Hi-Res Audio is no longer an audiophile-only musical experience but one of more engaging and exciting news of the most famous streaming services, such as Apple Music, Tidal Hi-Fi, Qobuz, and Amazon Music Unlimited. Instead, Spotify Hi-Fi was supposed to hit the market by the end of 2021, but it didn’t and is therefore expected to arrive in the coming months.
As you can easily guess from the terms involved, the so-called hi-res (olution) audio offers a better listening quality which translates into an increase in details, nuances, scene width and other elements capable of contributing to the creation of a vivid and close to reality musical experience.
However, all this has some limitations. The first is that with some exceptions, which we will explain later, you cannot have a complete experience of this technology with a common smartphone paired with Bluetooth headsets. These are usually limited to support Aac and Sbc codecs, which like the historical MP3 in data compression are forced to eliminate a fair amount. Secondly, regardless of the audio format or how the music track was recorded, without quality devices, when listening, the differences with the standard resolution become less.
Of course there’s no need to bother with the world of high fidelity and McIntosh components either an expensive Linn Series 3: just a good pair of wired headphones or a suitable wireless speaker is enough. In summary: mid-range audio products allow you to detect differences between a normal track and a high resolution one, but as you go up in performance you enter a new dimension.
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The formats of hi-res streaming
Consumer Electronics Association, The Recording Academy (that of the Grammys) and record companies in 2014 defined hi-res as “lossless audio capable of reproduce the full range of sounds from recordings that have been mastered from music sources of higher quality than cd “. It means that every high resolution audio format must have a sampling frequency higher than the 16 bit / 44.1 kHz of the cd. The numbers are not clear, but is like establishing the level of detail of the coordinates that allow to reproduce the sound: a sort of geographical map more or less accurate. With the increase of the bits and the kHz, however, the size of the files also increases: an album in Mp3 can weigh about 60 Mb, while in hi-res format it can occupy a space 5 times higher.
The main high-resolution formats are Wav (which is that of CDs), Flac, Alac and Aiff. In reality there are many others, but the most popular, especially in the streaming field, remain Flac (la sigla sta per Free Lossless Audio Codec) and Alac (i.e. Apple Lossless Encoder) with sampling frequencies ranging from 16 bit / 44.1 kHz on cd to 24 bit / 352 kHz. This is truly a threshold of excellence, which is then difficult to distinguish textures and sound delicacies unless you have a good system.
Compatible devices
To fully enjoy hi-res, the ideal would be to use a network audio player for liquid music, such as a Marantz NA6006 or Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) to be paired with an amplifier and wired speakers. Or a wireless speaker using cloud technology and then Wi-Fi for access to streaming platforms: think of the Sonos ecosystem or that of B&W, Denon, Bose and other brands in the world of high fidelity. Yes, because we must remember that Bluetooth and AirPlay 2 technologies are normally not compatible with hi-res. Among the exceptions there are smartphones, headsets, devices and accessories that support Qualcomm aptX Hd or Sony Ldac technologies, which respectively manage hi-res up to the theoretical maximum of 24-bit / 96kHz and 32-bit / 96 kHz. The former is popular among mid-range and high-end Android products and accessories, while the latter is supported by headphones, soundbars, televisions and other devices especially of the Sony world. And then there is also the new generation of Sony Walkman, with some models that are nothing short of impressive for their technical care (and list price).
Apple Music
From June 2021, Apple Music boasts one of the largest music catalogs in hi-res format: Approximately 85 million tracks, excluding live radio and on-demand content from Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country. The reference format for is Alac, “con resolutions ranging from 16 bit / 44.1 kHz (cd quality) up to 24 bit / 192 kHz, “as explained by the company.
Not to be confused with the Dolby Atmos technologies and Space Audio, also introduced last year: in this case it is a surround experience that can only be used on Apple devices based on iOS, iPadOS, tvOS 14.6 and macOS 11.4 or higher.
Lo streaming audio lossless it is not supported by AirPods and Beats earphones and headphones (also from Apple) as they use the Bluetooth Aac codec, unless you use Apple’s Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter which supports lossless audio up to 24-bit / 48kHz. No problem with iPhone, iPad, CarPlay (via cable), MacBook Pro 14 and 16-inch (2021) using the built-in speakers or connecting via cable to headphones, receivers or amplified speakers.
On other Mac computers, Apple TV 4K or most Android devices, to exceed the 48 kHz threshold you need an external digital-to-analog converter. HomePod Mini on the other hand has native support and Apple Music hi-res tracks download is always possible on any device.
Finally, it is good to remember that Apple Music can be hosted on cloud platforms that bypass the problem of Bluetooth wireless by pointing directly to Wi-Fi. For example, by shopping speakers like Sonos and B&W, the respective software allows you to reproduce the hi-res tracks of Apple and all the main services on the market.
Apple Music provides hi-res sui tracks Student, Individual and Family subscription profiles, which cost 4.99, 9.99 and 14.99 euros per month respectively.
