Which Music Streamer has the best Audio Quality?
Discover which music streaming service has the best audio quality. From hi-res FLAC files to spatial audio, compare top platforms to find your perfect listening experience.
Which Music Streamer has the best Audio Quality
by Chris Huff via Disc Makers Blog
With multiple music streaming services available, it’s hard to know which one is best if you are an audiophile or audio professional. When you’re seeking the best sound, some would discount streaming entirely since it loses the battle when comparing digital vs. analog audio quality.
Before we dive deeper, let’s define a term to avoid confusion. “Audio compression” as used in this article refers to data compression for the transmitting of files via streaming. It is not the same as dynamic range compression used in the recording studio or on an instrument as an effect.
Audio professionals prefer uncompressed digital files; in this day and age, you’ll generally receive uncompressed WAV files as your masters from any recording studio. Compressed formats can sound awful, as digital compression artifacts can be distinctly heard, especially in the drums and cymbals. For many years, it was only possible to stream extremely compressed files like MP3s due to the limitations of bandwidth on internet connections. However, as technology has improved, the quality of files that can be streamed has also improved.
When figuring out which music streaming platform has the best audio quality, the first information you’ll need is knowing which file format the service is using as a source. As of October 2024, the two streaming services with the highest-quality files are both using FLAC as their source files. FLAC is compressed, but it is “lossless,” meaning that no data is lost in the compression process. Ultimately, your own ears will be the determining factor of what sounds best.
How music streaming services deliver high-quality audio
Delivering high-quality streaming sound begins with bitrate, which is the amount of information that will be processed per second in an audio file. A higher bitrate means better audio quality, but also a larger file which is more difficult to transmit. Audio CDs always have a bitrate of 1.4 MBPS (megabits per second). MP3s can be encoded as high as 320 KBPS (kilobits per second). The streaming rate of the hi-res files on Qobuz, the service with the highest bitrate, is as high as 9.2 MBPS.
In order to create a digital audio file, one has to choose a coding format or codec. The main codecs used by the streaming services are FLAC (free lossless), ALAC (Apple lossless), OGG Vorbis, and AAC (Apple advanced). All of these files are compressed, but the first two are lossless. Which file format is being streamed to you depends on whether you are listening to hi-res or lower quality streams.
Keep in mind when deciding which streaming service has the best audio quality that you won’t be able to listen to hi-res files via Bluetooth. Bluetooth compresses audio files on its own, so you’ll only get up to CD quality with your earbuds or wireless headphones. To listen to hi-res files streaming on a mobile device, you’ll need a DAC (digital to analog converter) and wired headphones. These can be as cheap as $10 and as expensive as $1000; it’s not necessarily clear that expensive ones are that much better. If you are an audio professional using an audio interface on your computer, your interface is probably already a DAC, so you can listen to hi-res streaming files using that.
6 streaming services ranked by audio quality
Qobuz: For audiophiles
Still working to gain name recognition, Qobuz has some of the highest quality files available. Using hi-res FLAC source files (24-bit, up to 192 kHz), Qobuz has a huge library of hi-res tracks and even a store with hi-res albums to purchase. Qobuz offers 2 membership tiers: Studio level ($14.99, $10.83 if paid yearly) or Sublime level (about $22 monthly, but paid yearly). The only perk to Sublime level is a discount on purchasing hi-res albums, which pays for itself quickly if you buy music. Qobuz also pays artists $0.022 a stream, the highest rate of any streaming service. Importing your playlists from other streaming services is no additional charge. It’s not the cheapest, but many audiophiles think it sounds the best.
Tidal: High quality, extra options
Tidal has had PR issues in recent years due to their MQA source file format and possible manipulation of numbers for major artists. Now, though, they have completely discontinued MQA in favor of FLAC and also offer some immersive sound format tracks in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Audio. Tidal has also scrapped tiered pricing in favor of a flat $10.99/month charge that gives you access to all of their hi-res files. They pay artists $0.013 a stream, the second-highest rate of any streamer. You can import your playlists from other services, but it’s $4 to transfer over 500 tracks. Tidal Connect allows you to stream music from the Tidal cloud to multiple devices.
