Spotify VS Apple Music - Does lossless matter?

[@SomeThingElseYT]

Remember when spotify announced they would be getting lossless soon? Sigh... 2 years later still waiting

[@GoldenSound]

"It's been 84 years....."

[@eruilluvitar]

Do you remember when Spotify promised to stream lossless? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

[@kartoffelbrei8090]

lossless streaming is a scam anyways.

[@Johannes1694]

@@kartoffelbrei8090not if you stream on a hifi system

[@leokuiper2593]

@@kartoffelbrei8090explain

[@DeTAYL.]

Apple Music has come a long way. I felt at one time that Spotify was clearly the best streaming service out there. But with the improvements that AM has made in regards to gapless playback, song credits, karaoke etc. I really believe AM is the best streaming service available at the moment.

[@davidRios622]

also very good integration with iCloud , can upload albums not available on streaming , and will be available for me on all devices .

[@CGingerbreadman]

And now you can do collaborative playlists finally, and the discovery station they introduced ain’t too bad either

[@iam_eduu]

i love AM but i always see myself coming back to spotify because of the way song queue works. spotify creates a list of songs when you select songs to play next, but AM adds the song to play immediately after, ignoring a list order

[@zoande83]

Also the deal for iCloud space and every single Apple subscription is also a great deal

[@notinterestedx]

if you click play later, it will work properly. For some reason, clicking play next quite literally means play next and will mean that any songs you have already got queued will keep getting pushed back. but clicking play later keeps it in the order you want.@@iam_eduu

[@joshuapatton675]

I switched from Spotify to Apple Music for three main reasons: 1. External Files Support: Apple Music makes it easy to add my own files to my Apple Music library. These files even sync to all my devices. 2. Smart Playlists: I can create playlists that are automatically populated based on Boolean logic. Some examples include a playlist that contains all songs in my library released in 2023 and a playlist that contains all no longer available songs, so I know which ones to replace using the previously mentioned feature. 3. Spreadsheet-Like Desktop Interface: Apple Music gives you several columns of properties to hide or show in your library, such as the last time you listened to a song and the genre of the song.

[@CaptureCat88]

Nerd!

[@marcosvictor4935]

I wasn't aware you could add external music files to Apple music thanks for the info, will be exporting some of my foobar library right away into my phone.

[@ChronosSSR]

note that the syncing works via some kind of cloud (not iCloud), so all lossless files that are in your local apple music library on your Mac get converted to / appear as AAC on your phone / tablet. For true lossless "syncing" you have to manually move all of your files to your external device (via USB), every single time you want to add new music. Edit: I think this also works via WI-FI now if you want to sync wirelessly.

[@joshuapatton675]

@@ChronosSSR I didn't know this, so thanks for letting me know. Regardless, I'll still use this feature for its convenience.

[@ChronosSSR]

Fair @@joshuapatton675

[@davenewcomer]

I have both services and always thought that Apple Music had an edge in audio quality. That being said, I much prefer using Spotify as I find the app much friendlier to use. I also prefer how Spotify functions across different devices, it works very seamlessly between my phones, iPad, Apple TVs, HomePods, and echo devices. Apple needs to work on the interface/user experience.

[@ellimac4386]

I had the same complaint but my problem was with Spotify😂I like that Apple Music is more album-oriented whereas Spotify is almost purely playlist-based. AM is exactly like a personal library and Spotify is more of a platform. I used Spotify for four years before switching to AM in 2016. Nowadays I still use the free Spotify from time to time but I can’t never go back. It’s really down to personal preferences.

[@RexRex-tz3dv]

Ikr I like the audio quality(speaker) from spotify even though I’m using an iphone it’s so weird.

[@Knowledge_IsPower888]

AM has a very nice user experience when you use it on iPhone. It’s really feels like a high quality app. And the sound feels better too. I really like it that you can use a song from AM for alarm clock on the default alarm app. I also like it that AM doesn’t have this stupid car mode when you use it in car.

[@chessforfunonly1586]

PS: great video, by the way! And no annoying sponsor commercials in it. Love it!

[@acescok]

Well, by now it is fairly straightforward and simple for me. I use spotify for genre specific music recommendations based on my listening experiences and Apple Music for playing it out loud on my hifi and also for streaming specific songs

[@PaulSeagull]

Didn't say a word about Dolby Atmos? Among other things, it's one of the main reasons why I choose Apple Music.

