In the crowded space of music streaming services, companies roll out new features to fight for your attention every year. Some of these options appeal more to people with specific interests, while others cater to the widest catalog of music or even exclusive content from popular artists.
At Audio Advice, we love discovering new music, and sharing it with our friends, families, and co-workers — and of course, listening to music with the highest fidelity is our expertise! Since there are so many choices today, we decided to weigh in on this ever-evolving topic with the music services we are having the most fun using.
Our main focus will be on the streaming services offering the highest bit rates or audio fidelity. However, some streaming services offer so much convenience and access to music, we think these simply cannot be ignored even if the audio quality is not the best.
We will also discuss how user-friendly and accessible the app experience is since compatibility with all the smart devices around us tends to make things a little more complicated — and since sharing music is one of the most important ways people discover new artists online today, we will cover the social features that let us share and discover more music with friends & family.
We rated our favorite high-quality streaming services in the following three performance categories:
Finally, we will discuss which kind of music listener will benefit the most from each music streaming service, and then we will give you our recommendations on the best audio gear, so you get the most out of your chosen streaming platform!
Unless it is explicitly stated, most streaming services will stream “lossy” file formats such as MP3 or AAC. Because digital audio is data, most platforms are concerned with bit-rate — or the rate of data transmitted each second.
In general, it’s safe to assume higher bit rates will equate to higher audio quality — although your listening device, itself – headphones, earbuds & speakers – definitely should not be overlooked. For example, cheap earbuds may not reproduce the complete frequency range that a CD-quality file can offer. But, if you want to reveal all the details hiding in the music, then a good pair of high-performance speakers or high-end headphones are warranted.
Who it’s for: If you have a deep appreciation for listening to albums with the best audio fidelity and great editorial content, then Qobuz is designed especially for you. Qobuz is suited for music-aficionados who want audiophile-grade sound quality for all the big new releases plus more specialized genres like Jazz, Classical, Folk, and R&B without needing specialized hardware to decode the audio stream.
Qobuz has a few tiers. Starting at $14.99/month, their “Studio Premier” plan for single individuals lets you access Studio quality streaming (FLAC 24-Bit up to 192 kHz) plus Qobuz’s Original editorial content with no restrictions.
If you’re comfortable committing, you can go with an annual subscription for $12.49 and save 25% off the normal price. Family plans are structured similarly starting at $24.99/month or you can save 25% when you choose the $22.49 annual plan. Family plans allow you to add up to 6 individual accounts.
If you also like purchasing and owning your hi-res music library, then there’s even a plan for that. For $20.83/month or $249.99/billed annually, the “Studio Sublime” plan will give you exclusive access to purchase any Hi-Res or CD quality album in the Qobuz catalog at a special discount price of up to 60% off.
Audio Fidelity
Music Discoverability
Curated playlists — Limited, but you get music playlists curated by Artists, Mood, Genre, and special playlists curated by Qobuz’s audio brand partners, including Sonos
Qobuz is the service we rely on the most to test high-end audio products and write our reviews. If you want to really get the most out of your listening sessions with Qobuz, our advice is to upgrade your DAC, first. Depending on your DAC, you can experience more details hiding in Qobuz’s vast CD-Quality & high-res music archive up to 24-Bit/192 kHz. Upgrading your computer speakers is also a good next step so you will experience the full spectrum of frequencies hiding in your hi-res music.
How to get the best audio quality from Qobuz:
Who it’s for: If you love popular music, audio fidelity, and exclusive video content only available on Tidal from the biggest names in music, then this is the service for you. Tidal is perfect for fans of Pop, Dance, Hip-hop, and R&B or for anyone who wants to level up their listening experience with audiophile quality while staying current with the latest trends in music.
Artist-owned, Tidal has many tiers giving you access to a vast catalog of exclusive content. You can get started with standard audio quality with a 30-day free trial and then $9.99/month after that. $19.99/month unlocks high-resolution MQA audio with TIDAL Masters. Discounted plans for families, students, and members of the military are also available.
TIDAL Masters uses a special codec called MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) to package large analog-quality songs into digital files small enough to download or stream from a mobile device. The process starts with the original master tape. All of the subtle timing details are folded into a smaller packet file using MQA technology. MQA streams the original master tape in a digital format with a file size no bigger than a standard CD with nothing missing. So, the real magic occurs when you have a system capable of unfolding the file with all of the timing details.
Audio Fidelity
Music Discoverability
User Experience & Accessibility
When you have a streaming device capable of unfolding the MQA data, the music is transformed. If you want to take advantage of all the higher-resolution details hiding in TIDAL Masters, you will need a separate DAC capable of unfolding the MQA data. You will feel like you are part of the recording and get that same feeling of a live concert. Luckily, MQA has become extremely popular with high-end audio brands.
How to get the best audio quality:
*Pro Tip — You might not be able to hear the difference with the high-quality files if you don’t have excellent audio equipment. The list of audio products that support MQA is constantly growing.
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200 DAC & Preamplifier
Bluesound Node N130 Wireless Multi-Room Hi-Res Music Streamer
Who it’s for: If you love music, and you want one of the most flexible platforms available to share it all with your friends — but you don’t necessarily need the best audio fidelity, then Spotify is certainly worth considering.
There’s a social aspect to this platform. You can choose to share what you’re listening to in real-time, assemble playlists with others, and follow artists you like. It does a great job recreating the sense of making mixtapes for your friends like some of us did back in the ’90s. Fans of podcasts will also benefit from Spotify’s original podcast programming.
Individual plans start at $9.99/month, $12.99/month for couples, $14.99/month for families, and students can get a plan for $4.99/month. Users can stream music free with ads via desktop and web apps. A 30-day trial period is available. Students pay a discounted rate of $5 and get free access to Hulu (with commercials). The free tier is also one of the better options for users who don’t mind ads and want to listen to songs on demand.
*Spotify has announced its “CD-quality streaming” tier which could undercut the dominance of Tidal and Amazon Music HD in this space, but audio specs and roll-out schedule have not yet been announced.
Audio Fidelity
Music Discoverability
User Experience & Accessibility
Spotify is very much for people who are willing to sacrifice some audio quality for immense ease of use and all the personalized recommendations for new music.
When you want to kick back and relax, upgrading to a high-end over-ear headphone or a great noise-canceling wireless headphone for on-the-go use is a great way to indulge in everything Spotify offers. Since Spotify is all about connecting with friends and family, upgrading to a Bluetooth speaker with tight Spotify integration like the Sonos Move or the Sonos Roam will let you entertain your guests outdoors and share all the playlists you co-create, together. Sonos’s tight integration with Spotify will also let you dip your toes in whole-house music.
How to get the best audio quality:
Sonos Move Gen 2 Battery Powered Portable Smart Speaker
Sonos Era 300 Smart Speaker
Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos Soundbar
Who it’s for: If you love a good packaged deal, then Amazon Prime members will get a great bundle on audiophile-grade sound quality for just $12.99/month, making it an absolute steal for a lossless audio streaming service. Fans of FLAC will be happy to access better sound quality in the form of High Definition (HD) music and Ultra HD (Hi-res) music.
If streaming hi-res music is your thing, Amazon Music HD is an optional upgrade you can add to the company’s main Amazon music unlimited music service.
The price is $14.99/month for non-Prime members, or $12.99 if you already have an Amazon Prime account. Family plans run $19.99/month, and there’s a free 90-day test drive for the service.
Audio Fidelity
Music Discoverability
User Experience & Accessibility
Amazon Music HD is still a newcomer, so it will need more time to mature. However, if you are considering bundling up a Prime membership with a high-quality streaming service, then upgrading to a high-performance DAC/headphone amp is the best way to take advantage of the higher bit rates Amazon HD delivers. You may also want to consider upgrading to a Dolby Atmos soundbar so you can experience Amazon Music HD’s growing list of 3D tracks, mastered in Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio.
