Amazon Music HD Review & Comments

I hope not. I'm using Audeze iSine20's with cipher cable which as far as I know bypass most of the iPhone's internal circuity and go straight to the inline DAC and can get me 24/192. I'd be disappointed if it was upscaled though. TBH I don't know how it works with other DACs, but assumed something similar.
With AMAZON MUSIC HD iOS APP - iPhone/iPad App upscales everything with external DAC. I have the ChordMojo which plays everything from Amazon MUSIC HD at 192Khz and my Audioquest Cobalt everything at 96Khz. This is the most complained about problem.

Tidal HIFI, Apple Music and other Apps play at correct Khz on iPhone/iPad with external DAC;s
 
AMAZON MUSIC HD - audio quality comparison to TIDAL HIFI

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Source Hardware Device:
iPadPro 12.9inch 2019.
Supports 24bit/192Khz via USB-C output.
Latest iOS version as of 28 Nov, 2019.
Audio Music - Apps/Software:
Amazon Music HD [iOS APP - version 9.3.2]
TIDAL HIFI [iOS APP - version 2.8.4].
Both Apps are the Latest iOS version as of 28 Nov, 2019.
External DAC: Audioquest Cobalt [24bit/96Khz, MQA renders].
Headphones: Focal Clear
....................................................................................

+ALL ALBUMS WERE DOWNLOADED TO IPAD PRO IN ULTRA HD.
+LOUDNESS NORMALISATION, GAPLESS PLAYBACK AND OPTIMISED PLAYBACK ALL WERE SWITCHED OFF.
+IPAD PRO SWITCHED TO AIRP PLANE MODE WITH WIFI/BLUETOOTH OFF - TO MINIMISE ANY INTERFERENCE.
+BOTH AMAZON MUSIC HD AND TIDAL HIFI APPS WERE SET IN OFFLINE MODE WHEN PLAYING BACK.
+Fortunately I could listen in a very quiet room without any audible background sounds.

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Notes: The comparison Albums included are all 24bit.
On Amazon Music HD iOS APP there is upsampling happening. So for anything less then 96Khz it upsamples to 96Khz. If however Album is 96Khz it will play correctly as DAC is 96Khz - so in this case no upsampling happens. See below for Album details and I state if it is being upsampled.
Tidal plays at correct bit rate upto 96Khz in this set up - using Cobalt DAC.
For TIDAL HIFI - I have selected Master version of the Albums, because this according to TIDAL is the best quality available [according to TIDAL]. Tidal iOS APP decodes Master MQA on iPadPro and Cobalt will render it upto 96Khz. Some Albums might be 44.1, 48, 88 Khz - unable to see what Khz they are via iPadPro App/Cobalt.


ALBUM 1: “Paul Weller - True Meanings”
Amazon Music HD - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/44.1Khz]. UPSAMPLED TO 96Khz.
TIDAL - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/Master].
Audio Comparison:
+ TIDAL ADVANTAGE. Tidal wins for me as it is less brittle.
+ TIDAL ADVANTAGE. Tidal is slightly smoother, but without losing any resolution.
+ TIDAL ADVANTAGE. Amazon is bit more mid forward, which seems to be a flatter sound and less depth compared to Tidal.

ALBUM 2: “Spectre - James Bond Movie Soundtrack”
Amazon Music HD - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/44.1Khz]. UPSAMPLED TO 96Khz.
TIDAL - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/Master].
Audio Comparison:
+ TIDAL ADVANTAGE. Tidal is slightly smoother, but without losing any resolution.

ALBUM 3: “TALKING HEADS: 77”
Amazon Music HD - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/96Khz]. CORRECT BIT RATE PLAYED
TIDAL - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/Master].
Audio Comparison:
They sound slightly different, with Amazon a bit more forward in mids yet not in a negative way. No advantage in my opinion and both are equal.


ALBUM 4: “PETER GABRIEL - SO (SPECIAL EDITION)”
Amazon Music HD - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/96Khz]. CORRECT BIT RATE PLAYED
TIDAL - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/Master].
Audio Comparison:
Sound similar. No one has an advantage.

ALBUM 5: “ICONOLOGY - MISSY ELLIOT”
Amazon Music HD - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/96Khz]. CORRECT BIT RATE PLAYED
TIDAL - iOS APP [Album format = 24bit/Master].
Audio Comparison:
+TIDAL ADVANTAGE. Slightly more low end sub base picked up on Focal Clear.



CONCLUSION
There seems to be a more distinctive advantage to Tidal on the Albums where Amazon is applying upsampling - based on the above 5 Albums tested. For other Albums there is very little difference.

I hope Amazon decides to play bit perfect and I don’t see why it can’t, since it is able to show us correct information on both track resolution aswell as connected DAC capability.
Yet the actual playing resolution it shows is incorrect when using an external DAC. I got same results with my Chord Mojo where everything was upsampled to 192Khz, yet the yellow label incorrectly stated a lower track playing resolution.

For Amazon Music, If using External DAC I would not risk using anything higher than 96Khz, such as a 192khz DAC as the upsampling would be too much - taking 44.1 tracks all the way to 192khz. And there are plenty of 44.1 tracks on Amazon.
A horribly inconvenient solution which is a massive compromise is to only listen to 24bit/96khz tracks when using a 24bit/96khz DAC - such as Audioquest Cobalt would then all be played correctly.

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The update today on the desk top version removes the facility to view both the bit rate & Khz values of the music currently playing. All you can now see is either HD or Ultra HD. I realise of course that it was never accurate in the first place, but this looks like a cover up.
 
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Interesting.

For Windows or Mac?
By music quality what does it show?
By tapping on the Ultra HD or HD badges it opens a window which then gives you the bit rate & Khz values. I have a Mac, but presumably it's the same for both platforms.
Also the same on iOS devices.
 
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AV Rant are interviewing Sound United ( Denon, Marantz etc ) this week and the discussion will include Amazon Music HD amongst various subjects.

 
AV Rant are interviewing Sound United ( Denon, Marantz etc ) this week and the discussion will include Amazon Music HD amongst various subjects.

Awesome, thank you. I am subscriber to that Podcast.
 
I've just found this CD single.



I thought it had been pinched in one of our previous burglaries. Maybe a bit controversial but I can't stand U2 but I really like this one. I'm over the moon to find that I still have it.

Bri
 
May I ask is that your TV you’re playing in, if so how?

sorry, 6 months later lol... I was playing the stream on my Denon X6300H amp and displaying on my Sony A1 OLED TV.
 
Might as well dig this up as it seems as good a bet as a new thread.

I had Amazon Music HD when it first came out but got rid after the trial because our broadband connection was crap and couldn't handle it properly. Anyway, about to get FTTH next week so thinking of getting it back. However, are we still in the situation as before where bugger all seems to support it properly?

Obviously none of the wireless options like Bluetooth or airplay can transmit high res music and I have a Marantz 7011 so first time round I used the Heos app on my phone which worked ok but the on screen graphics are naff and the app isn't very user friendly, especially if the other half wanted to use it.

There was no Amazon Music app on the android tv store (despite loads of sites reporting one was coming in Nov 18) and I borrowed a firestick which wasn't capable of sending the high res stuff either. Has anything changed or is anything in the offing? The lack of a TV app is the most annoying.
 
Very informative, thank you. For what it’s worth, another platform Amazon HD (and “Ultra HD”) music is apparently available are Denon products with HEOS built in:


Pleased to see my AVR on the list, but haven’t had a chance to test yet. The icing on the cake would be if this allows easy Alexa control of high res music on half decent equipment. Denon AVRs can be set as an audio out device for an echo.

edit: Sorry @Kaledii - just saw you beat me to it!

I have a Marantz AV and with HEOS I do have access to catalog and public playlists, bit I can't see my personal playlists and favorites: do you confirm?
 
Might as well dig this up as it seems as good a bet as a new thread.

I had Amazon Music HD when it first came out but got rid after the trial because our broadband connection was crap and couldn't handle it properly. Anyway, about to get FTTH next week so thinking of getting it back. However, are we still in the situation as before where bugger all seems to support it properly?

