I have found that the master and mix quality WAY trumps over any of that by a mile, to the point I hunt for the well-done mix and not care so much about the numbers.

For example, I compared the Amazon Exclusive mode to default Win mixer, but in My system, I preferred the exclusive mode off. This is a personal preference, but Default sounded more alive and more "raw," which is what I usually lean towards.
Hello. I understand and accept your point. My line with this is that I like all kinds of music but my lean is toward rock music from the late 60's and onwards which I grew up with . Now that I have given away my age group, I have also been a hI-fi enthusiast since my early teens so I have a bit of experience with this subject and feel qualified to at least share my views.

I have been asked "but what about your hearing, your ears are not what they used to be so how can you tell the difference ?"

My reply to that is I would say that one of thankfully a few things that I have been blessed with and still retain is my hearing. When listening to an album" that has been digitally remastered not only those encoded into 24 bits but also some 16/44 music that has been cleaned up etc with modern day digital sound engineering by a guy like Steven Wilson , I do experience a more pleasurable and involving listening experience myself .

What you enjoy and the next person enjoys listening to is all relative to each individual. Maybe I am convincing myself that 24 bit masters are better, but if that is the case, fine, as it works for my two ears!
We all have special things that we enjoy and for myself, listening to music that I first heard in the early 70's and finding that it sounds more evolving , defined and richer in a master 24 bit recording is my gig and I am not trying to convince anyone else otherwise.

I have played back Amazon music ultra hd tracks on my desktop system and yep, they are sweet to the ears. I find that I like the music best with "exclusive" mode, but that is to my taste. What gets to me though is that Amazon have advertised that they are 100% able to supply 24 bit ultra HD music which is not the case, either in my desktop setup or via their Firestick 4k, which I had only purchased because of Amazon's claim that it also would allow the Amazon music HD app to playback true 24 bit music in our the lounge Denon etc system.

In short, I want Amazon music hd ultra HD 24 bit music to work as they have advertised! I definitely like their way of displaying the artists available and the vast selection of ALL my favorite artists. All that I would hope and expect from Amazon is to just admit to the public that they do have bugs in their 24 bit playback in the Music app and get on with making it right because if Qobuz can do it, so can they but if they are like you said do not wish to " share their API so others can mold the Amazon platform to our needs" , then stop advertising otherwise.
 
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May 25, 2021 at 10:56 AM Post #1,652 of 1,996
I have the same issue with firestick plugged into Denon Amp,
Says device capability is 16bit when the Denon is capable of 24bit
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:17 AM Post #1,653 of 1,996
I have the same issue with firestick plugged into Denon Amp,
Says device capability is 16bit when the Denon is capable of 24bit

The recent Denon AVRs (last 3 years at least) play Amazon Ultra HD natively with the Heos app. In case you didn't know... :sunglasses:
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:26 AM Post #1,654 of 1,996
I have the same issue with firestick plugged into Denon Amp,
Says device capability is 16bit when the Denon is capable of 24bit
I recall there is a setting you need to switch on to get 24bit (maybe in the Fire TV settings and the app). There are a lot of discussions about this online if you do a search. I have either thrown out or packed away all of my Amazon Fire devices so unfortunately cant check. I use a Node 2i (connected to my X4300H) and/or HEOS for Amazon Music HD now and they work great.
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:29 AM Post #1,655 of 1,996
The recent Denon AVRs (last 3 years at least) play Amazon Ultra HD natively with the Heos app. In case you didn't know... :sunglasses:
For a while Amazon intentionally crippled the HEOS app so you could only play their playlists and stations, not your own library, but they seem to have stopped doing that recently. I can now cast to my HEOS speakers directly from the Amazon Music app now, bypassing the awful HEOS app.
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:34 AM Post #1,656 of 1,996
The recent Denon AVRs (last 3 years at least) play Amazon Ultra HD natively with the Heos app. In case you didn't know... :sunglasses:
Hello. Thank you and yes, I am aware of this. The HEOS app does one thing right in this instance . It plays back any 24 bit track that is selected from Amazon as it is supposed to. My problem is HEOS . I don't like it apart from what I just wrote above.
I bought the Firestick 4K only for the Amazon music application and because Amazon stated that it would now play back their Amazon Music 24 bit files . Well, putting directly into the HDMI input of the 8500H as well as the OPPO 205, it did not, only maxing out at 16 bit and not 24 bit as it was advertised to be capable of and that is my complaint.
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:39 AM Post #1,657 of 1,996
For a while Amazon intentionally crippled the HEOS app so you could only play their playlists and stations, not your own library, but they seem to have stopped doing that recently. I can now cast to my HEOS speakers directly from the Amazon Music app now, bypassing the awful HEOS app.

Do you get 24/192 in that configuration (casting)? I had assumed not, but could be wrong.
 
May 25, 2021 at 11:39 AM Post #1,658 of 1,996
I have the same issue with firestick plugged into Denon Amp,
Says device capability is 16bit when the Denon is capable of 24bit
It is a bummer, isn't it! I hope that Amazon gets some good technically skilled designers to get this right because I would like to use the Firestick 4K again , plugged directly into the Denon and to be able to get what they claim it is able to do.
 
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May 25, 2021 at 12:23 PM Post #1,659 of 1,996
Do you get 24/192 in that configuration (casting)? I had assumed not, but could be wrong.
No idea if the HEOS app reports this. I dont trust anything in the Amazon app as I found it to be inaccurate. I do recall if I select my HEOS speakers as a source in the Amazon app it also shows up as playing in the HEOS app so I dont think I am actually streaming from my phone (just using it as a controller). My guess is that the actual HEOS speaker is doing the decoding. If you already have a recent HEOS enabled receiver, wont hurt to give it a try to see if it works.

Anyway, if your budget allows for it, I would check out the Node 2i (or the newer Node). It works with most music streaming services and allows you to even create playlists across different services. It also delivers 24/192 via coax or toslink. I ended up buying two of them since I started working from home last year. The new one is coming out in June so you may find some used ones for sale. As I noted earlier, I have one connected to my X4300H (the other is part of my desktop setup) and allows me to stream music to all my HEOS speakers as well from my AVR.
 
May 25, 2021 at 12:46 PM Post #1,660 of 1,996
No idea if the HEOS app reports this. I dont trust anything in the Amazon app as I found it to be inaccurate. I do recall if I select my HEOS speakers as a source in the Amazon app it also shows up as playing in the HEOS app so I dont think I am actually streaming from my phone (just using it as a controller). My guess is that the actual HEOS speaker is doing the decoding. If you already have a recent HEOS enabled receiver, wont hurt to give it a try to see if it works.

Anyway, if your budget allows for it, I would check out the Node 2i (or the newer Node). It works with most music streaming services and allows you to even create playlists across different services. It also delivers 24/192 via coax or toslink. I ended up buying two of them since I started working from home last year. The new one is coming out in June so you may find some used ones for sale. As I noted earlier, I have one connected to my X4300H (the other is part of my desktop setup) and allows me to stream music to all my HEOS speakers as well from my AVR.

Yes my Denon AVR is Heos enabled and I can stream from both the Heos app or the Amazon Music Android or iOS app (it doesn't work from MacOS). According to Denon, the Heos app fully supports 24/196, so that's what I have been using. I guess I'll have to try casting and see what happens... Thanks for the info.
 
Jun 29, 2021 at 5:14 AM Post #1,662 of 1,996
Yes but launched way before.
 
Jun 29, 2021 at 10:04 AM Post #1,665 of 1,996
This is not a unanimous opinion.
Unanimous meaning most people do not agree? I tested it out for a month and found the Amazon delivery of music to be less detailed and missing clarity that I found in both Qobuz and Tidal. Spent hours A/B'ing the same tracks and albums. This was on all gear I own across wired and wireless sets, amps, and DAC's. Seems to me most on these forums agreed with that opinion but yes, it's just my opinion (or fact to my ears:). Using Amazon or Apple would be a tad more convenient for me but...
 

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