How to get the best audio quality:
JBL Bar 9.1 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
Chord Hugo 2 DAC/Headphone Amp
Who it’s for: If you love music, music videos, podcasts, and Apple’s exclusive ecosystem of software and hardware — and you care about the quality of your audio, then Apple Music is quite possibly the best way to enjoy one of the largest music catalogs, available — plus with Apple’s most recent announcements of hi-res audio and spacial music, there’s a whole lot more.
Consumers already invested in large iTunes libraries or who are otherwise committed to the Apple ecosystem will absolutely benefit the most from Apple Music — but, as Apple recently revealed, there’s a growing list of immersive Spatial Audio content being added — plus a catalog of more than 75 million songs now streams in Apple’s special ALAC lossless audio codec.
*Apple says thousands of tracks will be available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos encoding at launch in June — with more being added on a regular basis.
How it works: As the service with one of the most matured catalogs on our list, Apple Music already gave subscribers access to millions of songs, music videos, podcasts, and live radio stations ad-free — however, according to Apple, the new features are coming to Apple Music at no additional cost. The catch is you will need to own a compatible Apple device to take full advantage of all the features offered by the service. Compatible Apple products get a slight advantage in performance with native playback of CD-Quality and higher. AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip will play tracks encoded with Dolby Atmos, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
After you purchase any of the latest Apple hardware or download the Apple Music app to Android devices or Windows PCs, you can basically stream across Apple’s ever-expanding ecosystem of smart devices and software free for the first three months.
Once the free trial period ends, individuals pay $9.99/month through the credit card associated with their Apple ID. There’s also a $14.99/month subscription for families of up to six family members. If enrolled in a university, there’s also a discounted rate of $4.99 for students.
Audio Fidelity
Music Discoverability
User Experience & Accessibility
If you are already invested in Apple’s ecosystem of hardware and software products, then the convenience of Apple’s services is hard to deny. Now that the wait for Apple to come out with a hi-res version of their popular music platform is finally over, you can really improve the soundstage of your Apple Music library when you upgrade your computer speakers and use an external DAC to bypass the cheaply made DAC/headphone amp section that comes in your smart device or PC. Another neat idea is to use a digital upscaling device like the Chord M Scaler to scale up the lower-bit rate performance of some songs to higher than CD-Quality with a suitable DAC. Finally, if you want to take full advantage of Spatial Audio, you’ll want a high-performance Dolby Atmos soundbar that can immerse you in a bubble of 3D sound.
How to get better audio quality:
Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos Soundbar
Arcam AVR5 Class AB AV Receiver
Chord Electronics Hugo TT 2 DAC, Preamplifier & Headphone Amp
| Feature | Qobuz | Tidal | Spotify | Amazon HD | Apple Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription Range | $12.49-$24.99 | $9.99-$29.99 | $9.99-$14.99 | $7.99-$19.99 | $9.99-$14.99 |
| Free Trial Period | 30 Days | 30 Days | 30 Days | 90 Days | 90 Days |
| Catalog Size | 70 million songs | 70 million songs | 70 million songs | 70 million songs | 75 million songs |
| Hi-res Catalog | 240,000 albums | Unknown | 0 | 5 million songs | 75 million songs |
| Resolution | Up to 24-Bit/192 kHz | Up to 24-Bit/192 kHz | 256-320 kbps | Up to 24-Bit/192 kHz | Up to 24-Bit/192 kHz (ALAC) |
| Hi-res Audio | ✔ | ✔ | ✖️ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dolby Atmos tracks | ✖️ | ✔ | ✖️ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mac/PC Desktop | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mobile iOS/Android | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Web app | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Synchronized Lyrics | ✖️ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Exclusive Content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖️ | ✔ |
| Curated Playlists | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of Family Accounts Allowed | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Number of Devices Permitted to Stream | 3 | 1 online, 3 offline | 1 | 6 | 6; 1 at a time streaming |
| Number of Offline Songs Allowed | No limit | No limit | 10,000; up to 5 devices | No limit | 100,000 limit |
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