Organizer
Gadget news
YouTube Music review: no doubt it’s gaining on Spotify, so is it time to switch?
1:00 pm | July 13, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

YouTube Music: two-minute review

YouTube Music is YouTube’s music streaming service. It works like rivals Spotify and Tidal, with an app that looks similar. However, it’s not as nice to look at or as intuitive to use as the best music streaming services, especially when it comes to creating playlists. 

Sound-wise, it’s similar to the Spotify experience but doesn’t have high-res streaming or boosted audio quality, in the way that Tidal, Qobuz and and Apple Music do. It also has recommendations in the form of “radio”, which generates a radio station with a selection of music like the track you’re listening to, and personalized playlists. They get to know you well, but don’t suggest the kind of eerily accurate recommendations (or bizarrely-named Daylist titles) that Spotify has become known for. 

Apologies for constantly comparing YouTube Music to Spotify, but it’s long been the best music streaming service for many – and the platform most people are familiar with. And when you do get into the weeds and compare the two side-by-side, you start to ask the question: why would someone use YouTube Music when better, more intuitive alternatives exist?

The thing is, nothing about YouTube Music is bad. You just find most things – audio, recommendations, app experience, connectivity – are better from rivals. However, there are two key things that make YouTube Music the best proposition for its 100 million subscribers (that includes both free and premium versions).

The first is that it comes with YouTube Premium. This is YouTube’s paid-for subscription that strips ads from videos. For people who already pay for that, it’s similar enough to other streaming services, so why pay twice for another service like Spotify too? 

Secondly, it has a dedicated base of users who want to have access to all of the music in its library. You’ll find everything uploaded to YouTube here too, which means user uploaded music (including your own), remixes, amateur music, recordings of live sets, more obscure tracks, emerging artists and much more. 

YouTube Music is also constantly rolling out improvements to its offering. For example, it added podcasts in late 2023 and recently announced a sing to search feature, which lets you literally sing into your phone and it’ll find the track for you. As well as a new prompt-generated AI radio trial. Which, to be fair, Spotify already does in the form of AI DJ and its more recent AI playlist generator which is (in Beta at the time of writing this review, but) really fun to use. 

Yes, Spotify got there first with some of these upgrades, but YouTube Music seems to be taking major steps to catch up. It would be a sensible moment to do so, given the fact some users are growing tired of Spotify’s promises, especially after the PR disaster when it bricked Car Thing earlier this year – and the fact it has yet to deliver on its hi-res Spotify HiFi promises, despite recent price hikes. Does YouTube Music have what it takes to compete? Read on for our full YouTube Music review.

Screenshots of the YouTube Music app on a smartphone.

Your Music Tuner is a feature within YouTube Music that allows you to select your favorite artists so it can quickly get to work preparing recommendations and getting to know your tastes. (Image credit: YouTube)

YouTube Music: what is it?

Before we get into what YouTube Music is, let’s get clear on YouTube’s different offerings. So firstly, there’s YouTube. We’re all familiar with this hugely popular video streaming service. There’s YouTube Premium, a subscription service that gives you more YouTube features, like playing music in the background on mobile devices and stripping away ads. 

Then there’s YouTube Music, a music streaming service that also incorporates regular YouTube’s music videos. It’s best to think of it as a mash-up of the original YouTube app and Google Play Music. Because YouTube is part of the Google ecosystem, it’s tied to your Google account.

There are a couple of ways to pay for YouTube Music. We’ll get into that in more detail below, but you can access it for free with some restrictions and there’s a premium version. One of the big benefits for YouTube Premium subscribers is that they’ll also get access to YouTube Music premium bundled into the deal. 

At the time of writing, YouTube has recently announced that there are now 100 million subscribers to YouTube Music, which includes both free and premium users. 

In terms of what YouTube Music offers, there are more than 100 million tracks. But it’s also home to anything users have uploaded to YouTube that’s classed as music, amateur content, unofficial content, more obscure content, you get the picture. This is one of the unique selling points of YouTube Music. Not only is there a lot here, but music you’ve uploaded can live among everything else you’re streaming. Good news for those who like everything neatly in one place.

Otherwise, YouTube Music looks and feels very similar to other streaming services. You’ve got a grid-like app with suggested music and personalized playlists packed with recommendations, and there’s the ability to save tracks, like them and add them to playlists.

YouTube Music review: pricing and subscription

  • A free version with restrictions
  • YouTube Music premium is $10.99/£10/AU$11.99 per month
  • Premium tier comes free with YouTube Premium

Just like Spotify, there’s a free version of YouTube Music. This has some restrictions. It’ll have ads and you can’t download tracks for offline listening. A YouTube Music Premium subscription is $10.99/£10/AU$11.99 per month and that rids the experience of ads and means you can download tracks, albums and playlists for offline listening. 

As we mentioned above, you can also access YouTube Music by paying for a YouTube Premium subscription. That costs $13.99/£11.99/AU$16.99 per month but you can test it out with a free trial, which at the time of writing is for three months. 

At $10.99/£10/AU$11.99 per month, YouTube Music is around the same price as most rivals, including Tidal, which is also $10.99/£10.99/$11.99. Spotify’s premium tier costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month, so YouTube Music is slightly cheaper. 

As we’ll get to later on, there are ways in which both Tidal and Spotify beat YouTube Music, which makes it seem as if it’s not good value. Then again, there are some key things YouTube Music offers users that rivals don’t, so everything starts to balance out – depending on what you’re looking for. 

A screenshot of youtube music app in browser

My Mix 2 is a playlist generated from my listening history, packed with tracks I've not listened to on YouTube Music but certainly aligns with my tastes. (Image credit: YouTube)

YouTube Music review: audio quality

  • No high-res
  • Spotify marginally better
  • Sounds the same as Spotify in testing

When you start using YouTube Music, you’ll automatically be listening to ‘Normal’ audio quality, which is a bitrate of 128kbps. If you want to save on data when streaming from your phone, you can go into the Settings in the app and change to ‘Low’ quality, a bitrate of 48kbps. If you’re on an unlimited monthly plan (you lucky thing you), you can select ‘High’, which is 256kbps. 

Even that highest bitrate is low compared to rivals though – especially rivals that offer hi-res and lossless listening, like Tidal. But even Spotify Premium allows you to stream music at 320kbps. It’s not just about the bitrate either, YouTube Music delivers AAC-compressed audio, which can lack the detail and clarity of the more hi-res audio file types.

However, there’s some speculation online (take a look at Reddit) about why YouTube Music sounds better than Spotify for some listeners. During my testing, I didn’t notice a major difference between the two. Despite Spotify’s minor quality bump, if anything, YouTube Music had a richer and more expansive sound. Then again, this is of course subjective and while I marginally favor YouTube's sonic presentation, it's also dependant upon how you listen; if you're streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth (which incurs compression) or using the DAC inbuilt in your laptop (rather than one of the best portable DACs hooked up to some of the best wired headphones, which would be largely wasted here anyway) you're unlikely to notice much difference. 

What matters most here is to note that like Spotify, you won’t get audiophile-grade sound from YouTube Music, but in a battle strictly between the two, there’s not much in it.

The Sessions tab in youtube music shows music videos and content that's been recorded live.

(Image credit: youtube music)

YouTube Music review: catalog

  • A huge selection of music
  • Live sessions and videos too
  • More obscure and unofficial tracks

Gone are the days of judging streaming services by the number of tracks they have in their library. With only a handful of exceptions, you’ll find more artists and types of music everywhere you look. 

However, if you’ve ever felt like Spotify and the like aren’t catering enough for your tastes, then YouTube Music could be a great choice for you. Most of what you’ll find on rivals like Spotify are official tracks. On YouTube Music, you’ll find all of the music uploaded to YouTube, which means you’ll get mixes, fan uploads, work from amateur artists, more obscure tracks, rare stuff, and so much more. 

It’s worth mentioning here that although this sounds great, it won’t be for everyone. For example, if you search for a track you often don’t get the official track served up first, but endless mashups and remixes. This will be, quite literally, music to the ears of those who have always craved more choice. But others will be overwhelmed and want to be spoon-fed the more mainstream, regular version – I’m not ashamed to say that although I found YouTube Music incredibly fun to use, I definitely fall more into this last camp.

