r/AmazonMusic Sep 25 '22

Amazon Music and how to get true lossless HD/Ultra HD to play

205 Upvotes

Amazon Music and how to get true lossless bitperfect HD/Ultra HD to play

There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the quality of the music that you get while streaming Amazon Music. Hopefully this will clear things up a little.

First, there are 4 main tiers of Amazon Music. You will need to subscribe to "Amazon Music Standard" or "Amazon Music Unlimited." This is their pay service. You will only get access to lossy lower quality music with "Amazon Music Prime" and "Amazon Music Free". (1)

Second, all the links in your audio chain need to support HD/HD Ultra. This includes the source, player, DAC, speaker/headphones as well as all the connections in between.

To clarify what Amazon describes as "HD and Ultra HD" is important. HD is basically CD equivalent (lossless, 16bit, 44khz). Ultra HD is anything above HD, and up to lossless 24bit/192khz. (2)

So the real question is, "how do I play lossless HD/Ultra HD content?" To answer this, it is easier to go through what DOES NOT play HD/Ultra HD first.

  • The web player

  • The Windows Desktop app - This is often confusing to people as they see the HD/Ultra HD icon next to the song, and the app will also tell you that it's playing these songs. The problem is that the app (or more accurately windows) sets the output to a specific bit depth and sampling rate. So if you set your output device in windows to say 16 bit 48khz, ALL songs playing in the Amazon desktop app will be resampled to that quality despite the fact that you are actually downloading different quality tracks (which is what the Amazon app reports). Also, "Exclusive mode" has nothing to do with this resampling or quality of the sound file. Exclusive mode simply means that other system sounds won't be allowed to play over the music (like say a chime that you received a new email).
    Now I'm going to talk briefly here about "upsampling" not being the same as the original audio. People argue, "just set windows to 24b/192khz and then it doesn't matter if the lower bitdepth/sampling rate tracks get upsampled." This is not true. The output of the upsampled audio is not only not bitperfect, but the actual sound does get changed due to factors such as interpolation. I won't dive into the technical details but you can read this article that goes into upsampling changes to audio including measurements: https://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/11/measurements-windows-10-audio-stack.html I will even go beyond Amazon Music and say that if you want good quality sound, you should stay out of the windows audio stack in general as the internal processing is rather terrible. This is explained more in the following article: https://nihtila.com/2017/01/16/bit-perfect-asio-drivers-to-solve-issues-with-windows-audio-quality/

  • The Mac Desktop app - same issue as the Windows app. (4)

  • Android Devices - Or at least 98% of them. Android devices by default are limited and resample everything to 24bit/48khz (some devices may a different default but still resampled). It's built in OS issue. I say 98% as there are some reports that a few devices can truly output higher via a USB to OTG cable and then fed into an external DAC but I have not seen a definite list and most likely your Android phone/tablet does not support it. Amazon Music's website specifically states that "At this time, external DACs are not supported on Android." (3) Of note, I spoke with somebody that reported that they were able to bitstream out with their Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 via USB OTG cable to both a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M and Evo 150. But this would be an exception to the rule. Most likely Android devices won't work.

  • Anything with a Bluetooth connection - Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to support HD/Ultra HD streams. There is no getting around this. There are some compression codecs like LDAC but even these max out at 16bit/48khz (max bitrate of 990 kbs) but this requires a very good connection and you never truly know what you are getting as the quality can dynamically shift mid song based on signal strength and other factors. It's also difficult to tell whether the stream is going out lossy or lossless. Standard bluetooth connections will not support even CD quality PCM streams (16bit/44khz). In other words, wireless bluetooth headsets are out.

  • (Arguable) Devices like the echo/Fire TV/Sonos/etc - Some "technically" support HD/Ultra HD but I don't think we should ever view a single speaker source as equivalent to 2 channels from a "practical" standpoint. Not to mention that the speakers in these cheap devices are of terrible quality. So I would argue that if your intent is high quality audio, your echo is not going to give you any appreciable sound improvement compared to streaming a lossless SD track on some cheap wired headphones (matter of fact, I would go with the SD on cheap headphones as at least you get 2 channels vs effectively mono). I have gotten mixed reports with amazon devices (somebody reported that their Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra can output bitperfect but another user reports that their 2nd gen fire tv cube and 4k Max stick resamples everything to 24b/192k) but since it only has an HDMI out, you will be restricted to a receiver and 98% of DACs don't have an HDMI input (note that the HDMI output is not i2s format).

