The (quiet) revolution has taken place with the huge increase in the quality of peripherals, including Ethernet Cables and Network Switches (AKA a port switch, Ethernet switch, switcher, power switch, etc). Once we get past entry-level consumer devices like smartphones and earbuds, there has been a steady improvement over the past decade with Network Music Players (streamers), DACs and headphones. Other services may suit your budget and musical tastes, such as YouTube Music, Soundcloud, and iHeart Radio. Even the Qobuz USA folks don’t know when the rollout to all countries will be complete. Be aware, France’s Qobuz rollout is fraught with typical French bureaucracy. However, Qobuz and Tidal have their idiosyncrasies. I have difficulty differentiating between Qobuz’s HiRes files and Tidal’s MQA regarding sound quality, both are exceptional. “HiFi” gets you CD-quality sound and “Plus” adds Tidal’s unique version of HiRes, MQA. No free trial for Tidal they have two paid streams, ”Tidal HiFi” and “Tidal HiFi Plus”. Like several services, Idagio offers a free stream, then ups the price as the resolution improves. Other popular services, especially for HiRes classical choices, are Deezer, Idagio and the ubiquitous Tidal. Apple has been threatening to use it as a base for its own classical streaming specialty service. In 2021, Apple purchased Primephonic, a streaming service in HiRes primarily for classical fans. Not forgetting Apple’s surround sound trickery, Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. You can stream your music to all your devices including the Apple TV 4K and the new HomePod. Other than the fine lossless sound, (1) the repertoire is by far the best-Apple has everything-and (2) the Apple ecosystem. Now you can listen in CD quality at Apple Music for about 11 bucks a month. In a quintessentially arcane Apple policy, they kept their streaming in low res for many years, flying in the face of everybody-even Spotify and Amazon offered premium HD streams-switching to lossless a couple of years ago. Remember entry-level Spotify at 160 kbps? As a press user, I can choose from several, but I stick with Qobuz for its enormous classical and jazz repertoire (I’m assuming the Qobuz pop library is as good as anyone’s) and the number of remastered HiRes files available (sample rates up to 192 kHz-a data rate of 9216 kbps). Once chosen, customers are very loyal to their brand. They want Taylor on repeat and they want her now!Īnd if that’s good enough for you folks who are older, lucky you. They could give a fig about ads, audio quality, high-end audio, resolution, etc. Try telling a student you’re taking away their free Spotify and see the revolution happen in front of your eyes. Want higher resolution (most younguns don’t care about the MP3 and earbud quality)? You have to go to a paid service. Students can (and do in the millions) sign up for a free Spotify account, download the free app, and be streaming their favourite songs in 160 kbps sound within minutes. This post is for folks wanting to know more about quality streaming and the choices an educated consumer can make.Īt the basic level, streaming is as simple as owning a smartphone and a set of earphones or wireless earbuds. Streaming comes in two flavours, entry-level consumer streaming and high-end audio. In 2023 and beyond, who knows where streaming technology will take us? In the here and now, once you get past the interested parties’ manicured PR, there are some interesting and quite exciting facts to consider as you make your informed choices for services and gear.
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