As well as getting access to more music, there are a lot of extras here. You can easily tap to see the music video of anything you’re listening to if one exists – which you’d expect from YouTube. Although other streaming services do offer some video, it works seamlessly here. Great if you’re a fan of music videos, you’ll feel like you’re transported back to your teens watching MTV again.

You’re also able to add any music you already have, whether that’s on your Google Play Music library, iTunes or a hard drive, to your YouTube Music library. This is great if you feel like you’ve got pockets of disparate music and want what you own, and what you stream, to be in one place. FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, and WMA files are all supported and the process of uploading them is really straightforward, just go to your profile via the web and click ‘Upload music’.

Late in 2023, YouTube Music added podcasts to its offering, sort of folding in Google Podcasts, which is in the process of being discontinued. We can’t find an official number about how many podcasts are available through YouTube Music, but it seems that some of the big names and popular shows are here, but not everything. If you’re really into podcasts, especially those that don’t rake in the big viewer numbers, you’d be better off looking elsewhere. 

A screenshot of how the youtube music streaming service looks on the web when opened in the google chrome browser

Here's what the home page of YouTube Music looks like when you open it within a browser. (Image credit: youtube music)

YouTube Music review: platforms and apps

  • Main iOS and Android apps are good
  • Some clunky UI points
  • Rivals do it a little better

There’s an iOS and an Android YouTube Music app. It also works as a web player from your browser, on Sonos, some Fitbit and Garmin devices, Apple HomePod and on anything related to Google, like Wear OS smartwatches, Google Home and Nest speakers and Chromecast. Rivals like Spotify and Tidal have more connectivity options, but these are likely to be enough for most people. 

We tested YouTube Music using the iOS app. It’s functionally similar to rivals and, as it’s been updated over the past year, it looks like them too (especially Tidal). Expect black and grey styling and bright artwork for albums and recommendations. Content is presented in a scrolling, grid-like layout. It’s a design we’re familiar with but that’s fine because it works well and feels clean, simple and easy-to-use.

Wherever you use YouTube Music you’ll find slightly different variations of the same layout, just tweaked for different screen sizes. You’ll find Home, Explore and Library tabs. Home is where new tracks, recommendations and playlists, both generic and curated live. Explore contains more searchable content, recommendations and ways to find new tracks based on moods and genres. And Library is where everything you’ve saved and curated lives. 

Something about the experience doesn’t feel quite as slick or smartly designed as Spotify or Apple Music at times. But it’s still nice to use and we’re maybe nit-picking here. What we’re saying is, if you haven’t tried the others you would probably be content. If you have, there’s a sort of clunkiness that takes a few days to get used to. 

Screenshots of the youtube music app for ios

The home page shows you recommended tracks and albums YTM thinks you might like. There are also different moods across the top, I loved Feel Good for its top suggestions. (Image credit: Youtube Music)

YouTube Music review: playlists and recommendations

  • Solid recommendations
  • Plans to make them better
  • Spotify is still king here

Like all music streaming services, the more you use YouTube Music, the more it learns about your tastes and preferences. You can get recommendations in a bunch of ways. You can play the ‘Radio’ option from any track or album, which generates a radio station filled with similar tracks and artists. There are also a bunch of playlists that update regularly and are personalized to you, including Discover Mix, Replay Mix and New Release Mix. Over time, you’ll get even more to sit different moods, like Workout Supermix, Romantic Supermix and Focus Supermix.

There’s also the ability to create your own radio station. Through a feature called Your Music Tuner, which is located in the Home tab of the app, you can fine-tune a custom radio station experience. You select artists, artist variety and tweak other filters. When you’re done, the YouTube Music algorithm will build a custom station that you can continue to tune. 

After trialling YouTube Music for several weeks, I can confidently say it’s got to know me and my preferences. Many of the suggested tracks and artists are the kind of music I like listening to. I also love that mixes are created for certain moods and situations. But it doesn’t quite feel as good as Spotify. 

Now, I’m willing to admit this could be subjective and I’ve been using Spotify longer. But Spotify’s recommendations feel fresher to me. I have that eerie sense that new tracks and artists (and even new genres) are unearthed that I like but have never heard before. Whereas youTube Music serves up some of the same artists and tracks again and again. This is nice and still has a personalized touch, but doesn’t feel quite so effective for new music discovery.

Then again, I’m well aware we’re comparing YouTube Music to the best of the best. Although not everyone loves them, Spotify’s recommendations and generated playlists are one of the main draws of the music streaming service. 

As mentioned above in the intro, YouTube Music is making changes and adding AI to create better playlists. As far as I can tell (these features haven’t rolled out yet), they’re largely the same as Spotify’s offering, but it’ll be interesting to see how that pans out in future.

Another way YouTube Music wants you to find new music is with Samples. YouTube Music is going all in on this as it has a whole tab of its own in the mobile app. Think of Samples as TikTok for music. Click on the tab and you’ll be served a continuous feed of short form video clips to get you interested in new artist and tracks. This is a nice touch for integrating video and will take you back to the days of finding out about new artists from the likes of MTV and Kerrang. 

Want to create your own playlists? That’s easy too, with the same kind of look and feel as Spotify and Tidal. Simply add a track to a playlist then you can choose a name for it and select an artwork theme. YouTube Music will serve up suggestions for new tracks you can add, which I’m often doing instinctively now. The functionality doesn’t feel quite as natural as rivals, for example, you can’t search within a playlist. 

YouTube Music review: should you subscribe?

Subscribe if...

Don't subscribe if...

  • First reviewed: July 2024
Apple Music review
2:10 pm | February 11, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

Apple Music: Two-minute review

Apple Music is the tech giant's music streaming service and our top choice if you love Apple products. Since its debut in 2015, Apple Music has rapidly expanded its catalogue to boast over 100 million tracks, aligning its library size with that of Spotify. Despite a smaller subscriber base than its streaming rival, Apple Music is a worthy competitor, brimming with features catering to music lovers.

Apple Music is geared toward helping you discover new tracks and artists, whether that’s through recommendations, curated playlists, music videos or its 24/7 digital radio stations. Granted, its playlists and social features aren't as fun to use as Spotify's, but suggested tracks and artists always hit the spot. Apple Music's advantage is its ability to integrate locally owned music with its streaming content, providing a unified listening experience.

Apple Music's offering includes Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Its catalogue is now also available to subscribers in Lossless Audio at no extra cost, and it sounds great as long as you have the right kit to listen to it. This commitment to high-quality sound positions Apple Music as a strong competitor against other services like Deezer, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Tidal, giving it a leg up over Spotify.

These days, many of the best music streaming services increasingly resemble each other. However, Apple Music still carves out its niche with unique features that affirm its status as an excellent Spotify alternative, especially for those deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem. While you can use Apple Music on most devices, it's optimized for a seamless experience across all Apple devices and further enhanced by Siri’s compatibility, offering convenience and ease for Apple users.

Apple Music review: Pricing and subscription

(Image credit: TechRadar)
  • $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month
  • One-month free trial 
  • No free ad-based tier

There's no free ad-based tier for Apple Music like there is with Spotify. Instead, a subscription costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 per month for a standard user. However, this does come with a one month free trial to determine if it's right for you. This makes Apple Music the same price as Spotify Premium with access to the same amount of tracks.

Apple also offers a reduced student subscription for $5.99 / £5.99 / AU$6.99 and a family subscription for $16.99 / £16.99 / AU$19.99, which gives up to six people unlimited access and their own personalized music library and music recommendations. 

Whichever type of subscription you choose, you'll also get free access to Apple Music Classical, a separate app dedicated solely to classical music.

Apple Music review: Specs

Two iPhones on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Future)

Apple Music review: Music library and content

An Apple Music promo image of the app on a smartphone and Mac showing lyrics.

(Image credit: Apple)
  • 100 million tracks
  • Integrated with iTunes purchases
  • Separate app for podcasts

There are more than 100 million tracks available to stream on Apple Music at the time of writing. This is the same amount as most major rivals, including Spotify and Tidal. You’ll also find three radio stations with actual DJs playing music, Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. 

There are no podcasts on offer within Apple Music – you’ll need the separate Apple Podcasts app for those – but there are thousands of music videos. There’s also a 24/7 music video channel called Apple Music TV. It’s ad-free and mostly plays videos along with some interviews and live performances, think of it as MTV in your pocket.