[@bobbyDig]

It is a game changer. It gets better all the time.

[@baoboba]

it’s great for speakers, not so great for headphones imo

[@jaan-die-Skaap]

@@baoboba i love iy with headphones

[@jivansuy]

⁠@@baoboba nah with head tracked feature on my airpods pro, it’s a complete game changer

[@unicodefox]

Dolby Atmos, in case I wanted my expensive headphones sound like $3 earbuds with a dodgy cable

[@GoufinAround_]

White Sea Studio did a good comparison video using a song that he had mixed for a client to test each major service for data loss vs the original master and vs each service at each tier’s maximum streaming bit rate . He explains his methodology in the video too. It’s a good watch. I’d also like to see you compared KZbin music since it comes with KZbin premium and allows you to add videos people have just uploaded into you audio only playlists on KZbin music

[@AK4SHGaming]

Bruh it doesn't take a genius to figure out KZbin music gives you ear cancer. Even a kid could answer your question

[@NotTheOnlyMattAround]

As an Amazon Music HD user, I'd love to see that thrown into the mix. It also has an exclusive mode on PC, but I have to confess that until this video I was never fully clear on what it did.

[@ishaan4193]

00:02 Comparing Spotify and Apple Music in sound quality, song availability, and extra features. 01:24 Both Spotify and Apple Music have extensive music libraries covering various genres. 02:44 Apple Music offers higher sound quality than Spotify. 04:10 Having lossless files is a meaningful upgrade if you have the gear for it. 05:30 Apple Music provides bit perfect audio on iOS and macOS with some limitations 06:56 Exclusive mode output allows for bit perfect audio 08:20 Spotify offers podcasts, audiobooks, and personalized recommendations 09:41 Spotify provides better cross-device accessibility and control. Crafted by Merlin AI.

[@alstonmaccow9386]

You are so right with everything you say. I love watching your videos but they are few and far between. We need more content

[@Lishtenbird]

Technically, you can bypass Android's audio subsystem, but that does require separate apps (USB Audio Player Pro, Poweramp...) which will communicate with your DAC directly.

[@RaphaelStarr]

Can you do that with Apple music though? I thought those options were just for Tidal, Qobuz, and local files.

[@Lishtenbird]

@@RaphaelStarr Not from what I know - but apparently USB audio is coming with Android 14, so maybe these apps will support it then natively.

[@madd5]

That's the beauty of Android. You can do whatever you want.

[@jackdelarosa6036]

I stream Apple Music through Eversolo DMP-A6 own Android version of Apple Music and send the HI Def to the main Amp/speaker system or separately to my headphone Amp. It bypasses Androids forced down sampling restrictions and get Apple Music streamed lossless Hi-def bitstream so problem solved.

[@therumbler]

Apple's iOS has always been superior for audio. From day 1 it has had the best pipeline for developers. Yes, Android might have "a way" for devs to do it, but it's not the default. And Spotify/Apple Music do not have that support. Not _really_ "do what you want" if the devs haven't added support in the apps.

[@kaleidoscopeon]

Apple Music is way better now. After years of using Spotify and waiting for the lossless from Spotify I have permanently moved to Apple Music now and love it.

[@panzer3279]

5:57 This has changed with Android 14. Android will no longer resample audio to 48 kHz. Quoting from Google directly: "Android 14 gains support for lossless audio formats for audiophile-level experiences over USB wired headsets. You can query a USB device for its preferred mixer attributes, register a listener for changes in preferred mixer attributes, and configure mixer attributes using a new AudioMixerAttributes class. It represents the format, such as channel mask, sample rate, and behavior of the audio mixer. The class allows for audio to be sent directly, without mixing, volume adjustment, or processing effects. We are working with our OEM partners to enable this feature in devices later this year."

[@thunderstar254]

Unfortunately we're still waiting, first for every phone manufacturer and second for Spotify and Apple to get on board and actually try implementing it functionally... LG could've been counted on but... Good luck with that lol. Knowing Spotify's superpremium plans, apple's elitist attitude, and both of their track records, Android will remain screwed for the foreseeable future. The real question is how soon affordable DAP companies can secure contracts from Android 14 chipset suppliers, but knowing _their_ small-scale purchasing power and track record, Android 16 or 17 will probably be out by the time 14 reaches affordable DAPs. Apple ruined the industry and destroyed innovation as always, when they began pushing camera supremacy narratives, nuked everything else including their iTouch, and easily manipulated their gullible base.