Tidal Hi-Fi
Tidal is one of the few streaming services that since its inception has focused on high-resolution audio. Today it boasts more than 70 million hi-res tracks and declines the offer in Hi-Fi and Hi-Fi Plus. The first formula involves the use of the Alac 1411 kbps or 16 bit / 44.1 kHz format, but you can configure the devices so that streaming playback is reduced to even the most common Aac at 320 kbps or worse. Tidal Hi-Fi Plus is for the super enthusiast, as it comes to deliver original master recordings (Mqa), authenticated by the record label or by the artist himself up to 24 bit / 352kHz; it also supports 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos on mobile devices. Of course, you can reduce the quality to consume less data.
Tidal Hifi and HiFi Plus are compatible with iPhone and iPad with iOS13 or higher; Android version 6 or later devices; Kindle Fire with Android version 4.4.4 or later; Mac and Windows computers and devices such as Google Chromecast, Sonos, Roon, Naim, Denon Heos, Apple Tv, Android Tv, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Ford Applink and Samsung CarConnect.
Warning: if a normal audio track weighs 2.5 Mb, a Hi-Fi Flac at 44.1 kHz reaches 20, while those Mqa Flac at 352 kHz at 26.25 Mb. Tidal reminds that “you don’t need a Dac to enjoy HiFi or Mqa”however, to take advantage of them to their full potential, an external digital-to-analog signal conversion device can enhance the experience.
Tidal Hifi offers a 30-day free trial, then it costs 9.99 euros per month; Tidal Hifi offers the same free period, then costs 19.99 per month.
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Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited offers 75 million Flac songs 16-bit / 44.1kHz in cd quality, which he calls HD, and over 7 million Flac tracks up to 24 bit / 192kHz, which he calls Ultra HD. It is a different subscription, available from September 2020 and more complete than the well-known Amazon Music Prime included in the Prime offer, which includes only 2 million tracks. Obviously, in addition to streaming, it allows the download of tracks on devices.
The service is compatible with iPhone and iPad; Android devices; Sony speakers, Sonos and many other models, but usually support stops at Flac 24-bit / 48kHz. To increase quality you need external units (Dac). The same goes for Windows or Mac computers or Amazon Fire devices. The service also includes tracks encoded in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio: “There is no doubt that to enjoy these songs to the fullest you need to invest a little more in a quality headset or in an adequate system, but quality it’s also evident using Echo Studio, “said Paul Firth, director of Amazon Music, during the presentation.
Amazon Music Unlimited costs 9.99 euros per month or 99 euros per year in the individual version; the 6-account family subscription costs € 14.99 per month. Finally there is the version that can only be combined with Echo Dot, Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Studio, Echo Input, Echo Spot, Fire TV which costs 3.99 euros per month. However, the hi-res experience with the various models, considering the equipment, may not be exciting.
Qobuz
Qobuz defines itself as “high fidelity streaming”, and indeed it is not a compromise service. The basic subscription, called Studio Premier, offers more than 70 million tracks in Flac 24-bit format up to 192 kHz, while the Studio Sublime adds the option of purchasing streaming and downloading tracks with discounts up to 60%. Yes, because it must be considered that streaming services offer on average the possibility of listening or even downloading tracks only as long as you are a subscriber or the license agreements signed with the relevant copyright holders do not expire. The purchase option on Qobuz provides a cd or hi-res e quality the absence of Drm, as well as full compatibility with Mac and PC: “The albums sold by Qobuz in Hi-Res 24-Bit quality come directly from the record labels. They are not Sacd recoded and their provenance is guaranteed. We avoid any suspicious manipulation”, underlined by the agency.
Qobuz is compatible with Mac, Windows, dispostici iOS, Android and there is also a version optimized for the Chrome browser. In addition, more and more devices are directly integrating the Qobuz Connect service by leveraging cloud technology. Think of Chromecast Audio, many B&O, Naim, Sony, Arcam products and basically most of the high fidelity brands that support liquid music.
The subscription to Studio Premier is free the first month, then you pay € 14.99 per month; the alternative is to pay 149.99 euros for one year in a single payment. Studio Sublime is declined in Solo, from 199.99 euros per year, Duo (two accounts) from 299.88 per year e Family (6 accounts) from 349.99 per year. The requirement is that the people who take advantage of the multi-account offers reside at the same address.
Final advice and considerations
The use of music in streaming via earphones and smartphones, or via computer and headphones are probably the most popular methods of use. Most of the services that offer hi-res allow a trial period, so the advice is to experiment with your equipment and test your ear. Some will not notice the differences from the standard reproduction, others will.
In principle, even if Bluetooth does not support hi-res, with a pair of mid-range or high-end earphones or headphones you can already spot many differences. Think of models like i Sony WF-1000XM4, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, B&W Pi7 or even Apple AirPods Max. And this is only the beginning.