One thing I didn’t know you could get on Apple Music until I was digging around in my most recent testing was standup comedy. You won’t find an exhaustive selection of comedians here, but some well-known ones have audio-only standup work on the platform, my favorite being Maria Bamford.

What sets the streaming service apart from some rivals is that Apple Music combines the music you already have locally and in iTunes, whether that's what you've bought or ripped from a CD. This is great for bringing all your music together in one place. There's similar functionality on offer from rivals, but it doesn’t work as seamlessly and some require a third-party app.

In 2023 Apple launched Apple Music Classical. This is a separate app, but it’s worth mentioning here considering it’s free for all Apple Music subscribers. Apple says that Apple Music Classical has more than five million tracks, making it “the world’s largest classical music catalog”. I like that search functionality is detailed, catering to different versions and recordings, but there are plenty of ways in for classical beginners, like playlists, guides and even biographies of composers.

Apple Music review: Apps and compatibility

Apple HomePod 2 with iPhone held nearby

(Image credit: Apple)
  • Great integration with Apple devices
  • Siri support
  • Minimal app design

I enjoy using the Apple Music app, especially on my iPhone, it looks good and much less cluttered than Spotify’s with a clean and simple UI. Album artwork is big and takes center stage and I also like that you can choose between light and dark modes. 

The Mac app is similar and looks nice with that extra screen real estate to make the artwork shine. You can use it on non-Apple devices, like a PC or Android phone. As you might expect, the experience feels a little less intuitive, but still works well.

Apple is constantly updating the app to make it more user-friendly. For example, you can now favorite tracks, which are added to a new Favorite Songs playlist in your Library. 

There are also several features that you won’t find in competing music streaming apps, like Apple Music Sing, which is more commonly known as Apple Music’s karaoke feature. This allows you to see lyrics for songs and adjust the volume of the vocals, meaning you can sing along while watching the lyrics as they’re highlighted. 

You can use Siri to operate the Apple Music app. This is why it’s a no-brainer for those who like Apple products and Apple’s smart assistant. You can ask Siri to play anything on Apple Music, which is great if you’re already used to using voice commands in your home.

A Listen Now section on the app – which works pretty much the same across all devices – is like a personalized dashboard filled with recommendations based on your tastes and listening history.

Browse is where you can find updated playlists, new releases, radio stations and trending songs. This feels somewhat personalized, but is more of a hub for all the fresh, new content you might miss if you only follow recommendations. Within Browse the service highlights its Spatial Audio tracks that also support Dolby Atmos, this is good news if you’re listening with headphones or speakers that’ll make the most of it, like the Airpods Pro. 

There’s also a tab dedicated Radio, which is where you’ll find the Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country stations. 

Next, you’ll find your Library. This is where all of the music you’ve downloaded and saved to your device is kept, as well as everything you’ve saved, added to a playlist and played. It’s all divided up by Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Music Videos, Genres, Compilations, Composers and what you have Downloaded. 

The search bar works well for locating everything on Apple Music, as well as your own tracks. You can even type lyrics in here if that's all you remember.

Apple Music review: Playlists and recommendations

Apple Music Replay on a MacBook and iPhone

(Image credit: Apple)
  • Big focus on curation and recommendations
  • You can download tracks for offline listening
  • Spotify has the edge with discovery playlists

When you first sign up, Apple Music encourages you to select your favorite genres so it can better recommend music, and it gets started straight away. There’s a big focus on curation and recommendations. According to Apple, although an algorithm powers these recommendations, playlists are sometimes curated by a team of experts.

Top Picks For You sit at the top of your Listen Now homepage. This is a good recommendation source, featuring your Station, think of this as your own radio show based on artists you love, a Discovery Station, for only new music you haven’t listened to but Apple Music assumes you’ll like, and a Heavy Rotation Mix. There are also new releases here that the streaming service things you might like. You’ll find these mixes and stations will feature tracks from an artist, as well as similar artists and tracks you might not have listened to before. 

apple music review

Sign up for Apple Music via the desktop app and you’ll be asked to choose your favorite genres to get started. (Image credit: TechRadar / Apple)

Spotify might still have the edge with its super popular customized playlists – we love Daylist and Spotify Wrapped – but there’s a lot to love about Apple Music’s recommendations too. There’s also a Favorites Mix, which is always guaranteed to be packed with artists I love, as well as a Get Up! Mix, which I put on whenever I head to the gym. 

You can download tracks and playlists for offline listening. According to Apple Music you can download up to 10,000 songs, but obviously that will depend on how much storage space you have left on your device too. 

Apple Music review: Sound quality

An image of Apple Music being controlled with Siri

(Image credit: Apple)
  • Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio
  • Crisp and clear sound

Apple Music added lossless streaming and Spatial Audio a few years ago, as well as support for Dolby Atmos. Apple Music’s lossless music streams will top out at 24-bit/48KHz. The hi-res, lossless streams on offer top out at 24-bit/192KHz. It says that it streams at the highest quality by default and reduces it if you’re streaming on the move.

Apple didn't charge for this uplift in quality and now matches rivals like Amazon Music Unlimited, Qobuz, and Tidal with their hi-res audio offerings. So it enters the space of Spotify alternative streaming services for those who are sick of waiting around for Spotify to launch its HiFi service, which has been promised for years.

We've always been impressed with the sound quality on offer at Apple Music. More recent tests show that to still be true with crisp, clear and reliable audio. 

Without a good set of headphones or speakers it can be hard to tell the difference between Apple Music and a rival like Spotify, especially when you're listening via Bluetooth. But with wired and lossless, Apple Music is noticeably better – this highlights the importance of high-end equipment. You have to have a wired connection (for headphones or speakers) or be streaming over Wi-Fi for lossless, and the hi-res lossless tracks require an external DAC than can support 24-bit/192 kHz.

Should you subscribe to Apple Music?

Subscribe if...

Don't subscribe if...

Spotify review
2:06 pm | February 1, 2022
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets Spotify | Comments: Off

Spotify: Two-minute review

Spotify is our favorite music streaming service. First launched in 2008, it has a library of more than 100 million tracks, 5 million podcasts and, thanks to a recent new update, more than 200,000 audiobooks. This extensive range of content has propelled Spotify to over 602 million users worldwide, including 236 million paying subscribers.

But Spotify's appeal extends beyond its vast library. The platform has an intuitive interface and an exceptional recommendation engine that tailors playlists to individual tastes. It's also constantly evolving, with new and innovative features being introduced regularly, alongside social tools that simplify content sharing. Plus, its compatibility across a broad range of devices ensures that users can enjoy Spotify virtually anywhere.

Despite its dominance, Spotify faces serious competition from the best music streaming services, particularly for those seeking audiophile-grade sound quality. Services like Tidal and Apple Music offer superior, lossless audio tracks, with Apple Music presenting a solid ecosystem for Apple lovers. Other contenders include Deezer, YouTube Music and Amazon Music Unlimited, as well as artist-centric platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud that give artists more control over their music.

But Spotify still stands out as one of the most popular streamers around. Its unique value proposition lies in its expansion into podcasts and audiobooks, continual platform enhancements, and personalized playlists that resonate deeply with users, affirming the Spotify’s knack for understanding user preferences. This evolution from a streaming service to a highly personalized entertainment hub makes Spotify an unmatched choice for most people. 

Spotify review: Pricing and subscription

A promo shot for Spotify showing lots of smartphones displaying different Spotify pages and features.

Spotify is constantly adding new features to its offering, like DJ, which knows your music tastes better than you do. (Image credit: Spotify)
  • Free plan has ads
  • Premium tier costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month
  • Specialized plans for families

Spotify has two main subscription offerings: Free or Premium. Spotify’s Free plan doesn’t cost you anything, but serves up ads between tracks as a trade-off. Users with the Free plan also have access to less features and restrictions on what they can play. For example, a Free subscription means you can only shuffle songs in an album, playlist or radio station when you’re using the Spotify app on your phone. You can’t pick a specific song and play it. You also won’t be able to save tracks to listen to offline. 