[@charlienyc1]

​@@thunderstar254All good points. Another one: Apple influenced Samsung, OnePlus, etc. to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from their devices, stifling the ability to use high quality wired headphones and other output devices without a $h1ttY dongle.

[@andrewchitwood8554]

Really appreciate your detailed analysis of Spotify and Apple Music. Very enlightening. Would love to hear your views on other music services as well--Tidal and Qobuz in particular.

[@kbar11]

Use YT music since it comes with premium. Just wish it had lossless, with music videos and many songs that are no where else since they are on KZbin only makes me like it a lot.

[@kurdistan2000]

It would be great to have an integration of the live dates of the artists in Apple Music. Also the transparency of the clicks and more social features with friends (which is very limited and complicated at the moment)

[@ksdedicated]

Yes. I'm trying out using apple music and spotify side by side for comparison right now and seeing live show dates for an artist I'm following on their page is one the most underrated features of spotify imho.

[@flowstatelabs]

Dude u own this niche on u tube. Keep bringing it brooo

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

i believe for other types wont be as intense, since they already represented perfectly, but who knows maybe some surprises

[@turbomustang84]

Apple allows me to add albums from my personal library that are not available from any streaming service but I still listen to KZbin music most of the time because of convenience and it's free with my KZbin premium

[@madd5]

so does the tidal and deezer

[@openjaws]

i love discovering new music which Spotify is great at doing, so im stickign with it

[@ninjanerdstudent6937]

I like KZbin Music more.

[@aabderrahmane]

same, both apple music and spotify are very expensive where i live (11€ for each) but youtube music is included with youtube premium for me, my parents, and my 2 siblings🤷‍♂️ for just 24€ a month edit: not to mention that most of the things i care about (mashups, cupcakke remixes, normal remixes, etc) are not available in spotify/ apple music

[@Godisgood137]

I did until it kept recommending me the same people

[@Johnny91832]

KZbin Music lacks a proper desktop app. You can make the web version of it into a pwa, but it's still not as nice as a desktop app (even if it's just an electron app which is a web app).

[@ninjanerdstudent6937]

@@Johnny91832 It's called a browser, bruh. There is also a combination of add-ons that could be used with it for an enhanced experience.

[@davegorthuis679]

Please do the same with Spotify and Tidal.

[@rogerhuston8287]

Agree, because Golden loves MQA on Tidal.

[@rialdoroeloffze628]

I have access to both. The quality difference does become audible if you have some good gear and then it becomes worth it but not if your system isn't particularly resolving. Tidal has better suggestions for my tastes than Spotify and Tidal also has better options for adding to your play que.

[@rogerhuston8287]

@@rialdoroeloffze628 - Yes, I used to like Tidal as well, until they weren't even giving me lossless quality. I do miss their suggestions algorithm, but I have covered that with Roon. I think once Spotify releases HQ audio, it will be game over for everyone else.

[@snds2236]

I’d also appreciate Apple vs Tidal

[@davegorthuis679]

@@rialdoroeloffze628 thanks for your reply, i listen music via My Shanling up2022 portable dac connected to Kinera Celest Phoenixcall iem’s.

[@Patagoona]

Amazon Music (standard) please! Also, what was the specific track that you ABXed lossless to 320kbps 14/15 trials and how did you determine they were from exactly the same master?

[@gesandter]

Great video! But where can I find the playlists mentioned? Just curious.

[@bakebass]

you people have my sub! what a great comparison

[@momesgin9365]

Thanks for the great comparison video! I wish you had covered one more thing that seems to be missing from most reviews (at least I haven't found any): testing the authenticity of the "Lossless" labels on Apple Music. It’s possible to convert an MP3 file to a "FLAC" file, but this wouldn’t improve its quality beyond that of the original MP3. The "Lossless" label is ubiquitous on Apple Music, especially for 44/16 files, and I highly doubt all the artists have uploaded truly lossless audio files.

[@philipmrch8326]

Lossless does not matter. There. Saved you the minutes of watching this video. It only comes down to the UI and song selection you like the most.

[@Lychegsye-nc6td]

APPLE MUSIC shows credits for mix, master, n instrumentalists. Just for that gets a thumbs up from me

[@AlumarsX]

Apple Music on Android has cast, so I can keep my 5 year old Chromecast Audios rocking on for all my systems. I wish they'd do Cast on iOS as well instead of airplay.

