Compare that with Qobuz where every track is at least 44.1/16, and many are true higher-resolution tracks, and you begin to see that Amazon Music HD is not as fully fleshed out as other services. For anything above Red Book 44.1/16, this badge will read “Ultra HD,” but many may be only 44.1/24. To find a track that is really HD quality, you have to look for the “Ultra HD” logos. Amazon HD simply is not HD! When you click on the cool “HD” logo next to an “HD track” you will find it is 44.1/16, which is Red Book CD, but not HD quality. Amazon, you may be big, but even you aren’t big enough to go reinventing the meaning of technical terms without some serious pushback. So if you are devotee of playlists, Amazon Music HD has plenty for you. Naturally I was flattered that Amazon took such an interest, and it was much easier to find palatable playlists than individual albums. Under “Playlists for You” Amazon Music HD had 99 playlists available for me. Amazon Music HD has entire pages of pre-prepared playlists for streaming. You must go to the very bottom of the page to find new HD and “Ultra HD” music options. While Tidal’s streaming service is often accused of being tilted too much toward current pop music, Amazon Music HD’s home page can be accused of the same thing-the primary spots near the top of the page were all for new pop music or albums you have played recently. While Amazon HD does have “genre specific” options for its search, just like other streaming services, the closest I found to the bluegrass and roots genres was “folk,” which was populated by far more international roots than domestic roots offerings. While I saw many novel offerings from international artists that I have never heard before, I also found it harder to find and populate my Amazon HD playlist with many of my favorite older and less well-known folk, blues, classical, and jazz artists. Amazon music and Amazon Music HD are not designed for audiophiles, but for pop music fans! Depending on your musical tastes, you may find it a welcoming bastion for pop, but less welcoming for roots, Americana, classical, jazz, and small-label releases. I’ll begin with something that may or may not surprise you. What this article will not be is a tutorial for Amazon Music HD. Since we are an audiophile publication, we will look not only at ergonomics and catalog accessibility and depth, but also at sound quality differences, if they exist. The question of whether Amazon Music would be a better option for you depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is how you feel about Amazon, Alexa, and smart devices in general. If not a Prime member, then Qobuz new “Studio Premier” at $14.99 per month is currently the least expensive true high-resolution-capable streaming service. Amazon has priced its HD music service at $12.99 per month for Prime users and $15.99 for everyone else, which places it under Qobuz’s and Tidal’s monthly fees if you are already a Prime user. This streaming service, like all things Amazonian, wants to be the 500-pound gorilla that stomps into the quiet forest glen of high-resolution music streaming and claims it for chimps everywhere. U nless you are still one of those holdouts with a dial-up modem, you’ve probably heard about and perhaps considered trying Amazon Music and Amazon Music HD.
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