Latest Thread Images

1714530605776.png
Screenshot_20240224-140159_Original.jpg
Screenshot_20240224-140103_Original.jpg
Screenshot_20240224-140134_Original.jpg
Roon Album Info.png
IMG_9289.jpeg
IMG_9288.jpeg IMG_9284.jpeg IMG_9285.jpeg IMG_9213.jpeg 1668970322261.png 1644434583193.png Screenshot_20211025-212528~2.png Screenshot_20211025-172424_Amazon Music.jpg Screenshot_20211025-171926_Amazon Music.jpg Bits3.png Bits1.png Bits2.png Bits4.png IMG_20211025_170812151.jpg
See full thread gallery...
Amazon launches Music HD with lossless streaming
Apr 24, 2020 at 10:16 PM Post #1,216 of 2,016
james__bean said:
Kernel Streaming is legacy tech that I believe has been around since Windows XP. Someone else will have to speak to any technical differences between the two. However, in terms of the difference between Tidal and Amazon Music, I'm experiencing the same thing as you. With Amazon Music, playback is whatever is set in Windows regardless of what the sample rate of the file is.

Windows setting:
1587780127848.png

Amazon Music reports playback at 96kHz:
1587780204799.png

My drivers say otherwise:
1587780223876.png

Tidal doesn't report the sample rate of their files, but playback changes based on what I'm playing:
1587780410256.png
Click to expand...
Yup, Amazon music is fixed at the OS sampling rate. Which tells me it's not bit-perfect or the stream is directly going to the DAC, but going through the OS still. It's techically can be called exclusive mode if the music is played out of the hardware only from the app exclusively. Tidal on the other hand does changes sampling rate depending on the stream. Tidal tells you if it's CD quality, 16/44, and the sampling of the DAC changes accordingly.
 
Apr 24, 2020 at 10:16 PM Post #1,217 of 2,016
SilverEars said:
My impression is that the exclusive mode doesn't sound much different from non-exclusive. I would pretty much say, not at all different. Amazon music doesn't sound that good to me. Not as good as Tidal. Maybe they wil do a true bit-perfect, not just exclusive mode. I will try it once they implement that, but I'm not impressed with the sound of Amazon music, exclusive mode or not.

Ultra HD doesn't matter if it doesn't sound good.

The biggest difference from a setting that you all will notice will be from turning off loudness normalization.
Click to expand...
Amazon HD sounds pretty good to me. I tried the Tidal trial some time back, and I thought there was a small difference in the sound but it wasn't necessarily better than Amazon.
 
Apr 25, 2020 at 2:24 PM Post #1,224 of 2,016
Apr 25, 2020 at 2:52 PM Post #1,225 of 2,016
sorry, went and got it. Doesn't really do much for me. I use the Boom 3d app for the equalizer, so its feeding through that as the default player. Can't tell a difference when I switch it to my k3. And when I click on exclusive mode, I lose all output.
 
Last edited:
Apr 25, 2020 at 7:53 PM Post #1,226 of 2,016
tmb821 said:
sorry, went and got it. Doesn't really do much for me. I use the Boom 3d app for the equalizer, so its feeding through that as the default player. Can't tell a difference when I switch it to my k3. And when I click on exclusive mode, I lose all output.
Click to expand...
It's the same with Tidal and Qobuz. Switching to exclusive mode deactivates EQ.
 
Apr 26, 2020 at 2:36 PM Post #1,227 of 2,016
This exclusive only prevents other apps accessing audio endpoint, so you won't get system sounds, etc, it still goes through the Windows Mixer and subject to sample rate conversion, volume control, special effects.
What we need is WASAPI exclusive that bypasess mixer altogether and sends stream directly to HW driver untouched (bit-perfect).

Don't understand why it takes that long to make it right and why we've got that pseudo exclusive mode at all, it doesn't buy much. But at least we see some sign of movement in the right direction.

But still even with current limitations, with volume maxed out in mixer and Sound settings bitrate matching material, it's very close to bit-perfect as resampling doesn't take place.
If anyone can hear the difference between ripped CDs and Amazon with everything set up right, you must have unique golden bat ears.
 
Last edited:
Apr 26, 2020 at 3:30 PM Post #1,228 of 2,016
Andrew_WOT said:
This exclusive only prevents other apps accessing audio endpoint, so you won't get system sounds, etc, it still goes through the Windows Mixer and subject to sample rate conversion, volume control, special effects.
What we need is WASAPI exclusive that bypasess mixer altogether and sends stream directly to HW driver untouched (bit-perfect).

Don't understand why it takes that long to make it right and why we've got that pseudo exclusive mode at all, it doesn't buy much. But at least we see some sign of movement in the right direction.

But still even with current limitations, with volume maxed out in mixer and Sound settings bitrate matching material, it's very close to bit-perfect as resampling doesn't take place.
If anyone can hear the difference between ripped CDs and Amazon with everything set up right, you must have unique golden bat ears.
Click to expand...
Are the source and Windows bitrates matching for you?
 
Apr 26, 2020 at 9:33 PM Post #1,230 of 2,016
PlantsmanTX said:
Are the source and Windows bitrates matching for you?
Click to expand...
To get the most out of current unfortunate auto resampling situation you need to match material with sound settings in Windows. Manually.
Mixer resampling degradation on modern Win10 is blown out of proportion mostly based on some old tests, recent studies suggest it's not actually THAT bad.
So you can just keep it at 24/96 and forget about flipping bitrate back and forth.

Still not an excuse for Amazon for not having bit-perfect implemented yet. Shame really.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 5 (members: 0, guests: 5)
Back
Top