Compared with similar tracks on Spotify (approximately 320kbps streams), Apple’s have greater subtlety and more space around instruments while its ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) streams match Tidal for openness and subtlety even sometimes sounding just a touch clearer. So if you want to listen to Apple Music tracks above 24-bit/48kHz on your iPhone, you’ll need to shell out for an external DAC and use a wired pair of headphones.Īpple hasn’t revealed the bitrate it uses for its standard streams, but tracks still sound clean, snappy and entertaining. For example, although Apple Music with Dolby Atmos will work with all headphones and Apple’s own HomePod and HomePod Mini will support Lossless at some point (following a software update), Apple’s own headphones don’t support lossless audio.Īlso, while Apple’s iPhones (since the iPhone 7) natively support lossless, that only applies to Apple Music Lossless and not the highest quality Hi-Res Lossless. However, there are some limitations on what kit can playback Apple’s new high-quality offering. That's a really good deal if you're into classical music with hi-res and spatial audio support. The service’s 100 million-strong catalogue is available in CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) with most tracks available in hi-res (24-bit/48-192kHz), and subscribers will also receive access to the Apple Music Classical service at no extra cost. While there’s no free tier, Apple has now added support for lossless audio and spatial audio with Dolby Atmos without charging any extra. The service does a great job of curating playlists and serving up useful and intelligent recommendations. Whether using the desktop or mobile app, the interface is easy to navigate with a simple yet effective layout. You’ll need to switch to Individual or Family plans if you fancy any of those features, plans that'll set you back £11 / $11 / AU$13 and £17 / $17 / AU$20 respectively. What's more, Apple Music starts out at just £5 / $5 / AU$6 per month with Apple's 'Music Voice Plan'.Ĭrucially, though, ‘Apple Music Voice Plan won’t let you use the Apple Music app to play songs and doesn’t offer access to Apple Music’s premium offerings, including Spatial Audio, Lossless Audio, lyrics and music videos. However, if you’re fully immersed in Apple’s ecosystem, Apple Music makes a lot of sense. Unsurprisingly, Apple Music is aimed squarely at Apple users, so Android owners often want to look elsewhere – although that needn't be the case. Need an external DAC for lossless streaming If you’re a conscientious music fan looking for the best high-quality streaming experience, with an extensive catalogue, immersive content, broad device support, and improved discovery features (and you aren’t already tied into the Apple ecosystem), Tidal is still the one to choose. Tidal is also now distinguishing itself from the rest of the pack by introducing initiatives designed to provide artists with direct payments (from HiFi Plus subscribers only) that represent each user’s listening habits rather than being attributed by aggregation. Sonically Tidal still has the edge over almost all the competition, although Apple Music’s ALAC streams manage to match it for openness and subtlety. The CD-quality streams display excellent levels of detail and expression, and hi-res recordings take this up a level. It may have one of the priciest premium account tiers on our list, but Tidal’s ease of use is exemplary, and sound quality is exceptional across the board. Tidal Connect also now allows you to connect via wi-fi to a growing list of products from manufacturers including NAD, Naim, KEF, Bluesound, Dali, Cambridge Audio, McIntosh and more. You can access Tidal through iOS, Android, desktop – all of which offer hi-res streams – as well as a browser-based player and a good spread of other platforms, such as Sonos. Customers in the US can take advantage of the service’s first-ever free plan, called ‘Tidal Free’, which offers the company’s complete library of 100 million tracks at 160kbps with “limited interruptions” from Tidal that will “aim to educate consumers on the music industry”. Tidal now gives access to FLAC files as well as files encoded using MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) technology. It also includes tracks mixed in immersive sound formats ( Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Audio recordings).īut hi-res and CD-quality streams aren’t the be-all and end-all of Tidal’s offering. Besides CD-quality streams, ‘Tidal HiFi Plus’ affords its subscribers access to millions of hi-res audio tracks that are typically 24-bit/96kHz but do go up to 24-bit/192kHz. However, there are still some perks that are reserved for Tidal’s top tier. Still, subscribers to the newly rebranded ‘Tidal HiFi’ plan get interruption-free access to audio at up to CD quality.
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