Which Streaming Service Is Best for High-End Listening?
Spotify May Be Popular, But Is It the Best Option for Whole-Home Audio?
If you’re investing in a high-end sound system that plays throughout the house, you’ll want to play music that’s high-quality, too. So, where can you find hi-fi lossless audio online?
While CDs and vinyl are known for producing the richest audio quality, streaming has not always had the best reputation. But in recent years, popular (and emerging) streaming services are offering lossless and 3D spatial audio that sounds heavenly over whole-home speakers.
Are you already using one of the best streaming services? Or is it time to make a switch? Find out which streaming service is best and how to use it with multi-room audio.
If you’re interested in whole-home audio in Highland Park, TX, contact Texadia Systems to learn more!
SEE ALSO: Experience High-Quality Whole-Home Audio by McIntosh
Comparing Services for Whole-Home Audio
Spotify
Pros: Swedish giant Spotify is the most popular music streaming service, with 180 million users worldwide. It’s free with ads, then $9.99/month for ad-free streaming. With so many users, you’ll be able to send and receive songs with friends and family and follow their music listening activity. Spotify has a vast music catalog that integrates with other platforms like Sonos speakers.
Cons: Spotify has fallen behind other services in music quality, only offering 320 kbps and no CD quality or spatial audio. If you’re looking for the best audio quality, Spotify isn’t your service.
Qobuz
Pros: Low-end audio isn’t an option on Qobuz. It offers only high-quality streams to its subscribers, and at $10.83 a month, it’s an excellent value compared to other high-res streamers. Qobuz’s catalog is entirely available in CD quality or 24-bit high-res. Plus, if you like owning your music, its Sublime+ plan offers a discount on high-resolution downloads to keep.
Cons: Qobuz doesn’t have quite as large of a library as some other streaming services, and it doesn’t currently offer 3D audio. You may know fewer people who use Qobuz, too, meaning fewer opportunities to share playlists and songs with others.
Apple Music
Pros: Apple is the original music titan with iTunes, and its streaming service has only gotten better with age. At $9.99/month, Apple Music now includes 360-degree spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, and lossless audio. Apple’s regularly updating new and older albums with lossless quality, so you can hear old favorites as they were meant to be heard.
Cons: Apple Music still works best with Apple hardware.
Tidal
Pros: Jay-Z’s music streaming platform, Tidal, delivers CD quality and better-than-CD audio that’s high-res MQA encoded. This is the pinnacle in audio quality, also available in 360-degree sound. Tidal also offers an exceptional search and curation experience and is known for paying artists well.
Cons: Tidal’s standard subscription stands at $9.99/month and $19.99/month for hi-fi tier audio. This makes Tidal pricier than other options and may only be “worth it” for true audiophiles.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Pros: Amazon has stepped up its audio game, as its Unlimited plan now offers Dolby Atmos, 360-degree audio, CD quality, and 24-bit resolution audio. Prime members can enjoy basic Amazon Music for free. Its Unlimited plan is $8.99/month, making it a cheaper option with more song selections than other streaming services.
Cons: Amazon’s menu advertises pop hits every time you open it, which may feel less personal than other platforms.
How to Use Streaming Throughout the House
Want to discover new music and listen to old favorites though every room—and outdoors too? Whole-home audio lets you play music in sync across a multi-room speaker system. Building a multi-zone setup requires two components: distributing the audio and wireless control.
We distribute audio by wiring your loudspeakers to a centralized amplifier and control system that will incorporate streaming services and other media sources. We can combine wireless and wired speakers into one system, too, so your legacy speakers and new wireless models work in tandem.
Once speakers are synced to one system, you can access your streaming platform and audio zones through the smart system’s interface. Whether you prefer to use your smartphone, tablet, wall touch screen, voice command, or buttons on the wall, there’s no single way to control your audio system and music streaming.
Are you ready to listen to high-fidelity audio over a professionally designed home audio system? You’ll experience your favorite albums and playlists in every room of the house—and outdoors too!
Contact us here or send our team a message below to get started today. We look forward to working with you!
