Now that Apple and Amazon offer hi-res audio streaming for free, when will other platforms follow suit?
Hi-res audio: once the preserve of obsessive audiophiles who spend all their extra cash on the very best headphones and pricey Tidal subscriptions, the best-sounding music is becoming a little more attainable thanks to Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. Both companies announced that they would be bringing hi-res audio to their streaming platforms at no extra cost to subscribers, in a surprising move that’s bound to shake up rivals like Spotify, Tidal, and Deezer. To our knowledge, it’s the first time that a music streaming service has offered hi-res audio without tacking on a premium price tag – and in the case of Amazon, it’s actually made its existing, more expensive hi-res tier ( Amazon Music HD) free for all subscribers. So, will the other major streaming services follow suit? We think it’s about time. Hi-res audio is lossless audio that’s capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better-than-CD quality music sources. In other words, hi-res music files closely replicate the sound created in the studio at the time of recording, revealing far more detail and clarity in the music than ‘lossy’ formats like MP3.