Obviously none of the wireless options like Bluetooth or airplay can transmit high res music and I have a Marantz 7011 so first time round I used the Heos app on my phone which worked ok but the on screen graphics are naff and the app isn't very user friendly, especially if the other half wanted to use it.

There was no Amazon Music app on the android tv store (despite loads of sites reporting one was coming in Nov 18) and I borrowed a firestick which wasn't capable of sending the high res stuff either. Has anything changed or is anything in the offing? The lack of a TV app is the most annoying.
I hope your broadband upgrade to FTTH went ok. Can I suggest a Bluesound Node 2i would work well with Amazon music in Hi-res & although the control app via Bluos for your phone isnt perfect it does work reasonably well. I know this would require an outlay but I understand the Node 2i can be bought for £399 at the moment which is a steal, I use the stereo analog o/p to my AVR & the sound quality is very good.
 
Android, Apple tablet or phone (not an Amazon amazingly they do not support UHD music) and Dragonfly Black (around £50 new) and you're up and running.
 
Finally gave in to the freebie, considering I've got some nice new headphones to try out - and am left suitably impressed!

For £20 a month, I've now got all 5 of my family members on HD devices with the sub - that's £4 a month and a very happy family.

We really are spoilt these days!
 
Is the HD tier worth it in any shape or form with a Sonos Beam and two One SL’s?
 
My family noticed the difference without my say so on regular echo devices and sub £150 headphones of various sorts... but your mileage may vary - from my perspective I had the same question so used the free trial and won't be going back.
 
Is the HD tier worth it in any shape or form with a Sonos Beam and two One SL’s?
Hand on heart can I tell the difference between Spotify 320kbps and the exact same track in UHD on Amazon ...no , and i have various HI-RES compliant devices.
 
I flit between Amazon and Tidal dependent upon deals available. The other month I went back to Amazon and accidently downloaded all the songs to my phone in standard rather than HD quality. When in the car and playing offline I immediately noticed the difference and something seemed wrong. When I re-downloaded in HD quality the improvement was obvious. So I just stick to the Amazon HD service since it is 7 quid cheaper than the Tidal equivalent as a Prime Subscriber.

MQA or UHD on either service does not much improve the "CD" level on either service to me.
 
I am just trying the Qobuz free trial, very interesting subtle difference in character is apparent to Amazon Music HD that I am used to. Qobuz is smoother sounding with slightly more weight in bass, the difference is subtle & means Amazon is more forward sounding. Not sure which I prefer but it probably depend on what I'm listening to.
 
Looks like Amazon music HD & UHD tracks are restricted to CD quality when using Googlecast on my Lyngdorf TDAI-1120??
Qobuz Hi-res tracks play at the correct bit depth & sample frequency.
Looks like another trial of Tidal might be needed, pity that Amazon music has problems that need fixing.
 
Looks like Amazon music HD & UHD tracks are restricted to CD quality when using Googlecast on my Lyngdorf TDAI-1120??
Qobuz Hi-res tracks play at the correct bit depth & sample frequency.
Looks like another trial of Tidal might be needed, pity that Amazon music has problems that need fixing.

Won't Tidal also be restricted to CD quality only? Will Googlecast do any of the unfolding that MQA requires?
 
Won't Tidal also be restricted to CD quality only? Will Googlecast do any of the unfolding that MQA requires?
Good point, I assume it wont unfold MQA properly, I think I'll stick with Qobuz for the time being, I hope Lyngdorf will eventually make Tidal Connect available on the 1120.
Streaming good quality music has all sorts of pitfalls for the unwary as I'm rapidly finding out.
 
Good point, I assume it wont unfold MQA properly, I think I'll stick with Qobuz for the time being, I hope Lyngdorf will eventually make Tidal Connect available on the 1120.
Streaming good quality music has all sorts of pitfalls for the unwary as I'm rapidly finding out.

Tidal Connect on the Lyngdorf (and I suspect other brands) only plays back CD quality I think. I'll need to check on my 3400 to confirm.

EDIT: Just checked and my 3400 is showing 24 bits at 48 kHz best case for the highest res using Tidal Connect. Many are only16 bit at 48 kHz, so I'm guessing that Tidal Connect only does a single unfold.
 
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