Spotify’s Premium subscription comes with a one month free trial. After that, it costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 per month. Premium subscribers enjoy unrestricted access to any song, album, playlist or radio station, in addition to the ability to add music to their library, create personalized playlists and download music for offline listening – all ad-free. Premium also upgrades the audio quality to 320Kbps, enhancing your listening experience.

Spotify offers several specialized Premium subscriptions, like Premium Duo ($14.99 / £14.99 / AU$17.99), which gives you two Premium accounts as long as you both live at the same address. There’s also Premium Family ($16.99 / £16.99 / AU$20.99), accommodating up to six Premium accounts with features tailored for family use, like kid-friendly content options.

Spotify review: Specs

A Spotify promo shot showing what Spotify Kids looks like.

Spotify Kids looks like Spotify, but is simpler, more fun, and colorful.  (Image credit: Spotify )

Spotify review: Music library and content

A promo shot of Spotify's audiobooks displayed on three smartphones.

One of the most recent new additions to Spotify has been audiobooks – there are currently 350,000 audiobooks on the platform. (Image credit: Spotify)
  • 100 million tracks, it's rare anything is missing
  • 5 million podcasts
  • 200,000 audiobooks

Spotify often updates its library size, and as of the latest count, it has over 100 million tracks. Despite a history of some artists pulling their music from the platform over various concerns – including dissatisfaction with compensation – the major have returned. It’s rare to search for a song on Spotify and not find it.

Reasons for removing their music have varied over the years, but criticism has often centered on the ways Spotify has unfairly compensated creators. Some make the argument that Spotify steers listeners away from piracy and towards legal music consumption, fostering new music and artist discovery in the process. But we get why people might prefer purchasing music directly or using platforms, like Tidal and Bandcamp, which are known for granting more control and higher royalties to artists.

In its quest to be the ultimate audio application, Spotify introduced podcasts in 2015 and has expanded that offering to host an impressive selection of over five million podcasts, which have become a central feature of the app. Unlike the traditional 'subscribe' model, Spotify users 'follow' podcasts, with new episodes appearing on your home screen. Spotify might be known for curating personalized music playlists, but it applies similar algorithmic ingenuity to suggest podcasts, too.

Spotify added audiobooks in late 2022 and now Premium subscribers have access to 200,000 titles through a dedicated section of the app, mirroring the music section's layout. Users can explore new and trending books, browse by genre or popular authors, and find selections suited to activities, like commuting. While dedicated book apps have their loyal users, Spotify's foray into podcasts has proven that it can successfully capture and satisfy audience preferences in new content domains, suggesting a promising future for audiobooks on Spotify.

Spotify review: Apps and compatibility

spotify

This is what Spotify looks like across all of your devices. (Image credit: Spotify)
  • Easy-to-use apps
  • Interface looks a little dated
  • Spotify Connect for seamless streaming

You can use Spotify through its apps on desktops, mobile phones, and tablets, as well as via a web player. Although the web player offers a decent experience, it lacks the polished feel of the apps, making some actions, like playlist creation, feel clunky.

Within the Spotify apps, users navigate through three primary sections: Home, Search, and Your Library. While there are slight variations across different platforms, the core experience is the same. The Home section primarily features personalized playlists and recently played tracks, alongside occasional podcast and audiobook suggestions and trending music. 

The Search function allows users to explore the vast Spotify catalogue, including tracks, albums, artists, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks, with the option to filter by genre or activity, such as Chill or Workout. Your Library houses all saved content, including playlists, podcasts, audiobooks, albums, and artists, with sorting options like recent additions, listens, alphabetical order, or creator.

Spotify's apps on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone are known for their stability, user-friendliness, and regular updates aimed at enhancing intuitiveness. The interface, which is a grid-like design similar to other streaming platforms like Netflix, facilitates easy navigation amidst an extensive selection of media.

However, Spotify's design has remained unchanged for years, and may feel a little outdated to some users. I also find that sometimes I’ll log in and love the overwhelming amount of options at my fingertips and other times it all feels too cluttered. 

A significant advantage of Spotify over most of its rivals is in its broad compatibility with a range of devices and platforms, including sound systems, TVs, car stereos, game consoles, and wearables like the Apple Watch. 

Spotify Connect provides a seamless user experience by enabling streaming to speakers and other devices over Wi-Fi directly from the cloud. This feature is accessible by tapping the speaker icon within the app and allows playback on Spotify Connect-compatible devices, such as speakers and soundbars. Spotify's integration with smart assistants, like Alexa and Google Assistant, also works really well and more often than not delivers precise and efficient voice-controlled navigation.

Spotify review: Playlists and recommendations

Screenshots of Spotify Wrapped on three smartphones.

All Spotify users look forward to Spotify Wrapped at the end of each year, a social sharing event that's always fun. (Image credit: Spotify)
  • Incredibly fun and accurate playlists
  • Packed full of recommendations
  • Top social features to share personalized content

One of the biggest draws of Spotify is its personalized playlists and recommendations. You can easily make your own playlists but, interestingly, the playlists generated by Spotify dominate my listening habits. This speaks volumes about the platform's precise and engaging recommendation system.

Spotify curates many playlists that it then distributes to users based on their individual listening patterns. For instance, a playlist titled My Life is a Movie is currently featured in my Home section and has been recommended to me and shared with more than two million other users.

However, beyond these broader recommended playlists, Spotify offers uniquely personalized compilations that are for your eyes only. For example, Discover Weekly presents a new assortment of tracks every Monday, tailored to your tastes yet unexplored by you. The Daily Mix series adapts to your varying moods, and Your Time Capsule nostalgically predicts tracks you might have cherished during your teenage years. And there are so many more.

A recent addition that has captured my interest in a major way is Daylist. This dynamic playlist changes every few hours and is personalized to reflect your listening habits throughout the day, adding a layer of excitement to each login. Spotify also generates whimsical titles for these playlists based on the included tracks. For instance, my 'Sensational Rhythmic Tuesday Morning' playlist perfectly aligns with my usual gym routine, embracing party tunes, techno, and vibrant hip-hop. Daylist never fails to match my musical needs, meaning most of the times I open Spotify these days I’ll head right there.

A promo shot of Spotify's new DJ feature.

Spotify's DJ is a personalized AI guide that knows you and your music tastes better than you do. (Image credit: Spotify)

Finally, another new recommendation feature I think is worth mentioning is Spotify's AI DJ. Rather than a curated playlist, Spotify says it's best to think of it as your own AI DJ, which you start playing and it picks out tracks based on the time of day and listening habits, but shakes things up to keep the listening experience fun and exciting. For example, it'll play fresh new tunes you might like, old songs you haven't listened to in a while and much more, announcing its choices as it goes.

These personalized playlists have revolutionized music listening for many, encouraging exploration within Spotify's recommendations rather than seeking out specific tracks or artists. While there's a risk of becoming trapped in a particular music genre, by including new songs and creators in these playlists it keeps the experience fresh.

Spotify's vibrant graphics and tailored playlists are designed to encourage social sharing. The platform simplifies the process of sharing playlists on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Telegram, or directly with friends via WhatsApp or SMS. 

When Spotify lifts the lid on a big social campaign, like Spotify Wrapped (the details of all the tracks and genres you listened to over the past year), it even creates a personalized web experience that animates your listening stats and creates really great-looking social graphics for you to share and celebrate your musical journey over the past year. 

Spotify review: Sound quality

  • Better quality with premium
  • No lossless or high-res
  • Spotify HiFi promised but years late

Spotify Premium subscribers listening on desktop, mobile or tablet apps can choose between five sound quality levels: automatic (depends on your network connection), low, normal, high and very high. At the low setting, music streams at 24kbps. At the normal setting, music streams at 96kbps, which sounds a lot better than MP3 at 129kbps. Switch to the high-quality setting and the bit-rate bumps up to 160kbps. Most users will be happy at this level, since any compression trade-offs aren't obvious. 

The very high setting uses 320kbps, which is perceptually close to lossless. Spotify doesn't offer any lossless or hi-res streaming, which is one reason that audiophiles might want to look elsewhere. Deezer and Tidal are two other options for those who want the best quality available. Deezer's Premium hi-fi subscription costs $11.99 / £11.99 / AU$11.99 a month and lets you stream lossless 16-bit FLAC files. 