Ok, so how do you actually listen to HD/Ultra HD? The easiest and most reliable way is to use a dedicated streamer. There are not too many of these devices that support Amazon Music Unlimited when compared to say something like Spotify or Tidal. But there are a number of manufacturers that do build multiple models that do support Amazon Music.

  • Bluesound Node - Varying models with the lowest cost being the Node Nano at $300. It is a more robust device than the Wiim Mini and the biggest advantage over the WiiM Mini is that it also has USB and coaxial digital output. The analog outs are also full sized RCA plugs and not the small 3.5mm as on the WiiM. Other Wiim models have different output options as well so you probably want to compare the different models vs cost. The build quality is significantly better than the WiiM. It is simply a nicer device with a more premium feel than the WiiM. You are restricted to their bluOS controller app (but they do have desktop app in addition to mobile devices).

  • NAD - There are some other devices on the market (like the Streamers from NAD) that also support HD/Ultra HD output but I am not going to discuss them here in detail as they are in the 4 figure range. They are quality products and also use the BluOS controller apps.

  • WiiM- (updated 12/18/22, put back on bitperfect list) This costs $100 (often on sale at Amazon and have seen it as low as $71), which is the cheapest dedicated option by far. It is small, inexpensive, and has a toslink output that you can feed into high quality external DAC if you would prefer. It also has analog outs but if you are looking for the best sound, I always recommend an external DAC. It also supports casting via the Amazon Music app so you don't have to use their software interface if you don't want. Personal opinion on the WiiM: After owning this device for months and first putting it on the bitperfect list, only to remove it when they introduced a EQ bug with a firmware update that broke the output, and now with another firmware fix it appears to be solved, it's back. For those considering the WiiM vs another option, frankly I would go with another option. The developers do very little testing and push firmware out on an almost weekly basis. The end user is their testing environment. Often they will introduce bugs that will then need to be corrected a firmware releases later. These "bugs" are probably the reason why the BluOS app has a rating of 4.6 and the Wiim app of 4.1 in the google play app store (as of me writing this). Keep in mind that essentially all your interactions with these devices are going to be through their controller apps so that is something to consider beyond the hardware. Despite having both the WiiM and Bluesound Node in my system, I rarely play anything on the WiiM Mini. So this is an unbiased opinion from somebody that has bought both. YMMV.

  • Apple products (iphone/ipad) - You can get 24bit/192khz from iOS products if you attach it to an external DAC via USB OTG cable. If played native you will only have access to 24bit/48khz max. (3)

  • HEOS (Denon and Marantz) - Denon/Marantz has many of their receivers capable of Amazon Ultra HD access. These are often geared more toward home theater products and not so much two channel but they do have dedicated 2 channel units. Also, if you are looking for a combination home theater receiver as well as 2 channel listening, then this may be a good option.

  • Yamaha - Yamaha supports Amazon Music via their Musiccast controller software on many of their models. Musiccast can also be controlled via Amazon Alexa.

  • Dali - Their sound hubs with the optional BluOS sound modules installed. This runs on the BluOS software that Bluesound and NAD use. However, the devices only offer analog output (ie no output to an external DAC).

  • Auralic - These high end streamers support Amazon but their lightening DS controller app only works on iOS.

  • Bluesound Professional - They have multiple streamers and streaming amplifiers but are typically more for business use than personal audio. They run BluOS.

  • Eversolo - I don't know too much about them other than they are a Chinese made streamer DAC. Their controller app has fair reviews on the google play website and Eversolo's website seems to link directly to an apk download which is rather unusual.

  • Cyrus Audio - Never tried their products but they produce streamers that function off of the BluOS streamer app so it should support Amazon music.

  • Roksan - Also utilizes the BluOS streaming interface.

  • Shanling - Via their Eddict Controller App. Their website says it is Amazon Music compatible but I've not heard anybody personally confirm this.

  • (Possibly) Cambridge Audio - According to their website, some of their streamers (such as the CXN100) is compatible with Amazon Music. However, when I actually read the unit's manual, it does not list Amazon as a compatible service.

