Roon already made a deal with the devil, Bob Stuart and Tidal.
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Is it true?
I copied and pasted from the Amazon web site. Some talk on the Amazon HD post about a higher quality than CD. Here is what Amazon says:
What audio quality does Amazon Music HD support?
Amazon Music HD offers lossless audio in two quality ranges: HD and Ultra HD.
HD tracks are 16-bit audio, with a minimum sample rate of 44.1 kHz (16/44.1 is also referred to as CD-quality), and an average bitrate of 850 kbps. Ultra HD tracks have a bit depth of 24 bits, with sample rates ranging from 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz, and an average bitrate of 3730 kbps.
In comparison, most standard streaming services currently offer Standard Definition (SD) with a bitrate up to 320 kbps. These audio files use lossy compression, where details of the original audio are removed in order to reduce the file size. By contrast, Amazon Music HD preserves the original recording information to deliver the highest quality sound available, more than 2x the bitrate in HD and more than 10x the bitrate at the highest Ultra HD bitrate. Amazon Music HD will always play the highest quality content available, based on network, device capability and your selected settings.
So what is interesting is I tried to see what the cost of Ultra is, and I am not finding it anywhere. So its probably in the works. Time will tell. For me, Amazon defining HD as better than MP3 and then calling that Hi Rez is a bit disingenuous. It does nothing for me, but it will keep TIDAL and Qobuz on their toes. I prefer MQA with Roon/TIDAL and a full decode with a Meridain Ultra Dac. Best music I have ever heard. Been doing this for 40 years.
Itâs $15 per month. Thatâs the service I have with Amazon. I think there is a discount if you are a Prime member, which I am not.
My whole point here is to let folks know that Amazon HD is primarily CD quality, as they say on their web page. I am aware of the page you suggested, and first considered to post there, but decided to start a new thread devoted to Ultra HD which is more like the TIDAL and Qobuz services that we now have. Ultra HD is something for the future. So unless something I don;t understand, Amazona HD does not really compete with the upper tiers of these two. Its probably a good step forward from iTunes and MP3âs obviously, and may be a step to get the young listeners on a path to real Hi Rez and MQA and others. So probably a good thing, as long a folks realize it for what it is. That said about CD quality, the better quality CDâs sound very good thru my system, which goes the next step and uses the Meridian Ultra DAC apodizing filters which takes the pre ringing out of reconstruction and reduces the post ringing from conventional DAC reconstruction. Quite an improvement. I am sure other hi end manufacturers are working on similar techniques, just have not released info on them that I am aware of.
Right now I was unable to sign up for Ultra HD on the Amazon web site.
They are just confusing things more. 320 is âcompressedâ, 16/44 is "standard, above that is âhigh defâ (or similar term). Just calling CD quality High Definition, doesnât make it so.
Weâve lived with CDâs for years, then Napster got the MP3/compressed fever going strong. Twenty years later, we return to the old guard of CD quality and it is supposed to be better than ever?
May those under 30 can believe that, having grown up with MP3âs. (you mean that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?)
Their Ultra HD seems to be about on par with what Qubuz has in hires. They have Neil Young In 192k vs 96k on Qubuz. Found several albums in Ultra that are not in hires in Qobuz. And the big plus is they have lots of CD quality albums that are not in Qobuz at all.
Tidal only has MQA for hires and believe a few labels were never onboard so there are more real hires albums on Amazon and Qobuz.
Amazon has 16/44.1, 24/96, and 24/192. People should stop misrepresenting what they have. If you donât want to use Amazon, then donât. Itâs that simple.
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All amazon account holders should write crappy reviews on Amazon of their echo products explaining their shortcomings, itâs the only way they may be pressured into doing something that actually delivers the high res content theyâre streaming.
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James
I am pasting from the Amazon Web page:
Since I see no way to subscribe to Ultra HD, that does not exist. Not misrepresenting anything, just the facts from the Amazon web page. At some time, they may offer higher res, but for now, its 16/44.1 which is CD.
If you subscribe to Amazon Music HD you get both quality ranges, HD (up to CD quality 44.1/16) and Ultra HD (higher than CD quality). There is no separate subscription to Ultra HD. In other words, there is no separate âultra HDâ subscription tier
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The only two levels to subscribe are standard, which is mp3, and the HD level, which give CD up to 192/24 level. Itâs $5 extra a month for the HD service over the standard and only $12 or so a month total if prime member.
Also note that most hires doesnât go to 192k level. Will find more jazz and classic at this level. 48/24 or 96/24 make up the larger amount of hires content.
Dude, read my post. I am streaming 44.1, 96, and 192 right now. The HD tier is $14.99. I think itâs $12.99 for Prime member.
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Streaming using FiiO M11.
Symphonic Dances Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 Dong Hyek LIM/Martha Argerich
(sorry for the florescent tube reflection)
When you play a lower rate file, does the dac itself receive a lower rate? Currently out of iPhone (w/camera connector) everything is upsampled to 192k no matter with the app itself is showing for the currently playing at.
My Dragonfly Cobalt is limited to 24/96. When playing on my iPhone 6S Plus, I see SD, HD, or ULTRA HD. HD shows 24/44.1 and plays at 24/44.1. ULTRA HD shows as 24/96 or 24/192, but for me, they all play at 24/96 due to limitations of my DAC.
Looks like the OP has to read (understand) what Amazon Music HD really means!
But does you dac show different indicator to tell what the real rate is? My Chord Hugo just shows everything at 192k even if play HD 16/44 file.
My iPhone shows it. You click on SD, HD, or ULTRA HD and it gives you the recorded resolution, your DAC resolution, and your playback resolution. The playback will be the lower of the recorded or DAC resolution. There is no up conversion.
Thatâs not accurate. Mine shows that too. But my Chord has a color indicator to show true sample rate received. Itâs all 192k. Highest I guess camera setting can do.
With Qobuz or Tidal, that lights match the rate outputted.
Iâve chatted with Amazon tech about this so they are aware.
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