If you want more, go with Tidal. With a $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99, Tidal HiFi subscription you can stream lossless 16-bit FLAC and ALAC audio, but there are also thousands (but not millions) of Tidal Masters files that stream at 24-bit. Tidal HiFi Plus is even better and for $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$23.99 a month you can stream up to 24-bit, including HiRes FLAC, Dolby Atmos, and more.

Spotify has clearly realized that in order to keep up with the competition, it needs to offer a way for people to upgrade their sound quality, which is the reason it’s been promising to launch Spotify HiFi for years now. This is Spotify’s answer to Deezer and Tidal’s high-quality offerings.

It’s difficult to predict what Spotify HiFi will be like, how much it will cost or if it'll ever materialize as it's been promised for more than three years. Spotify initially said that HiFi would be available as an upgrade for premium subscribers and would offer CD-quality, lossless audio at upwards of 1411kbps. This is more than four times the amount of data you currently hear when streaming a song.

Should I subscribe to Spotify?

Subscribe if...

Don't subscribe if...

Deezer review
1:03 pm | June 17, 2021
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

Deezer: Two-minute review

Deezer may not be the most popular music streaming service, but it’s been around since 2007 and even though the space has become more and more competitive over the years, it’s still well worth checking out today. It’s a solid option if you don’t need all of the social features and constant recommendations that Spotify offers but would like a boost in audio quality without having to pay for Tidal’s HiFi Plus.

With more than 120 million tracks, Deezer has a bigger music library than many of its rivals and a bunch of added features, too, including a selection of podcasts, quizzes and a Shazam-like clone called Songcatcher. What sets it apart from rival Spotify is it offers a bump up in audio quality at 1411kbps, which makes it similar to Tidal’s HiFi tier and Apple Music.

It doesn’t feel like Deezer knows your music personality inside out in the same way Spotify does, but there are some good curated suggestions and a constantly-updated playlist of recommendations called Flow. There are several premium options to choose from that come with a one-month free trial. But there’s also a completely free tier with ads and some restrictions – although rumors online suggest this might be coming to an end in several regions.

In terms of design, Deezer’s user interface doesn’t feel quite as ‘put together’ as its rivals, it’s much more minimal. But at the same time, there’s something refreshing about how simple it is. That’s the big appeal of Deezer in my opinion, it may not have the bells and whistles of Spotify, but if you own one of the best wired headphones and want good quality music – and you’re not as interested in social features or a broad selection of fun playlists – it might be well worth your time.

Deezer review: Pricing and subscription

The Deezer apps on a laptop, phone and tablet

(Image credit: Deezer)
  • Free version with ads
  • Premium is $11.99 / £11.99 / AU$13.99 per month
  • One month free trial

There’s a free version of Deezer that has ads and a couple of restrictions – you can only shuffle songs rather than play whatever you like. It’s great there’s a free version as it’s likely to convert a lot of non-paying users into premium subscribers. However, according to several online reports, Deezer has emailed users in some countries recently saying this free tier will be coming to an end in 2024. We’ll update this review when we get official confirmation, but for now it still seems to be available in most regions.

The Premium Deezer tier removes any restrictions and costs $11.99 /£11.99 / AU$13.99 per month. Like Spotify, there’s also a Duo option available for $15.99 /£15.99 / AU$17.99 that’s aimed at couples, bringing you two individual accounts that can be used across up to 5 devices. If a few people in your household use Deezer, the service’s Family subscription plan ($17.99 / £19.99 / AU$21.99) allows for up to six individual accounts across up to 13 devices, offering optional kids’ profiles that let you keep an eye on what your children are listening to.

In an earlier version of this review, we said Deezer was a good value option but it’s upped its prices over the years. Rather than being cheaper than its rivals, it’s now a little more expensive than Spotify and Tidal’s HiFi option, which are both only $10.99 / £10.99 AU$12.99. 

Deezer review: Specs

Deezer review: Music library and content

The Deezer features as seen in the app

(Image credit: Deezer)
  • 120 million tracks
  • 160,000 podcasts
  • Infinite recommended music with Flow

Like most music streaming services, Deezer has added more and more tracks over the years. Right now it says it has more than 120 million, which is more than rivals Spotify and Tidal, which say they currently have 100 million. 

Like Spotify, Deezer has added podcasts to its offering. There are more than 160,000 available to listen to at the time of writing and there’s a good selection. During testing, I could find all of my favorites, but it’s worth checking if your top ones are available. If they’re not, head on over to Spotify where there are currently more than 5 million podcast titles.

There were no audiobooks available when I was testing Deezer in the UK, they could be found via the search bar but couldn’t be played. This is likely because Deezer does offer a limited audiobook library, but only to users in certain regions, including Germany and The Netherlands. 

Thanks to a tie-in with Tune My Music, a third-party app, you can easily import your entire music collection from other streaming services, including your playlists and favorites. You can also bring MP3s from other sources to Deezer via the web version and listen to all of your music in one place. With a Premium subscription you can also download any tracks, albums, playlists and podcasts for offline listening, which is ideal for travel. 

There are a couple of cool extras available alongside Deezer’s music library, including a selection of live radio stations, music quizzes – with themes like 90s Rap, Disney and TikTok Hits – as well as a feature called Songcatcher, which is Deezer’s answer to Shazam. These are all ultimately nice additions, but definitely not enough to pull you away from a rival music streaming service.

Deezer review: Apps and compatibility

The Deeezer app on several devices

(Image credit: Deezer )
  • Desktop, mobile, or web player
  • Chromecast and AirPlay support
  • Available in 185 countries

Deezer is available to use via a desktop app, mobile app, and a flash-based web player. You can download the mobile app for Android, iOS devices, and Windows 10 mobiles and tablets. Deezer is also compatible with a range of smart watches, smart TV platforms, wireless speaker systems such as Sonos, car interfaces, and the Xbox. There’s also support for Chromecast and AirPlay, which means you can send your music to even more devices. 

While I preferred using the app, the Deezer web player works well, offering a stripped-back version of the platform in your browser. Deezer’s user interface looks similar to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music with a dark background and grids of tracks and album artwork, but the design here is a little more minimal and somehow less elegant – which might be due to some of the font choices. However, I like that there are bright pops of color accents throughout, as well as when you play a track. Deezer seems to select a shade from the album artwork – or at least it looks that way – and uses it as the background color while you play the track.

The experience is a little different depending on how you’re listening, but for the most part you’ll find a menu along the bottom of the screen and the first option is Home, which is populated with a wide selection of content. Including your favorite artists at the top, followed by a section called “Mixes inspired by…” which consists of new tracks similar to your favorites. While I was testing out the Deezer app, there was always a solid recommendation here for me. 

Promo images of the Deezer app on Apple TVs

(Image credit: Deezer)

You’ll also find “Made for you”, which is filled with curated playlists and it’s where you’ll find Flow, as well as a bunch of Daily playlists to accommodate different moods. Deezer also serves up general playlist recommendations, like Electronic Soundtracks, and fresh new releases. In a section called “Go beyond streaming” you’ll find everything that isn’t music, like podcasts and other extras. 

Along from Home, you’ll find Explore which feels a little repetitive to me. Suggestions are divided by  genres, but also moods, which are helpful, like “Feeling Sad”. The next option in the menu bar is Favorites, which is where tracks you’ve favorited and your playlists live, as well as albums, artists, podcasts, shaker groups, and any downloaded music. Search is where you’ll find a search bar, allowing you to search across track titles, artists, albums, playlists, lyrics, podcasts and podcast episodes. The Songcatcher feature lives here, too, which works well whenever you’re out and about and want to know what a track is – I like using this when I’m watching a move or TV show, too.

Deezer review: Playlists and recommendations

The new Deezer app's Shaker feature

(Image credit: Future)
  • Flow is good, not great
  • Not as fun as Spotify
  • Keeps things simple

Like Spotify, Deezer uses its recommendation algorithm to suggest music you might enjoy, which results in a number of specially curated playlists and different suggestions for different moods and activities, like Girl Power, Chill and Workout. 

One of Deezer’s standout features is Flow, which serves up an automated mix based on your tastes. It combines your favorite tracks with new recommendations and other songs you might have forgotten about. You’ll need to ‘favorite’ at least 15 tracks before the Flow playlist appears on your home screen, but when it does it’ll fast become a staple and probably the first playlist you tap when you open the app.

