Audiophile goes mainstream? 90 days free makes it worth a go - can’t access it through my Aurender though, maybe Roon…
Surely Spotify has to go CD quality now? I can’t believe that the bandwidth issues are relevant.
At the moment, only BluOS seems to have third party access but based on the big list of brands on the bumpf page, they’re planning more.
By sheer good fortune, I’m doing a group test of streaming services for HFC this month including Amazon. It’s some USB audio management options from being near the top of the pack.
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It is bloody awful integration in bluos, doesn’t display tracks correctly and you can’t skip songs on an album.
Presumably they will have to release a public API to drive adoption?
In it’s defence, it’s been out less than a week and Lembrook didn’t know Amazon was going to patch support into the existing Amazon app. I’m sure it’ll get better.
Adopting the Microsoft philosophy of letting early adopters do all the UAT for them for free.
This will heap further pressure on to Tidal. £20 vs £15 or £13 with Prime.
How can Spotify hold out now?
Tidal looks to be the most vulnerable here. Amazon is cheaper, has no requirement for MQA support and if the 3rd party integration is effective, it’s going to erode Tidal’s most effective captive market. Qobuz’s decision to use straight high res, have a content store and get in with Roon is going to reduce their vulnerability a little. If you want the best, Qobuz is still worth it.
Apple Music’s US subscriber numbers in the US means that Spotify is probably already dead, it just doesn’t know it yet. It has focused on numbers and convenience rather than quality and while it’s convenience angle is still top notch, it isn’t winning the numbers game.
My condolences.
Whilst that will undoubtedly be infinitely less faff than, say, a tonearm group test, I’ll wager it’s infinitely less interesting as well.
Honestly? It’s one of my fave tests of the year. The rate of technical progress in the four years since I did the first one is astounding. In the first one, we were bowled over that you could listen to a service in ‘CD quality.’ Now they’re being marked down for lacking features that dedicated audiophile software didn’t have four years ago and Amazon- fucking Amazon- delivered the test program in exclusively high res digital.
The reality that a hyperglobalmegacorp™ feels that there is worth in pushing a quality argument is incredibly important- this industry might not be headed for extinction after all.
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The industry might not be but the ‘hobby’ element is looking a bit sad going forwards.
I really hope Spotify ups their game and goes HD. They have the best selection of the types of music I listen to. I’ve tried tidal and Qobuz and neither have what I’m after in a wide a variety.
Maybe an Amazon hd subscription through prime would be a possibility if they have the selection. But for now I’ll stick with Spotify.
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Listening to this at the moment USB out of my laptop to DDDAC. Hmm have to say the hi res stuff does sound decent based on what I’ve sampled so far.
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Agreed
Is there a way to integrate it into LMS like with Spotify?
No. It appears to have a closed API (which may be for support purposes as much as just being corporately evil), and the web player doesn’t play the “HD” (red book quality). This means that it probably won’t work now. But all that could change.
Alright, I know I’m resurrecting a long dead thread, but this is a significant moment for me 
Having previously eschewed digital/streaming/subscription based music providers etc. I’ve only gone and done it 
Buoyed by the success of my recently acquired in-ear phones and very capable portable amp/dac (thank you! - you know who you are) and now finding that I can move around the house with Bluetooth connectivity, I’ve joined up for Amazon Music HD.
3 month free trial and £13/month thereafter (with Prime) I have to say I’m quite impressed with it, albeit I only subscribed today so it is a very small sample size.
Very pleased with the SQ and so far all of my searches for albums have been successful.
A converted luddite 
well, partially 
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Just to piss on your chips (it’s the AA way), the key problem with streaming is that the actual artists get the square root of fuck all.
I’m as guilty as the next man, but I try to use Spotify for discovery, then buy digital, preferably from Bandcamp, preferably on Bandcamp Friday.
Managing a digital library is an additional faff but it’s also something that I enjoy.