[@4crafters597]

As an Apple Music User, i agree that both the recommendations are hit or miss and the app connect is sorely missing, however the integration into Apples other products is great and most of the time streaming music from the device via bluetooth or airplay is all you need. Also, it is a bit cheaper due to the family plan and i, personally, prefer the look, so i really think it comes down to your preference

[@MOWFWDU]

Thanks for the review. I was hoping you would talk about Airplay and the quality of wireless streaming connections for both services. It's clear that while Apple Music connected to my network wirelessly is very good sounding (using Audirvana Studio), it's clear that when I connect my MacBook Pro (to my LAN with an ethernet cable (using a good network switch which feeds my steaming DAC) and streaming Apple Music upnp, the quality of the music is noticeable better. I am still hazy about Airplay's capabilities....

[@smoloms]

I’m just gonna stay on Spotify because it just works. At the end of the day as long as I’m enjoying the music does it really matter what you are using?

[@godstallchild7964]

If you care about quality then yes

[@bobbyDig]

If you want quanity and quality, Apple Music wins easily. Spaitail Audio is a game changer for me. It sounds amazing compared to lossless music. Forget Spotify, it is the low of sound.

[@VSN-wb2ly]

I personally use both, spotify for finding new musics and apple music to store the musics

[@kristophergurley585]

Lossless switcher was unstable and mucked up other facets of my audio when using. Granted, my Macs are older and I use then in odd ways(broadcasting)but for me at least, it wasn't a end all solution for me.

[@AndresYatesCohen]

Hi Can you tell us which sound gear you use ..? Now I’m using Apple Music. Thanks for the great video.

[@rafaelcruzs2]

My biggest pet peeve with Apple music is the music recommendation. I prefer the service for everything but for endless auto play. Spotify is the best at knowing what I’d like to listen to based on the leading music I chose. KZbin music is a close second place, but sometimes it gets lost about what I want to listen to right now, and what I would like to listen to on other occasions. Apple Music, on the other hand, is close to impractical to listen to music without a curated playlist. Rarely, I get an auto play that is spot on and almost cry of happiness. Most of time, I’m manually adding and removing next up songs

[@johnchallenger3204]

excellent presentation - I learned a lot, thank you

[@lll8112]

Apple music has better quality, while spotify has larger music catalog. Also, spotify has good recommendation base on your listening history and preference. Though I still prefere Apple music since it also come with free apple tv lol (student here btw).

[@philipm.4738]

Very well done comparison. I have both and even with a cheap dongle DAC connected to my iPad mini and a budget pair of IEMs the difference in sound quality is very significant in favour of Apple. However, just as you say, Spotify is much better with their recommendations, especially their Release Radar Friday playlist. But just like you, I've been with Spotify much longer so that could be a factor. However, I've belonged to Apple for almost a year now and it's still more miss than hit on their recommendations.

[@jeremiahbrown2339]

I’m wondering does Apple having Dolby atmos matter as well?

[@jimmckeand8854]

I enjoy the sound quality of Apple Music (I’m deep in the Apple ecosystem); however, I end up listening to albums (as opposed to individual tracks) on Qobuz or Tidal, as Apple Music is not providing Gapless playback, so linear albums (e.g. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon or side 2 of the Beatles’ Abbey Road) have significant/noticeable gaps between tracks, ruining the experience. I have been away from Spotify for a while now, but I believe that Spotify does present albums gaplessly (as do Tidal and Qobuz). I do like Apple Music’s Discovery system, as I’ve found many artists to listen to via that method - and its success there may be due to my having used Apple Music (and iTunes before that) for many, many years.

[@madd5]

Tidal now has Suggested Tracks when you're listening to something. It's really good.

[@razisn]

What are you talking about? What are you using for listening to Apple Music? Apple Music certainly provides gapless playback. I'm listening to the Dark Side on my Mac as I'm writing this and I promise you it couldn't have been more gapless..

[@jimmckeand8854]

@@razisn - this is interesting…I just played the first few tracks of Dark Side Of The Moon…and, yes, they were Gapless. I then tried parts of side 2 of Abbey Road, and…yes, they were Gapless, too. The only thing I can say is that something must have changed in the last week (either with my system/network or with Apple), as I even opened a support ticket with Apple on it. So…I’ll keep experimenting to see if I am able to duplicate my problems from before. I’m hoping that I cannot, as I enjoy using Apple Music. Thanks for your comment, it has spurred me to further research.