I found Flow to be a really fun listen. No, it didn’t get my tastes right with every track, but most were the kind of songs I’d want to listen to throughout the day, especially as I’m working. This suited me as, unlike Spotify’s playlists, Flow is played in an “infinite” stream of music, meaning you’ll have an easy way to listen to music with very little thought required on your part. 

Deezer has some good social features and you can share what you’re listening to straight to Instagram and Facebook stories. However, as it doesn’t have as many users as Spotify, you might feel like you’re missing out when a new and fun update hits, like Spotify Wrapped, or the way everyone is still sharing their unhinged Spotify Daylist playlist titles. These points are all a testament to Deezer being a more simple option. This means a less sociable and fun experience, which is bound to be a red flag for some and exactly what others are looking for.

Deezer review: Audio quality

Promo shots of the Deezer app

(Image credit: Deezer)
  • Ranges from 128kbps to 1,411kbps
  • CD quality music
  • The same as Tidal HiFi and Apple Music

There are three different streaming quality options for Deezer listeners. Standard streams at 128 kpbs, High Quality at 320 kbps and High Fidelity at 1411 kbps (FLAC), which Deezer says requires a high-speed connection. You have the ability to adjust the audio quality settings and set presets for when you’re listening over Wi-Fi as opposed to using your phone’s mobile data – handy, if you’re keeping an eye on your data usage. 

This High Fidelity option is lossless, which means you get CD-quality streaming and FLAC music across any device that you’re listening on, including Deezer’s desktop app, web player, iOS, Android, and Xbox. 

How does this compare to other streaming services? Deezer's High Fidelity setting is the same as what’s on offer from Tidal HiFi, also delivering a similar listening experience to Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. However, it’s better than Spotify’s 320kbps. You'll only get better than that by opting for Tidal's HiFi Plus offering, which brings you 9,216kbps or 24-bit/192kHz.

During testing, I was using wired high-quality headphones with an iPhone 14 Pro and Deezer’s music certainly sounded more immersive, offering a clearer and more detailed listen when I was comparing the quality options, as well as when I was comparing tracks to their equivalent on Spotify. However, the key thing to remember here is that if you’re not using higher-end audio equipment, then you may not notice a significant difference between the audio on offer from Spotify and Deezer. This is probably one of the reasons why Spotify is still such a popular option, even though services like Deezer and Tidal offer a bump up in audio quality. 

Should I subscribe to Deezer?

Subscribe if…

Don’t subscribe if…

Amazon Music Unlimited review
5:44 pm | June 9, 2021
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Amazon Music Unlimited: Two-minute review

Amazon Music Unlimited is a high-quality music streaming app to rival audiophile-grade services, like Tidal, at a good price.

If you’re a little confused by Amazon’s music streaming naming conventions, you’re not alone. There used to be Amazon Music Unlimited and Ultra HD and Amazon Music HD. But now you’ll find everything under the Amazon Music Unlimited umbrella.

What’s more, there are a few different tiers here, all offering different things. Amazon Music Free gives you free access to some top playlists and has ads. Then there’s Amazon Music Prime, this gives you access to 2 million songs ad-free and some playlists and stations. It’s included with Prime at no additional cost.

Then there’s the service we’re reviewing here, Amazon Music Unlimited, which is Amazon’s premium music subscription service. It has more than 100 million tracks, like most rivals, and brings you lossless FLAC audio qaulity up to 24-bit/192kHz, while Spotify, for example, only offers 320kbps. 

It’s arguably the best value music streaming service if you want lossless audio. And the good news is that if you already have a Prime membership, you’ll get the music streaming service for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99, making it a cheaper option than all of the competition. 

If you have Amazon products there’s great Alexa integration and even the option to buy the streaming service so you can listen to it on just one smart device. But even if you’re not already bought into everything Amazon, this is still a good value option with hi-res audio and a solid library of tunes.

Amazon Music Unlimited review: Pricing and subscription

The Amazon Music Unlimited app

(Image credit: Amazon)
  • Discount for Prime members
  • A (sort of) free version with restrictions
  • A 30-day free trial

As a quick recap, anyone can access Amazon Music Free. But that has ads and restrictions. Amazon Music Prime is free for Prime members and that gives you access to 2 million songs ad-free. But if you want the premium subscription service, Amazon Music Unlimited, you’ll need to pay.

Prime members can get Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 with a monthly subscription or $99 / £99 (roughly AU$190, although annual pricing isn't shown on Amazon's site) a year with an annual subscription. If you’re not a Prime member, you’ll need to pay $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month. If you sign up for the monthly subscription, you’ll get a 30-day free trial and, at the time of writing, those in Australia can get a free trial that lasts three months. 

For $5.99 / £5.99 / AU$6.99 month you can listen to Amazon Music Unlimited on a single Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Look, Amazon Tap or Fire TV device. This is a really nice option for anyone who knows they only really like listening on one device.

There’s also the option of a family plan, but only for Prime members and each person will need an Amazon account. This allows six different people to listen to music all at once and costs $16.99 / £17.99 / AU$20.99 per month or $159 / £179 (AU$242) a year. Amazon Unlimited for Students is available for $5.99 / £5.99 / AU$6.99 per month.

Amazon Music Unlimited review: Key specs

The Amazon Music Unlimited app

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon Music Unlimited review: Music library and content

Amazon Music Unlimited app screenshots on an iPhone

(Image credit: Future/Amazon Music)
  • More than 100 million tracks
  • Good selection of podcasts
  • Save for offline listening and local files

There are more than 100 million songs in the Amazon Music Unlimited library at the time of writing and these are a mix of HD and Ultra HD quality. This is the same amount as Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music. 

Amazon added podcasts to the streaming service a few years back, and a lot of my favorites are available. But do check your go-to podcasts are available before signing up, as the choice feels limited compared to Spotify.

You can download music to listen to later via offline playback. I found this to work very well, and it was good knowing if I lost a data or Wi-Fi connection, I could keep listening. But remember that those high-quality audio files take up more space on your device.

You can also store music you already own locally within the Amazon Music Unlimited app and import playlists from other streaming platforms with the help of a service like SongShift or TuneMyMusic.

Amazon Music Unlimited review: Apps and compatibility

The Amazon Music Unlimited app

(Image credit: Amazon)
  • Web browser, desktop app, and mobile app
  • Integration with home audio devices
  • Interface not as slick as Spotify

You can stream Amazon Music Unlimited via your web browser, but it works the best in a desktop app or mobile app on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows devices. It’s also integrated into a range of home devices, including speakers, amplifiers, and soundbars. As you’d expect, this includes all of Amazon’s Echo products, Sonos speakers, Fire TV devices, and more.

The desktop app isn’t as slick or good-looking as Spotify or Tidal. But it offers a very similar user experience with a grid-like design displaying album and playlist artwork in full color across the screen that allows you to swipe horizontally through playlists, tracks and albums. The color palette is simple, with dark grey and some bright blue accents.

In the menu you’ll find Home. This is where you’ll find recently played tracks, album and playlist recommendations, and sections dedicated to the latest tracks. The following section is Find, which is both a search and music discovery section where you can browse by genre and audio quality. Library is where your music is stored, including what you’ve listened to recently and your saved playlists, artists, and tracks. The final section is Alexa, and you need to grant Amazon microphone access to your phone for this to work – so be sure you’re happy with that before you agree. 

The bar that runs along the bottom of the screen has playback controls, and there’s the option to send your music to a connected device – like an Echo speaker. There’s also a three-dot ellipsis next to playlists, albums and tracks that expands features and brings up menus. This keeps the interface clean and presents a range of options, including adding to queue, adding to a playlist, downloading or sharing – this opens up a link and social media with more options in the mobile app, including Instagram Stories. At times I actually prefer the look of Amazon Music Unlimited’s app more than Spotfiy’s because it’s simply less cluttered and jammed with text and content. So even though it may not be as slick-looking as other services, its minimal design, easy-to-use controls, and menus make it straightforward. For that reason, this would suit someone who hasn’t dipped their toe into music streaming before. Unsurprisingly, Amazon Music Unlimited works with Alexa and it does work remarkably well to surface new music. You can ask Alexa to play tracks or playlists, or ask for specific genres and types of music, and Amazon’s voice assistant will access Amazon Music Unlimited to play a mix for you.

