[GlenAppleton]

Courageous political statement dude. Have at it.

Is it really "political" to state the obvious when it comes to large monopolistic organizations or artist compensation? If it is, then I guess I don't know what "political" really means anymore.

In any case, here's some notes I took regarding the Amazon Music HD app on Windows 10:

Pros:

• The Home page in general is very well organized, putting items related to your listening patterns first, then promoting other items further down the page
• The "You Might Like" section on the Home page appears to work very well - good algorithm
• Great song / album selection for someone who likes alternative rock, progressive rock, jazz, etc.
• Good number of Ultra HD tracks and full albums

Cons:

• 32-bit application only, no 64-bit version (why?)
• Song (now playing) view doesn't give any track details such as HD / Ultra HD; bit depth, sample rate, etc.
• Inconsistent UI elements, nit picking here but I work in IT so I'm a bit critical of such things
• Exclusive mode doesn't set (pass through to) DAC to sample rate / bit depth
• Pages with filters don't remember your previous filter settings after navigating to other pages and back again
• The app doesn't preserve any state between sessions (close and re-open later), such as output device selection, song queue, now playing, etc.

 

[senorx12562]

Is it really "political" to state the obvious when it comes to large monopolistic organizations or artist compensation? If it is, then I guess I don't know what "political" really means anymore.

You obviously don't know what the word "monopoly" means either, although our fearless leaders clearly don't know either.

 

[GlenAppleton]

You obviously don't know what the word "monopoly" means either, although our fearless leaders clearly don't know either.

OK, you got me. I used the word "monopolistic" incorrectly. Have an amazing day!

 

[senorx12562]

OK, you got me. I used the word "monopolistic" incorrectly. Have an amazing day!

Don't you mean an Amazon day?

 

[jsmiller58]

For what it is worth, and it might not be worth anything, we should probably focus on the completeness of the catalog, the usefulness of the apps, the quality of the tracks, the costs, etc…. While everyone will make a decision based on their own reasons, I am pretty sure those are universally at the core of what everyone is looking for…

 

[senorx12562]

For what it is worth, and it might not be worth anything, we should probably focus on the completeness of the catalog, the usefulness of the apps, the quality of the tracks, the costs, etc…. While everyone will make a decision based on their own reasons, I am pretty sure those are universally at the core of what everyone is looking for…

Absolutely agree. Those are definitely at the top of my list.

 

[Ultrainferno]

A few weeks ago we checked out Apple Music and now it's time to have a close look at Amazon Music.
https://www.headfonia.com/amazon-music-review/
Article by @nanotechnos

 

[GlenAppleton]

A few weeks ago we checked out Apple Music and now it's time to have a close look at Amazon Music.
https://www.headfonia.com/amazon-music-review/
Article by @nanotechnos

Hi @Ultrainferno! Just curious why Spotify was included in the sound comparison, given that they haven't (yet) launched their HD music tier? I understand the comparisons of the app UI and features, given that Spotify is a very popular music service for the masses, but for sound quality it just seems out of place in the comparison.

Also, I would like to point out something was covered regarding exclusive mode working correctly on iOS (and presumably MacOS as well). This isn't the case on Windows OS based devices as that mode currently still only has limited functionality (locks out other apps), and doesn't set the DAC to the bit depth / sample rate of the stream.

Finally, when it comes to music purchasing and comparing Amazon Music HD to Qobuz, I don't think you can purchase HD music formats (FLAC, etc.) from the Amazon digital music store, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. From what I've seen, Amazon only offers relatively high quality MP3 (variable up to 320k) digital music, while Qobuz offers the exact quality and format for purchase as it does in it's streaming (FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz). I didn't see that mentioned in the article, but it's worth pointing out for those interested in collecting Hi-Res digital music files.

Overall, a great article and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks!

 

[Ordeith]

A few weeks ago we checked out Apple Music and now it's time to have a close look at Amazon Music.
https://www.headfonia.com/amazon-music-review/
Article by @nanotechnos

Thanks for this.

I am already an Amazon Prime member, and the HD Music costs 7.99 a month. I'm tempted to give it a 30 day trial but wanted to ask:

1. How 'complete' is the audio library? Would I say, easily be able to listen to (in lossless) an Alanis Morissette live performance that she did with Amazon Music? Live performances in general - only those done with Amazon?

2. Can you 'download' music for offline mode? I'd love to do that on my phone, if possible - don't mind streaming on my PC. But on NYC subways I don't want interruptions

 

[TK33]

Thanks for this.

I am already an Amazon Prime member, and the HD Music costs 7.99 a month. I'm tempted to give it a 30 day trial but wanted to ask:

1. How 'complete' is the audio library? Would I say, easily be able to listen to (in lossless) an Alanis Morissette live performance that she did with Amazon Music? Live performances in general - only those done with Amazon?

2. Can you 'download' music for offline mode? I'd love to do that on my phone, if possible - don't mind streaming on my PC. But on NYC subways I don't want interruptions

1. Every service will have holes in their catalog but Amazon is one of the larger catalogs. You'll have to see if it has what you are looking for. If you are eligible for a free trial, not sure why you wouldnt try it out. Its no risk to you and Amazon makes it very easy to cancel.

2. You are brave...just kidding. I started walking from Penn to my office on the UES even before COVID due to the overcrowded E train. To answer your question, yes you can download offline music on your phone to listen in subways (I always lose signal in the East River tunnel). I think most services allow you to do this if you use their app (only other ones I have used are Qobuz and Spotify, both of which you can download music).

 

[lgcubana]

I recently switched from Tidal to Amazon Unlimited. I found too many recordings on Tidal that sounded like they were converted to digital from an old vinyl LP. Also there’s a current promo where you’ll get 3 (if you’ve subscribed to Amazon music before) or 6 (new subscribers) months of Disney+, with the Unlimited tier.

I haven’t tested it yet, but customer support (Amazon) says that I can take advantage of the free upgrade to the HD level, without jeopardizing the Disney+ promo. Just confirmed (Sept. 1st), doing the free upgrade from Amazon Unlimited to HD does not jeopardize the promotion for Disney+

 

[Eric M]

Anyone get Atmos 3D audio working on an Nvidia Shield from the Amazon HD Music Android TV app? Atmos albums trigger Atmos on my Denon receiver from the Tidal on Android TV app, but only getting Stereo from Amazon Music HD.

 

[Tubewin]

Out of 3 streaming sites I've tried, I liked/preferred Amazon music HD the best/most. The other two I tried were Tidal and Qobuz.

 

[jsmiller58]

Out of 3 streaming sites I've tried, I liked/preferred Amazon music HD the best/most. The other two I tried were Tidal and Qobuz.

Why - what differentiates them in your experience?

 

[Tubewin]

Why - what differentiates them in your experience?

Some vocal tracks on Tidal seemed slightly recessed and I didn't like their balance with the frequency response. Some aspects felt overdone or over emphasized which could have affected the mid range. I also felt like I could hear more details on Amazon hd than tidal. Qobuz while being better than Tidal to me, again felt overdone. The one thing you notice immediately when you switch from Amazon to Qobuz, is that Qobuz is louder. Qobuz could actually be more dynamic than Amazon, but it was definitely more fatiguing. On certain tracks and volume matched, Qobuz sounded slightly more detailed, but again, to me, amazon was better balanced with the mids. I just preferred Amazon's sound signature.