[@jimmckeand8854]

I _think_ I might have an answer…Apple has some albums that are mixed-format - “Lossless” and “Hi-Res Lossless”, and it “gaps” when switching between those two formats. At least that’s what I’m experiencing at the moment. I’ll keep testing.

[@Chris_Hruska]

@@jimmckeand8854 apple has had gapless as part of their music systems since at least the iPod 2001 maybe earlier but iTunes and any audio player they have ever made has had fully gapless playback for me. Steve Jobs was a big music fan and he made sure of this.

[@Snowyowlphotography]

As an audio nut was over 9700 songs in my Apple Music library I switched over to Spotify over the fact that Spotify has more albums in niche markets, as well as extremely good audio quality remember you can put whatever labels you want on your audio quality it’s the device you listened through it that makes the difference

[@vinevinyl5515]

Marvis Pro is the reason I use Apple Music. The ability to customise my library, like it were my own physical collection, is far more important than any other features mentioned.

[@Brian-wp9er]

What’s marvis pro and what does it do?

[@vinevinyl5515]

@@Brian-wp9er it’s a third party app which allows you to customise your Apple Music library in almost limitless ways. Recommend looking it up

[@nimzerz2422]

Nice, didn't expect to see the Jiro Inagaki album on there, I love that one

[@lacsativ1]

Nothing beats Tidal for 4 Euros/Month in my country. Kudos for the regional pricing.

[@madd5]

What country?

[@lacsativ1]

@@madd5 Romania.

[@madd5]

@@lacsativ1 I wish I could buy tidal in Romania LOL

[@madd5]

@@lacsativ1 guess what? Subscribed from Romania LOL But it's 8 USD now. They've increased the price. But still better than 20 usd.

[@lacsativ1]

@@madd5 Oh you probably got the Hi Fi Plus plan. I'm using the regular Hi Fi plan (I see it costs like 4.5 euros now) cuz I can't tell the difference between CD quality and high res stuff even with my better pairs (DT1990, Edition XS, LCD2C etc).

[@NyteStalker89]

100mil songs is a small portion of the greater music world. Just because you can't find songs or an album doesn't mean that the claim is false. Its a different catalogue.

[@GadZookz]

Thanks GS! You always give us truly useful info and lots of it. To test variety fully it would help to have a huge playlist with tens of thousands of tracks from someone who has been around forever like Count Trackula. Vampires are not known for their generosity so good luck getting it though. 🤔

[@frixxer87]

I personally use KZbin Music, it’s KZbin but just with the UI of Spotify. It has EVERY single song on the planet, even small remixes are on there, it’s insane.

[@JohnDeLeon28]

Apple Music has the best sound quality. + Dolby Atmos

[@stevenlamontagne526]

Thank you Golden Sound! you make my mojo turn colors!

[@bananapeel892]

I did a blind test using Foobar200 ABX Comparator and found that using Bluetooth doesn't level the playing field. I could easily tell the difference, and always preferred Apple Music (I did not know which was which when noting my preferences). I did 16 tests for four songs each. I used AirPods Pro 2s. Everything was using flat EQ and the same volume level. Both services were set to stream the highest quality available. The difference was crazy. I imagine it's even greater with wired headphones or earbuds.

[@iplayguitarYT]

As a music nerd, I tried all the streaming services ( Tidal, Spotify, Apple music ... ). Spotify wins in terms of user friendliness, as well as due to the eco system around it. You can literally install it on anything and control everything from your phone. Tidal and Apple music win when it comes to sound quality. Even 320kbs from Tidal and Apple music is better than 320kbs from Spotify. They are clearer and louder. I ended up staying with Apple music because I'm an iPhone user and it works really great. Spotify is TikTok for me, while using Apple music I feel like it's something really mine, if you understand me.

[@1jhnpennington]

Yes please, the more comparisons the better.

[@iKaGe01]

Interesting on your 14/15 correct tests on ABX. Which song was it? I've done many tests, even on a KEF LS50 and only when switching unrealistically fast could I hear any difference in say, cymbal hits

[@Lauren080508]

I've done same test and failed, and I have high-end Revel speakers, the true is you have to be trained in detect compression artifacts and have special setting where you can swtch back and forward really really fast in very short specific areas where compression artifacts reside. Doing it listening a song for few second then switch is quite difficult. It is like a guy telling me he can run 100 meters under 10 seconds, yes it is possible , but I would have to see it to believe it.

