Amazon Music adds CD Quality and HiRes streams as part of Amazon’s new premium service, Amazon Music HD. Available in the US, UK, Germany and Japan subscribers will be able to access 50 million songs in High Definition (CD Quality) and ‘millions of songs’ in Ultra High Definition (HiRes). Subscriptions start at $12.99/month for new subscribers and current subscribers to Amazon Music pay $5/month plus their regular plan fee in the US. In the UK plans are £12.99/month for Prime members or £14.99/month for Amazon customers, Existing UK Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers (Individual or Family Plan) can upgrade to Amazon Music HD for an additional £5/month.
For a limited time, Amazon Music subscribers in the US, UK, Germany and Japan can upgrade to Amazon Music HD for 90 days at no additional cost and new subscribers can receive a 90-day free trial.
Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music, said “We spoke with many artists while developing Amazon Music HD, who were excited about the potential for fans to be able to stream their favorite music, and hear it as it was originally recorded. From rock to hip-hop to classical and pop, we believe listening to music at this level of sound will make customers fall in love again with their favorite music and artists. As we usher in a new listening experience for our customers and the industry, we’re combining the convenience of streaming with all of the emotion, power, clarity and nuance of the original recordings.”
Rock icon and HiRes evangelist Neil Young said, “Earth will be changed forever when Amazon introduces high quality streaming to the masses. This will be the biggest thing to happen in music since the introduction of digital audio 40 years ago.”
What audio quality does Amazon Music HD support?
Amazon Music HD offers lossless audio in two quality ranges – HD and Ultra HD.
HD tracks are 16-bit audio, with a minimum sample rate of 44.1 kHz (CD Quality) and an average bitrate of 850 kbps. Ultra HD tracks have a bit depth of 24 bits, with sample rates ranging from 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz, and an average bitrate of 3730 kbps (HiRes).
In comparison, most standard streaming services such as Spotify currently offer Standard Definition (SD) with a bitrate up to 320 kbps. These audio files use lossy compression, where details of the original audio are removed in order to reduce the file size. Amazon Music HD preserves the original recording information to deliver the highest quality sound available, more than 2x the bitrate in HD and more than 10x the bitrate at the highest Ultra HD bitrate. Amazon Music HD will always play the highest quality content available, based on network, device capability and your selected settings.
Which devices support Amazon Music HD?
- Alexa-enabled Echo devices (2nd generation and later), Fire TVs and Fire Tablets all support HD quality audio. For more information on Alexa-enabled Amazon devices go here.
- Most iPhones and iPads released since 2014 (devices running on iOS 11, or later) can support HD/Ultra HD (up to 24-bit, 48kHz) without any additional equipment. In order to play songs at higher sample rates (96 or 192 kHz), iPhone customers can connect an external DAC capable of supporting those higher sample rates. Apple AirPlay supports HD quality playback.
- Most Android devices released since 2014 can support HD/Ultra HD playback (up to 48kHz). Your device needs to run on Android Lollipop or later. At this time Amazon Music HD is not supported on Google Cast.
- Any Mac from 2013 or later supports HD/Ultra HD. However, adjusting the default Mac audio settings is required to listen in the highest quality:
- Go to Applications/Utilities folder
- Open “Audio MIDI Setup.app”
- Update speaker or headphone “Format” setting to the highest sample rate for 24-bit (96 kHz or 192 kHz)
- PC support for HD/Ultra HD playback depends on the built-in audio player and DAC, which varies by device.
- Home audio devices, including receivers, amplifiers, speakers, and sound bars. A list of Amazon’s preferred partners can be found here or if your device is not listed you may still be able to play Amazon Music HD through a wired or wireless connection.
- Some wireless headphones and Android devices that use advanced Bluetooth with either the Qualcomm aptX/aptX HD or Sony LDAC wireless standards can support HD/Ultra HD playback (up to 24-bit, 48kHz).
How big are Amazon Music HD files?
The size of a downloaded song depends on the file’s bit depth, sampling frequency, and compression codec used, with higher-quality lossless files being larger in size. Examples of file sizes for a 3½ minute song are:
- SD (lossy): 9 MB
- HD (lossless, 44.1 kHz sample rate): 51 MB
- Ultra HD (lossless, max 192 kHz sample rate): 153 MB
What internet connection do you need?
Amazon recommend a steady internet connection of 1.5 to 2 Mbps for HD streaming and 5 to 10 Mbps for Ultra HD streaming. For data usage purposes, HD audio typically consumes up to 5.5 MB of data per minute, and Ultra HD audio up to 12 MB of data per minute (when listening at the highest sample rates).
How to find out the audio quality of a song?
When listening to music on Amazon Music HD, you can tap/click on the SD/HD/Ultra HD badge on the Now Playing screen and view the following streaming details:
- Track quality – The highest-quality file available for that track in the Amazon Music HD catalogue.
- Device capability – The highest-quality audio that your device operating system reports that it is capable of.
- Currently playing at – The quality of the source file of the currently playing track. For streaming, the current source file quality may change due to varying network conditions.
To learn more about Amazon Music HD, visit amazon.com/music/unlimited/hd.