(Image credit: Amazon)

The bar that runs along the bottom of the screen has playback controls, and there’s the option to send your music to a connected device – like an Echo speaker. 

There’s also a three-dot ellipsis next to playlists, albums and tracks that expands features and brings up menus. This keeps the interface clean and presents a range of options, including adding to queue, adding to a playlist, downloading or sharing – this opens up a link and social media with more options in the mobile app, including Instagram Stories. 

At times I actually prefer the look of Amazon Music Unlimited’s app more than Spotfiy’s because it’s simply less cluttered and jammed with text and content. So even though it may not be as slick-looking as other services, its minimal design, easy-to-use controls, and menus make it straightforward. For that reason, this would suit someone who hasn’t dipped their toe into music streaming before.

Unsurprisingly, Amazon Music Unlimited works with Alexa and it does work remarkably well to surface new music. You can ask Alexa to play tracks or playlists, or ask for specific genres and types of music, and Amazon’s voice assistant will access Amazon Music Unlimited to play a mix for you.

Amazon Music Unlimited: Playlists and recommendations

The Amazon Music Unlimited app

(Image credit: Amazon)
  • Good playlist recommendations
  • Algorithm not as intuitive as Spotify
  • Create your own playlists

You can create your own playlists with Amazon Music Unlimited – just head to Library > Playlists. However, the service also makes many good playlists for you, too. Many aren’t personalized to you but do surface good suggestions, and you can find many of these recommended in the Home section of the app. 

The ones that are personalized are My Discover Mix, a new playlist delivered to you every Monday with fresh new tracks. Think of it like Spotify’s Discover Weekly. Then there’s My Soundtrack, a constantly updated radio station tailored to your tastes, this is like Deezer’s Flow feature. I liked this and felt it definitely got better the more I used the app, bringing me a mixture of tracks I already like and fresh new ones. 

Overall, Amazon Music Unlimited’s recommendations felt right for me and surfaced great new tracks in My Discovery Mix and provided a great soundtrack for me to work and not have to worry about moving between playlists with My Soundtrack. 

The playlists don’t feel quite as fun as Spotify’s recommendation engine and there are less to choose from and none that are updated daily – I say this because I’m a big fan of Spotify’s 'Daylist'. However, if you don’t need all of that and just want a couple of fresh ways to discover new tracks you’ll find that here with Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon Music Unlimited review: Audio quality

amazon music hd

(Image credit: TechRadar)
  • HD and Ultra HD
  • Encoded in FLAC
  • Dolby Atmos and Sony 360RA

Amazon Music Unlimited brings two types of audio quality. There’s HD and Ultra HD, and both are hi-res audio quality in a FLAC format. You’ll also find some standard quality tracks of up to 320kbps, which matches Spotify.

The lossless High Definition (HD) songs on Amazon Music HD have a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of 44.1kHz. This is what’s called CD quality. You can stream many other songs in Ultra HD on Amazon Music HD, with a bit depth of 24 bits, sample rates ranging from 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz, and an average bitrate of 3730 kbps. This is better than CD quality and puts Amazon Music Unlimited in line with the audio quality on offer from Tidal HiFi Plus and Qobuz.

As a quick refresher, lossless audio allows you to hear the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better-than-CD quality music sources. This means the sound you hear from Amazon Music Unlimited more closely replicates the quality that the musicians and engineers were working with in the studio when recording compared to the highly compressed versions you might find on many other services.

amazon music hd

(Image credit: TechRadar)

There are also songs – no word on the exact number at the time of writing – remixed in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360RA 3D Audio formats. However, you’ll need the right equipment to experience these formats – the Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker is one device that can handle both spatial audio technologies.

Spotify currently offers a bitrate of up to 320 kbps. These audio files are compressed, and won’t reveal as much detail as less highly compressed sources. When comparing the two streaming services, this difference in quality is noticeable. Expect more detail, immersion and better performance from Amazon Music Unlimited. 

This is because Amazon Music Unlimited brings you the original recording served up with a much higher quality sound. Or at least it’ll try to based on your network, which device you’re listening on, and whether you have the best headphones and speakers – they’ll need to support HD and Ultra HD playback to make the most of the sound quality on offer.

When you’re browsing Amazon Music Unlimited, you’ll see that every track is labelled with a quality badge. Click on this in the desktop or mobile app, and you’re shown what the quality of the track is, what quality the device you’re using is capable of bringing you, and what it’s playing at right now. If you’re not getting the quality you expect, take a look at your settings. 

This is a great way to prove you’re getting the quality you want – especially if you’re an audiophile and want to make sure you’re getting the best of the best consistently.

Should I subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited?

Subscribe if...

Don't subscribe if...

Tidal review
2:58 pm | April 8, 2021
Author: admin | Category: Audio Audio Streaming Computers Gadgets Tidal | Comments: Off

Tidal review: Two-minute review

Tidal is our top streaming service recommendation if you're after the best possible audio experience. Since it launched in 2014, Tidal has positioned itself as a solid rival to other platforms, with a strong commitment to prioritizing both artists and sound quality. In recent years, it has expanded its offering to include over 100 million tracks, mirroring Spotify's library size, and enhanced both its user interface and social sharing capabilities.

Despite the fact it looks similar to Spotify, Tidal sets itself apart in two significant ways. First, it ensures artists receive fairer compensation per stream compared to many competitors. Second, it provides listeners with exceptional CD-quality audio.

Tidal isn’t for casual listeners. But for those who take their audio experience seriously, Tidal offers a sonic paradise. Particularly for anyone who owns high-quality audio gear, like the best noise cancelling headphones or the best surround sound system, Tidal's lossless and high-resolution audio files are designed to complement sophisticated setups, deliver a rich and immersive listening experience. Not sure if this applies to you? Start with the 30-day free trial. You might not notice a difference between Tidal and your music streaming service of choice, but you might notice the difference immediately and realize what you’ve been missing out on.

While Tidal is a leading choice for high-fidelity music streaming, it’s not without competition. Deezer also caters to the high-resolution audio market, and both Amazon Music Unlimited and Qobuz offer CD-quality streams. However, Tidal's combination of a user-friendly interface, exclusive content and commitment to audio excellence secures its position as a top pick for audiophiles who prioritize quality and artist connection above all else. 

Tidal review: Pricing and subscription

A promo shot for Tidal showing the app open on several devices.

Tidal might have the best design of all of the top music streaming services.  (Image credit: Tidal)
  • Two options: Tidal HiFi and Tidal HiFi Plus
  • Subscription starts at $10.99 / £10.99 / $11.99 for Tidal HiFi
  • A 30-day free trial

You have two subscription options with Tidal, Tidal HiFi and Tidal HiFi Plus. Tidal HiFi costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$11.99 a month, while Tidal HiFi Plus costs $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$23.99 a month. 

The difference between the two is that with Tidal HiFi you get great audio quality at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz in FLAC. But with Tidal HiFi Plus you get excellent audio quality up to 24-bit, 192 kHz, including HiRes FLAC, as well as immersive formats Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio.

Is there a free version of Tidal? That's a tricky question to answer. Sign-up for one of the two options above and you get a 30-day free trial before your subscription kicks in to check it's right for you.

Back in 2021, Tidal also announced it would be launching a Tidal Free plan in the US, a free version of the music streaming service. A number of people then signed up, but as far as we can tell, that option no longer exists and Tidal never made an official announcement saying it was no longer an option. Since then, users have posted to Reddit and other forums saying they were prompted to sign-up for a subscription after using Tidal Free.

Tidal review: Key specs

A promo image showing Tidal displayed on a smartphone.

(Image credit: Tidal)

Tidal review: Music library and content

A promo image for Tidal showing the app displayed on a smartphone

(Image credit: Tidal)
  • More than 100 million tracks
  • Over 650,000 videos
  • Limited number of podcasts

There are currently more than 100 million tracks on Tidal, which is the same amount you'll find on Spotify and Apple Music. There used to be a time when you’d need to check a music streaming service has your favorite artist before you sign up, but that’s no longer the case now. Although it’s worth mentioning you’re likely to find artists on Tidal who leave (or temporarily leave) Spotify over its various controversies.