[@Chris_Hruska]

@@Lauren080508 also a full 100mb photo on my phone looks exactly the same even when zoomed in compared to the same photo compressed to 2.5 mb. it's wild that you don't really seen Any artifacts even when zoomed in. audio is the same. its like looking at both zoomed out. nobody can tell the difference.

[@qq_qq_qq]

@@Chris_Hruska there are someone out there can tell the difference, by training and know what you are looking for. Does it mean it will sound better? absolutely not.

[@ConsecDesign]

Can you guys hit us with the playlist links?

[@alexandre08]

And dolby atmos ?

[@simon_roy]

Audiobooks are now included for all premium members on spotify. It's game changer for me

[@DustinPritchard-g3w]

using a dragonfly cobalt, be curious your opinion on tidal vs qobuz. I liked apple but compared to the other two services i feel like apple is quieter and less low end. seems like qobuz has the best soundstage to my ears

[@Lauren080508]

Probably you should upgrade your dongle first, yours is old tech, not to mention overpriced, its amp is poor, has little ability to drive low impedance headphones, there countless of modern dongles that outperforms the cobalt by miles for a fraction of the price

[@richardayrton2697]

Can I ask what may be a silly question re: sound quality? Assuming that the majority of folk stream via Bluetooth and do not use a DAC - what is the real world difference in sound quality between different streamers? I've read that Bluetooth via compression reduces sound quality - would this narrow the gap between Spotify & Apple for instance?

[@TommyTaylorTX]

I’ve tried it with a dac and wired headphones vs Bluetooth, you can tell the difference wired but Bluetooth not so much, I could barley tell the difference if there even was any and only because I was concentrating on the side by side comparison between lossless and normal quality right then and there. Unless you have a audiophile ish set up at home your streaming quality doesn’t matter between these services if you’re listening via Bluetooth at that point the quality of your earbuds or headphones matters more than anything

[@Johnny91832]

​@@TommyTaylorTXBluetooth has multiple codecs, the main ones being AAC (advanced audio coding) and LDAC (Low delay audio coding). LDAC supports variable bitrates up to 990 kbps, while AAC supports up to 500 kbps. Apple devices typically use AAC (AirPods lineup) while Sony audio devices (higher end, WF and WH lineup etc) use LDAC and the difference is distinguishable. Not every individual will be able to hear the difference, but I do. I have WH-1000XM5s.

[@RealMusicHype]

Good stuff.. We would love to add your music on our music blog!

[@sam6000]

Android actually resamples music to either 48khz or 96khz. Doesn't take away the problem, but it is worth noting.

[@madd5]

I don't think you will be able to tell if 192khz file is resampled to 48khz. That's impossible.

[@yanngranger498]

Hi GoldSound, I would definitely like to see Tidal (now without the MQA thing) & Qobuz added into the Mix :) Thank you for the good work!

[@ajc5869]

Tidal was the worst streaming service I ever used. Suffered through it for over two years, but the second apple music released lossless I dumped it and switched. Tidal’s UI and reliability is beyond terrible.

[@ruger6049]

'I've never had problems with reliability, whatever that means, but I''m interested to know if Apple Music is available in all Countries. Tidal does not work in many European countries. Now that, pissed me off. But Tidal is on my DAP so I like that. I'm more interested in which service sounds the best. @@ajc5869

[@TheChazas]

6:04 ain't Android 14 finally stopped downsampling and is bit-perfect?

[@kacpernowacki4654]

I’m really disappointed as the biggest feature that Apple Music provides that Spotify doesn’t is Dolby Atmos. When you’re using an IPad with a good AMP/Dac combo and open back headphones it’s a game changer for me. The instruments are around you and it feels like the band is doing a live concert just for you.

[@1swm1]

Great comparison, GoldenSound. I've found that Apple does a great job with bluetooth devices, whereas Tidal is terrible from my experience. I can definitely tell the difference on my Svanar Wireless headphones, and so I use Tidal for my wired listening via my SP3000 and HiFiman Ananda Nano's which is great! I will say apple music sounds great as well with the latter set up. I also did try spotify and I'm not a fan. Its more the UI for me. And finally, your deep dive into MQA was awesome and I actually cancelled my Tidal subscription after that video. I recently restarted it after your lastest review of Tidal vs. Qobuz. Thanks for the great vids!

