[jpkrautw]

I ditched Tidal in favor of Amazon HD. Higher rez files and $7 a month less.

I will do the same as soon as exclusive mode is widely available and bit-perfect playback is confirmed working.

Otherwise, if you're just cramming hi-res audio through the windows audio subsystem where it's re-sampled at a fixed bitrate/frequency, what's the point?

 

[SilverEars]

I will do the same as soon as exclusive mode is widely available and bit-perfect playback is confirmed working.

Otherwise, if you're just cramming hi-res audio through the windows audio subsystem where it's re-sampled at a fixed bitrate/frequency, what's the point?

That's the thing. Exclusive mode doesn't mean bit-perfect. Exclusive mode means one app is exclusively utilizing the sound output hardware, and no other software are allowed to do so. Bit-perfect is more specific than that. It is when the sound output hardware is selected exclusively for the software and the stream gets fed directly to the DAC unperturbed (doesn't go through the OS software, but directly to the DAC). If 16/44 stream, the DAC takes in 16/44, if 24/192, DAC takes in 24/192 without going through the OS, or being processed in anyway by the OS such as upsampling, or EQ, etc.. Original recording's bit-depth and sampling rate in bit-perfect format. This is what we ultimately want.

This is why we must see the correct bit-rate being detected on DACs such as Chord devices with led color indication of bit-rate.

As far as I see it, this Ultra HD or HD is meaningless without bit-perfect if the stream is processed by the OS.

 

[jpkrautw]

Thanks for the clarification; as far as I know Tidal’s “exclusive mode” option is bit-perfect, so I had just assumed. Pretty frustrating that Amazon would even launch this service on Windows at all if there’s no way to actually use it.

 

[buonassi]

Otherwise, if you're just cramming hi-res audio through the windows audio subsystem where it's re-sampled at a fixed bitrate/frequency, what's the point?

exactly

This is why we must see the correct bit-rate being detected on DACs such as Chord devices with led color indication of bit-rate.

I think you mean sample rate. SRC or sample rate conversion is what you want to avoid. Bit depth, provided it is not truncated, is still considered "bit perfect" and preserves resolution.

as far as I know Tidal’s “exclusive mode” option is bit-perfect

yes, it will change the sample rate sent to the DAC based on the file if configured correctly.

 

[scottcw]

I just launched the update and, bit perfect or not, exclusive mode eliminates the noise interference I was getting from other processes on my computer. No intermittent pops or crackles is a win for my ears.

Edit to add... I didn't realize how much the noise caused by other computer processes was putting me on edge. One album in with exclusive mode and I am totally relaxed and at ease while listening.

 

[H-Money]

Also just got the update.

 

[james__bean]

Someone on reddit was able to get the URL from the log for me. You can download the update directly from here:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.../20200415/01222531e3/AmazonMusicInstaller.exe

 

[SilverEars]

Someone on reddit was able to get the URL from the log for me. You can download the update directly from here:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.../20200415/01222531e3/AmazonMusicInstaller.exe

I knew you were a smart dude! Thanks!

 

[jpkrautw]

Good to know for future updates, but if you leave the Amazon Music app open for a few min the update now seems to be rolling out to everyone.

 

[magicrandy]

Does the Exclusive Mode apply to a Mac or just the Windows PC?

EDIT: I guess it does. I just got an update to the Amazon Music app (Version: 7.11.3.2198) and I see the Exclusive Mode option.

 

[PlantsmanTX]

Good to know for future updates, but if you leave the Amazon Music app open for a few min the update now seems to be rolling out to everyone.

I wonder if that means it actually matches the bitrates of the songs now.

 

[SilverEars]

I wonder if that means it actually matches the bitrates of the songs now.

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.

 

[james__bean]

So it looks like when you enable exclusive mode in both Tidal and Amazon Music, it uses kernel streaming and not wasapi. (audiokse.dll)

 

[SilverEars]

So it looks like when you enable exclusive mode in both Tidal and Amaon Music, it uses kernel streaming and not wasapi. (audiokse.dll)

I thought Tidal exclusive mode was WASAPI. What is the difference from kernel streaming? Chord DACs do respond to sampling rate changes as does the Schiit multibit DACs as they make the relay sounds when the sampling rate changes. Amazon music doesn't. Which tells me that Amazon music streams are not changing sampling rate when you transition SD, HD, or ultra HD.

 

[james__bean]

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:

Amazon Music reports playback at 96kHz:

My drivers say otherwise:

Tidal doesn't report the sample rate of their files, but playback changes based on what I'm playing: