Amazon Music HD..... Not For Audiophiles

That is interesting.  I've been wondering when Roon would support it, mostly because of my Prime membership. 

For me a service has to be supported by Roon for me to really get into it.

Tidal 's marketing is pop, but it's catalog is far bigger than that.

Now that I know the catalog of music there isn't all that I can relax about it.

Tidal HiFi didn't cut the "audiophile" mustard for me but it was fun to explore other music for a year.

From what I've read elsewhere, for Roon to integrate with a streaming service, the streaming service must regularly (daily?) run a custom interface to dump the metadata for all the content in their library, so Roon can make the required updates on their end.  In mid-2019 I read that Roon had eclipsed the 100,000 subscriber threshold.  The question I'd have is whether a huge company like Amazon would develop and support a custom interface for such a small number of subscribers (as only a subset of that 100,000 would opt for the Amazon subscription)?

Amazon HD: I wasn’t too impressed with catalog and more importantly the availability of my favorite artist in high resolution. For my personal taste in music along with Aurender’s superb Conductor app, Qobuz offers the best streaming experience.

Amazon HD has 50 million songs and has Apple TV and Amazon cube apps.

It sounds great to me, even in CD quality.

I find High Rez "way over rated" in most cases. 

Good original recording mastering counts more than High Rez mastering as far a sound playback quality, IMO.

Lots of Amazon haters out there. 

I'm glad someone can relax. I'm Prime and have no reason to check out AHD. Or Roon.
If I was paying for it I'd have to worry about getting my money's worth.
Not even interested enough to read the article.
Ahhhh!

Unrelated but Radio Paradise is bundled into my NAD streamer. Free, 320kbs. Their 'world' station knocks me out daily, it's so good. Not highrez but sounds like CD quality, good enough for me to turn on and enjoy the content without sweating the micro rez yadda. 

Amazon HD is just fine , they just need more high end streaming platforms. Through my Marantz 8805 it sounds very good only quibble is lack of playlist import through Heos.

Interesting read.  But if time in the digital realm has taught us anything, just wait 5 minutes and it will change.

Straight from the Amazon website.
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.

They all kinda suck.

Frag Out!!!

@skypunk,

Are you having trouble sleeping knowing digital has caught up with deeply flawed analog 😂

@lalitk all your digital started as analog.

If you can not wrap your head around that you’re so far gone no one can bring you back.

I enjoy all music formats, digital and analog. I simply said that all kinda suck. And that is a fact, Tidal, Quizbuz what ever it’s called, Deezer, Ponus, Amazon they all have issues.

Hell tonight I listened to the new Nick Cave streamed on my Moon 280D then moved to SRV on CD playing on my Moon 260D Transport and now I am listening to Yes 50th live on my Thorens TD145.

Dude I sleep just fine and it’s only 9:00 pm here.

Please stop being a digital douche. 

@lalitk oh geez you’re a fuser too. Gross!

Frag Out!!

@skypunk,

Gross generalizations has no merits! You wanna level with me, then please tell me if your analog rig is without any flaws.

No not at all @lalitk all formats of audio have flaws.

That is the allure of the hobby to try and work them out with well fuses, stones, generators, cables.....

Just pointing out that well they all suck to some degree, kinda like political parties.