[@BlackthorneSoundandCinema]

Great video. @GoldenSound is my favorite internet audio nerd. @5:05 is something I have been wanting to see talked about in a video because of talk I have seen online. That online abx test convinced many people that there is no audible difference between mp3 and lossless. The songs in that test are awful and everything played from a browser is being resampled by the OS mixer. I don't mind people telling me I'm making things up, but I don't like it when people miss out on a very inexpensive upgrade like lossless and bitperfect playback! People also used to call me a liar for saying something bad was going on with tidal back in the day and Goldensound took the time to analyze and prove it.

[@Ancient88Wisdom]

I didn't know about the test limitations, but was very surprised when I couldn't differentiate AT ALL between MP3 and lossless, even on a very good pair of headphones (LCD X 2021 equalised). Do you know of an easy way for any average Joe to run such a test properly?

[@bearsbummed]

i don't listen to lossless audio bc i use bluetooth headphones but i have used both apple music and spotify and i greatly prefer spotify. i used to listen to apple music for the sound quality until i found out about spotify EQ and discovered certain settings that improved sound quality. spotify is SO much better for music discovery, which matters a lot to me.

[@bensoos]

The thing why you can hear the difference in the sound between Spotify and Apple Music is, that they have a different sound character.

[@marmottestar]

Loved the video but an angle I would have also been interested in is how both platforms pay the artists and if one is better

[@DizzyVizzle]

Can you put links to the Playlists for both services in the description

[@brutalieri]

No mention of Dolby Atmos or Apple Digital Master? 🧐

[@juliangst]

Will someone tell him that sample rate conversion is completely audibly transparent?

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

ive been using it since i installed jriver

[@giacomonovara]

Good. Bing deeply in the Apple ecosystem, if you want to stream Apple Music to a hifi system, does airplay allow high quality streaming? Which streamers work best with Apple music? Is the eversolo as good as advertised for this? Thanks

[@veetour]

0:12 Those ZMF Atriums look gorgeous.

[@JayPerera.Official]

If you want to really compare what sort of music are available on both platforms, you need to also consider music from other parts of the world too like Asian music, Korean, Hindi, Sinhala, Tamil etc.

[@zuur303]

I literally see Code Cool by Patricia Barber unavailable on the third playlist, yet scored 100 percent on both services?

[@user-bf6go9nf6g]

Great video. Here is a question, if you are using AirPods Pro Gen 2, which use AAC codec, which cannot transmit lossless, will there be any discernible difference when listening to a lossless file vs Spotify? Put another way, does any of this matter in terms of sound quality if we are streaming through Bluetooth headphones. Thank you!

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

no there wouldn't

[@qboogie]

Nice to hear you are into Droeloe. They have awesome production and sound incredible on great cans. BTW Saw him live and he pronounces it Droo-loo.

[@chewyy3121]

As someone who’s tried both of them, I must say, Apple Music proved me wrong. First, I like how “light” it feels, how simple it is and of course the audio was the most shocking part. I was listening to an Aespa song with a pair of earphones but noticed some quality difference, in a good way. It’s as if I could hear everything lol. I can hear the little details in the background, the little ad libs etc.

[@websurfer945]

As an introvert self-titled audiofile that don't often share music on socials, I choose Apple Music for sound quality

[@jjcoolaus]

Can we get a link to these playlists please?

[@marcosvictor4935]

The availability issue I have is for all streaming services and is specifically on the OST... Genre? Spotify seems to be the one with the most OSTs available to stream, but still doesn't have all of them, Apple music comes in second place from the 3 services I tested, and lastly deezer has almost none of the OSTs I listen to. Mind you I listen to OSTs from all kinds of audiovisual productions, so it includes movies, videogames, western and eastern animations, etc. I've been using apple music because it also has lossless streaming and is cheaper than Spotify but really I'd be glad if I could have more OSTs in there.

[@mysterroniouscherry326]

I’ve used Spotify for a long time but two years ago I was curious about Apple Music. So I downloaded Apple Music on my android. I amazed when I listen to my heavy metal musics on it. When I tried the same songs on spotify, it started to sound diluted compared to Apple Music. Since then I’ve been using Apple Music.

[@AbhishekKumar-fy6hv]

Really do metals feel more good on apple music ? Mine subscription is will end in couple of months... So going with apple music is good or should i stick with Spotify for metals

[@adhiantos]

I’m currently trying Apple Music cause I have a 3-month free trial. As a Spotify premium user of 7 years, I think Spotify wins user-friendliness hands down. Apple Music does have a better sound quality. But I’m not sure if it’s just my ears, I think Apple Music just sounds… “louder” than Spotify? I used my wired Audio Technica MSR-7 and yeah I feel it’s just a mater of volume. When I increased my Spotify volume by 2-3 notch, I couldn’t hear much of a difference 😅 Some classical music do sound nicer in AM. I could hear different instruments more clearly and brightly. I’m not knowledgeable on audio fidelity, this is just a general, very on the surface observation haha.

[@javtimestwo]

Both services are fantastic and they each have more than enough fans. Apple Music has lossless. That fact alone puts them in the lead. Good thing for customers like us we have options to choose from.

[@lazyreuvin]

"Apple Music or Spotify, which should you pick?".... Neither.

[@audmac7534]

Respect those bands on the plaques! Where can I get them?

[@Neil_Mackie]

A Spotify vs ... series would be interesting. Im a dyed in the wool Deezer user so would be interested in your views on that, plus the twrrible recent redesign and the children's drawing like logo.

[@madd5]

Spotify is the worst in terms of quality. Deezer is lossless. Even if you compare it to Tidal you won't be able to tell the difference. Because deezer is good enough already.

[@madd5]

Who cares about the logo? LOL Deezer is awesome. I use it along with tidal and qobuz.

[@Neil_Mackie]

​@@madd5because it went from a clean legible icon and UI/UX to one that looks like an icon for a niche dating app on your home screen. The update has also caused more errors for more people than before.

[@madd5]

@@Neil_Mackie I don't know, it's working fine for me. The design is pretty good too. Yes, the heart on the icon is stupid LOL But their new font is awesome. Telling that as a web developer.

[@partybrawl1764]

KZbin music left the chat

[@tool8337]

We use napster which offers lossless. Would love to have a comparison 😊

[@hellosubhadeeppaul]

I'm from India. I'll go with Spotify. Although music quality is better in AM, but being an android user the difference with spotify is hardly noticable. (I'm listening on Bose SoundLink Flex & practically felf no difference at all). The Regional Language Music content is much rich in Spotify. Almost 3/5 regional language album is missing on AM but present in Spotify. Price is also not a factor for me as I'm a student so for both the platform I've to pay ₹59/- per month. Spotify in India is a Clear win. Hope AM increase it's regional content for India.

[@audiophilekuno]

As a self proclaimed "Audiophile", I can definitely hear the big difference between Apple Music over Spotify. I'm only new to Apple Music, but from my experience, Spotify is more intelligent in selecting music suggestion than Apple Music. Like if you play a certain artist or title, Spotify is more precise with the similar categories than Apple music.

[@YogaSusetya]

I use FiiO M11S, it’s Android and I can stream lossless via Apple Music. I used Samsung before and yes it downsampled because of its ‘audio enhancer’ feature.

[@matthiasblanco9381]

Great Information, thanks! Could you do the same lossless test to check the actual sample rate listening to Apple Music through Airplay 2. Meaning playing the song directly from the Apple TV divide and streaming it from the iPhone over Airplay 2. I read some mixed opinions about this topic telling that it's being downsampled to an AAC lossy file. Would be amazing, thank you very much in advance!

[@mumenrider677]

Would love a video tutorial on how to setup a PC for optimal audio quality

[@jcadag8789]

Hi! I have a Samsung phone, a USB C to 3.5mm DAC and I am using Apple Music. Will it still be sample at a lower bit rate unlike playing it from a Iphone 15? I am using a KZ ZS10 PRO X IEM and it has 1 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armature on each side. Even I'm using an android Ilike Apple Music because it sounds better to me compared to Spotify. Apple music interface looks cleaner, less confusing and more organize than the Spotify.

[@adamhenderson6943]

Not sure it's still the same, but Spotify used to limit your downloads to 3,333 songs per device. As someone who likes to have every track available at any time, that's a no-go for me.

[@Bronyboiiiii]

One thing for android. On Samsung devices, you actually can stream in 44.1khz as well as 48khz, 88.2khz and 96khz and it automatically changes the bitrate to match the song you are listening to. Sadly, everything above 96khz isn't an option.

[@mr.potato9449]

How is the mixing in Windows not the same as with Mac OS? If you have the bitrate and sample rate on the sound interface matched to the track and the DAC is getting that sample rate, how is Windows altering it so it isn't lossless?