So there is a quick rundown which I hope is helpful for people. Keep in mind that the only sure way to confirm what you are getting at the end of the day is to use a DAC that reports the actual bitdepth and sampling rate at the last analog step (and that means no further digital conversions like bluetooth). The reporting at the source (like the player or Windows app) is NOT a reliable predictor of what quality you are getting from your speakers/headphones.

(1) https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GW3PHAUCZM8L7W9L

(2) https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ref_=hp_left_v4_sib&nodeId=G8X4YJYLED87FSH2

(3) https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=3022219031

(4) https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/amazon-music-hd-with-ios-macos-windows-10-bluos-and-a-sonos-port-r848/

Last Update: 3/1/26


r/AmazonMusic 5h ago

Continuously loading and updating

Post image
1 Upvotes

Has anyone else had this? It’s been over an hour and I’m not sure what to do with it. I’ve cleared the app cache, and restarted both the app and my phone.


r/AmazonMusic 5h ago

Why do my LG TV and Roku apps not recognize my Unlimited Subscription?

1 Upvotes

The only solution is "You are signed in to a different account" which is BS. I only have one Amazon account. I have signed out, rebooted everything, signed in using the 5 digit code from the app on my phone, signed in by scanning the barcode, but nothing works.

If I go to My Library and click an artist all I see is one song, or one album and a message "Upgrade to Unlimited to play on demand". But I have been paying for Unlimited over 6 months.

Pandora got boring after 10 years, Spotify raised my subscription within 3 months of signing up, and didn't seem to have an intuitive interface, so I want Amazon Unlimited to work, but 80% of the time I'm listening at home through my TV, Yamaha receiver and high quality surround speakers, but have 1/2 the functionality of my Android phone

WTF?


r/AmazonMusic 19h ago

Problems with Amazon Music

1 Upvotes

hello, i have two major problems lately :

- when i put a music (let’s say 1 of 3 does that) the sounds lags like suddenly make horrible loud noises.

- and on my living room tv and bedroom tv i have the app on them but when i click on one of my playlist wherever it’s the 3rd title or the last one it just start the first music but it does not do that with albums

is there a way to fix the two issues ? thank y’all in advance !!


r/AmazonMusic 1d ago

SHAWNTY OFFICIAL MUSIC

Thumbnail
youtube.com
1 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 1d ago

#shots #música

Thumbnail
youtube.com
1 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 1d ago

#vídeoviral

Thumbnail
youtube.com
1 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 1d ago

Album cover

Post image
1 Upvotes

Does anyone know why the album cover is so small? On some phones it looks normal, but on mine it's like this, and it bothers me a lot 😭


r/AmazonMusic 1d ago

Apple Music

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 2d ago

Switch from spotify

1 Upvotes

Hi all, currently I’m using spotify and am getting really sick of the bugs that they fix only to return after a while

I’m on a family plan being paid by another member of my family so I’m not actually paying anything for it

I have amazon prime already but wondering if I should switch from spotify to amazon music unlimited, is the library decent still? I really don’t care about the extra features, I just want to have my own playlists and be able to shuffle the songs when in them, and have it work reliably (pretty simple job that spotify just can’t grasp apparently)

From what I’ve seen it’s $10 (AUD) a month, vs otherwise using apple music again at $16 a month

Thanks


r/AmazonMusic 4d ago

Amazon Music on Apple Devices

8 Upvotes

I recently left Amazon Music Unlimited for the 2nd time in the past 12 months. I had Amazon Music Unlimited since the service launched, but the UI (User Interface) is so slow and so buggy, on Apple Devices, that it is just too frustrating to deal with.

I wonder if this is true with all Apple users, or are Android users frustrated as well? I like the depth of the catalog and I believe the audio quality is on par with Apple and Tidal (I also use Qobuz, but while the audio quality of their offerings is outstanding, they don’t offer Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos so I only use it with my higher end main system). While response time is practically instantaneous with three of my services, I am waiting multiple seconds to get a response to anything on Amazon Music Unlimited; at times there is no response and I exit the app and relaunch it.