Unlike many other music streaming services, Tidal also has a section specially for videos. Right now there are more than 650,000 videos on the platform. You can watch many full length shows and concerts, exclusive content, as well as some classic videos, either within the app or cast them to your TV. This is a cool addition, but you won’t find videos from all of your favorite artists here.

Tidal has added podcasts to its offering. Tidal says it has “curated a selection of podcast series that focus on intimate storytelling”, which means you’ll find a small library of shows that tend to focus on music, creativity and culture. This is a nice addition, but don’t expect the huge selection you’ll find on Spotify covering a range of subjects.

Tidal review: Apps and compatibility

A promo shot for Tidal, showing the Tidal app displayed on a range of devices.

(Image credit: Tidal)
  • Mobile and desktop app
  • Nice and slick experience
  • Tidal Connect for seamless streaming 

Tidal has a mobile app and a desktop app, but you can also listen via a web player too. There are a few key sections in both apps. Home is where you’ll find lots of suggested mixes, artists and albums based on what you’ve listened to before. In Videos you’ll have access to video playlists, documentaries and live content. Go to Explore to search by genre, moods and activities or by quality categories, like HiRes and Dolby Atmos. My Activity is where your most streamed and played artists appear and Your Account is where you can access your collection of mixes, radio stations, playlists, albums, tracks, videos and artists. 

In the desktop app the larger screen the menu is displayed down the left hand side and there you’ll also find all of your playlists. There are standard sharing features too, to Facebook, X and you can copy the track link or even an embed code. In the mobile app, you can share directly to Facebook Stories or Instagram Stories. Some people won’t care about this feature, others will love the Stories-worthy image Tidal creates for you out of the artwork for the track you’re listening to, which you can then share instantly. 

The Tidal apps might be the nicest to use and best-looking compared to its rivals. The design is very similar to Spotify with a grid-like layout, but it feels a little cleaner and less cluttered to scroll through your options. I also like the simple black and gray color palette with bright turquoise accents, as well as the neat font.

Like Spotify, Tidal has a feature called Spotify Connect, which allows you to stream tracks straight from the cloud to a range of other devices, including Cambridge Audio and KEF sound systems, as well as within some cars thanks to Apple’s AirPlay and Android Auto. Simply find the little icon that looks like a speaker in the top right hand corner of whatever you’re playing and compatible devices will appear. 

Tidal review: Playlists and recommendations

A promo shot for Tidal showing the app open on a smartphone showing playlists.

(Image credit: Tidal)
  • Great recommendations
  • Mixes are spot on
  • Tidal Rising is fun

Spotify is considered the king of playlists perfectly crafted for you, but Tidal clearly has a powerful algorithm working behind-the-scenes to make solid recommendations too. When you first sign up for the service, you’re encouraged to pick three of your favorite artists. This informs your first mix, called your Welcome Mix. Based on only three artists, I wasn't holding out much hope with this playlist, but it was spot on taste-wise and I listened to nothing else for the first morning I signed up.

The more you like and listen to music, the more Tidal will learn about your tastes and generate different playlists called mixes. Each is based on your listening and focuses on a different genre. These don’t update as regularly as Spotify’s, but tend to do a great job at predicting what users will like. Make sure to hit save if you like a particular mix, this way you can save it as a separate playlist before it gets refreshed. 

The mix of playlist recommendations and updates doesn’t feel as expansive as what Spotify offers, there also aren’t as many fun themed playlists, like Spotify's Wrapped or Daylist, but it’s not too far off. And if you're the kind of person who just wants quality music and doesn't need the themed playlists, then you'll love it here at Tidal.

When it comes to recommendations, a great feature of Tidal’s service is Tidal Rising, which you can find in the explore tab. This is where Tidal spotlights up-and-coming artists from all over the world. It’s a fun way to stay ahead of trends and discover new talent. If you’re at all worried that services like Spotify might serve up the same kind of music and the same kind of artists over and over, Tidal Rising is a good antidote.

Unfortunately, you can’t add local music files to Tidal. This is a bit of a shame but shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for most people. If it is, look at Spotify or Deezer instead. However, you can transfer your music library and your playlists from other music streaming services to your Tidal library via third-party apps. 

Tidal review: Audio quality

Screenshots of the Tidal music app

See the little yellow labels under the tracks? That's how you'll know which format you're listening in. (Image credit: Tidal)
  • Tidal HiFi offers 1411kbps or 16-bit/44.1kHz sound quality with FLAC
  • Tidal HiFi Plus offers up to 9,216kbps or 24-bit/192kHz with HiRes FLAC
  • You'll need good audio tech to make the most of Tidal HiFi Plus

You’ll get a great audio experience with Tidal. But there are a couple of things to note about differences between the quality of the two price plans and some of the audio technologies and terminology Tidal has changed since it first launched. 

So the first thing to note is with Tidal HiFi you’ll get streaming at 1411kbps or 16-bit/44.1kHz sound quality with FLAC. FLAC is an audio format that offers a better way to stream music compared to most other streaming services, which use MP3 or other formats that remove aspects of the original recording to compress the file. This, as you might expect, means they don’t have the same high-res sound performance. Therefore, Tidal HiFi actually offers a similar listening experience to Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. 

Tidal HiFi Plus pushes things up a notch and offers music at a higher quality and fidelity streaming with a bitrate of up to 9,216kbps or 24-bit/192kHz with HiRes FLAC. 

When you have Tidal HiFi Plus, you have three sound quality options to choose from, which you can manually select. Max is up to 9,216kbps or 24-bit/192kHz, which Tidal says is HiRes Free Lossless Audio Codec (HiRes FLAC). This is best if you’re on 5G or WiFi. High is up to 1411kbps or 16-bit/441.kHz, which Tidal calls “studio quality” in a FLAC format. And finally, Low 320kbps, which Tidal recommends if you have a weak signal. Low actually matches the bitrate on offer from Spotify. With Tidal HiFi, you’ll only get access to High and Low.

I spent a lot of time trialling both Tidal HiFi and Tidal HiFi Plus. With the right audio equipment (more on that soon), I could definitely tell a difference between the two options. In summary, Max was just so much better. With Max, tracks sounded clearer, more detailed and more expansive. This means if you really care about audiophile-grade sound, you’re going to love Tidal and you’d be better off choosing Tidal HiFi Plus.

A promo shot of Tidal on an Android device.

(Image credit: Tidal)

However, the quality of the sound you hear will depend on a couple of factors. The first is the format and quality of the track you’re playing. In 2023, Tidal made some changes to its service. Before then, it was really its Masters tracks. These had an MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) format. This claims to be a superior format, but not everyone is a fan and not all audio devices support MQA decoding. This could be why Tidal has since moved its focus away from MQA, and no longer seems to refer to tracks as Masters. It now instead calls these higher quality tracks Max tracks or just HiRes tracks.

Tidal says it now offers the best quality version of these tracks, which might be FLAC, or it might be MQA. These tracks are now labelled as HiRes in the Tidal app. Go to Explore and scroll down to HiRes to see them. What seems to be happening here is Tidal is migrating tracks to lossless hi-res audio in the open-source FLAC format. So now you’ll play a HiRes track and it might be MQA or not. Take a look at the image above and you’ll see that Water by Tyla has a small MQA label. Whereas Back on 74 by Jungle has a 24-bit, 44.1Hz FLAC label.

It’s also worth mentioning FLAC will never sound quite as good through an average mobile device's headphone jack as it does from a device with more competent audio hardware. That means you might want to upgrade your headphones or sound system to really make the most of Tidal HiFi Plus if you don’t have compatible tech already. If you don’t want to do that, definitely consider saving your money and settling for Tidal HiFi, or even opting for a cheaper streaming option instead, like Spotify.

With Tidal HiFi Plus, you’ll also get Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio. These are spatial sound formats that place sounds around, creating a more immersive experience. However, this isn’t new or unique to Tidal. Apple Music actually offers a similar experience and during testing I couldn’t tell that much of a difference between them in terms of how immersive they are – then again I’m not a huge fan of spatial sound and don’t think it always adds to the experience. That could be a personal preference, but it’s worth considering if you’re agonizing over whether to pick HiFi or HiFi Plus.

Should I subscribe to Tidal?

Subscribe if…

Don’t subscribe if...