Apple Music: Device integration, lossless files, spatial audio
Apple Music is well-integrated with other Apple products. For example, iPhones have lossless streaming capability built in. The $10.99 flat monthly fee includes all the hi-res files and spatial audio (Dolby Atmos), plus the Apple Music Classical service at no additional charge. Many of the classical albums are in hi-res and spatial audio. Apple is evasive about its bitrate, but all tracks come in CD quality with most available in hi-res (24-bit up to 192 kHz). Apple has its own source codec, ALAC, which many feel is not quite as good as FLAC, but this is also subjective. One drawback is lossless tracks can’t be heard on Apple’s own Bluetooth earbuds, but with a DAC and wired headphones, this is easily solved. The spatial audio tracks can be heard on any headphones.
Amazon Music Unlimited/HD: Good sound, affordable price
At $9.99/month, Amazon Music Unlimited is the cheapest option that doesn’t sacrifice sound quality. The number of Ultra HD titles has tripled since 2019, and there’s a solid catalog of spatial audio tracks in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Audio that are streamable through your mobile device with existing headphones. Amazon is coy about their bitrate like Apple, but it is comparable to Spotify’s 320 kbps. Some feel Amazon’s tracks have more dynamic subtlety and a “rounder” sound than Spotify. While the source files aren’t Qobuz or Tidal level, Amazon is a decent alternative to explore hi-res and spatial audio tracks, and some might like the integration with Alexa Cast devices.
Spotify: Audio quality vs. popularity
The dominant company with a 32% market share, Spotify is the most-popular streaming service in the world with little incentive to offer better audio quality. Talk of a hi-res option began some years ago, but as of October 2024, it still doesn’t exist. So why mention Spotify? The max streaming rate of 320 kbps is good enough for most people, plus there’s a free tier and a student tier that make it affordable, and, if you are looking to discover music new to you, Spotify’s playlists are among the most intuitive that are programmed. It’s an excellent way to share music with others. The price has gone up in recent years. The minimum paid level is currently $11.99/month, and ethically speaking, it is the worst about paying artists. While their use of the Ogg Vorbis format for source files means the audio quality is better than it was, the answer to which streaming service has the best audio quality is not Spotify.
Deezer: A balance of quality and price
Deezer, the French answer to Spotify, has better audio quality than its main competition. It offers CD-quality streaming even at its free tier. Deezer also has many tracks in hi-res FLAC versions available to stream for one flat monthly price of $11.99. While the bit depth only goes to 16-bit, they argue that the human ear can’t hear any higher (which may or may not be correct). Deezer has an integrated feature called SongCatcher, comparable to the app Shazam, that will help you identify any song playing around you. Like Qobuz, you can import your curated playlists from another streaming service at no additional charge. If you are on a budget but still want to figure out which streaming service has the best audio quality, Deezer is a reasonable option to get superior sound quality to Spotify.
Picking the best music streaming service for audio quality
Qobuz and Tidal are clearly the preferred choices for audio professionals if you want to hear hi-res files at the highest possible quality. Right now, Tidal’s monthly fee is comparable to the other services, so if you are looking for savings and the best audio quality, it is an excellent option. Apple Music does offer some features not found on Tidal (lossless audio streaming on iPhones and hi-res classical music) and Amazon’s spatial audio integration might be appealing to some. Most of the services offer some kind of free trial, usually one month, so it’s worth exploring and discovering which one sounds best to your ears. Ultimately the decision of what sounds good is yours and yours alone. And if you’re looking to get your music mastered so that it sounds its best for streaming, reach out to The SoundLAB for top-quality audio mastering.
About Chris Huff
Chris Huff has been a professional singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer for over 25 years. He has worked as a sideman with Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul, and Mary), Echo and the Bunnymen, Chuck Hammer (David Bowie, Lou Reed), and Tom Kitt (Broadway composer of Next To Normal). Chris also wrote liner notes for David Bowie’s Live And WellCD.