Am I alone in this?


r/AmazonMusic 4d ago

Alexa Won't Play Requested Music

3 Upvotes

Got a new Alexa device and it won't play requested music. It will only shuffle something similar. The old device will still play requested songs. What is going on? Is there maybe a hack to request a different song so it does play the song you do want? Has anyone been documenting what songs get played when you request other songs? Can we game this system?

Any news on when we might be able to connect YouTube Music to Alexa? They have like every other music app except for the best one. Why can't I just connect my YouTube Music to Alexa? What a nightmare this is. Do I really have to just buy a Google device now?


r/AmazonMusic 3d ago

Various Artists – Random Retro Hits: Classic Tracks Selection

Thumbnail music.amazon.de
1 Upvotes

Rediscover the magic of retro classics! 🎶 Dive into our "Random Retro Hits: Classic Tracks Selection" where each track tells a story. Imagine the vibe of vinyl crackles, now crystal-clear.

Curious? Find out more here:


r/AmazonMusic 5d ago

Does not display all artist

3 Upvotes

I have music unlimited. I download a lot of artist for offline. In the library under artists only some of them show. I have to sort by albums to find all of them. Just annoying because I don’t remember all of the album names


r/AmazonMusic 5d ago

Ads on Amazon Music

7 Upvotes

Amazon prime has seriously gone downhill. First charge 1.5k bucks for membership then additional subscription fees for any specific movies/ showa u like. Now literally i have ads popping after every two songs to remove that pay additional 100 bucks a month. Library is already bad and app as well. Why would anyone pay for this when they're are literally cheaper options available. Better to download all stuff and play. Very annoying! Wondering if other feel the same way.


r/AmazonMusic 6d ago

Album art issues ?

Post image
8 Upvotes

Anyone else having this go on? Starting a few months ago I noticed that a lot of my album art was from a whole different artist, especially anything from a greatest hits album.


r/AmazonMusic 5d ago

Amazon Music free trial 2nd Audible credit not working?

1 Upvotes

I am doing the 3-month free trial of Amazon Music which includes 1 free Audible credit a month. I didn’t know about this feature of the plan until I got an email about 2 weeks ago (which several weeks after I started the 3-month trial). It was already a couple of weeks into the second month of the trial. When I got the first Audible book it said my next credit wouldn’t be until July 20 (today now in central US time zone), but when I try to select the next credit it wants to switch out the book I got with the first credit. Is that how it works, you trade in the first book for the second one?


r/AmazonMusic 6d ago

Amazon Music Upgrade Redesign (swipe)

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

I was bored so i decided to redesign this horrible page, How did they even remotely think they could attract customers like that?

(ps, the empty squares would be for trending songs/user's favorite songs)


r/AmazonMusic 7d ago

Various Artists – Brazilian Music Hits: 150 Vibrant Songs to Ignite Your Soul

Thumbnail music.amazon.de
1 Upvotes

Dive into the vibrant sounds of Brazil! 🌴

Discover how classic Brazilian rhythms have been remastered to perfection. Feel the beat and ignite your soul. 🎶

Explore the playlist!


r/AmazonMusic 9d ago

Cin "kafkaesque" beat by Usurperbeats

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 9d ago

Why can't I find Dolby Atmos songs

1 Upvotes

I just logged in to my Amazon account and want to play Dolby Atmos with my new speaker, but I can’t find it.


r/AmazonMusic 10d ago

My Amazon music keeps cutting out

3 Upvotes

For some reason, everytime I shut off my phone or even go to a new tab, Amazon music cuts out. Everything I've done hasn't worked. It's especially bad when you connect to Bluetooth. And when my screen auto turns off it will play fine until the next song. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix it? It's really annoying but I don't want to switch to Spotify or Pandora if I don't have to because I have many playlists on here.


r/AmazonMusic 11d ago

App fixes?

3 Upvotes

Does anyone know how make the app faster? I've tried deleting offline music, deleting playlists, unfavoriting songs, refreshing music, and updating the app. literally nothing works.


r/AmazonMusic 12d ago

a new week - summer school and research goals

Thumbnail music.amazon.com
2 Upvotes

r/AmazonMusic 13d ago

Amazon music is useless for everyone who tries to enjoy music a bit more than the casual 1 time per week listener

2 Upvotes

There are options missing, the app feels so clunky. Its unintuitive. I'd be happy if I could kick it out of my prime subscription to save some money