A student plan is also available for $5.99/£5.99 month that comes with a free Apple TV+ subscription.īut we're not done! Apple Music also has a less-than-half-price plan (at $4.99/£4.99), called Apple Music Voice. This gives users the ability to listen to more than 90 million tracks in Lossless Audio at no extra cost.Īpple Music is priced at $10.99/£10.99 month for individuals and $16.99/£16.99 month for a family plan with up to 6 users. But since June 2021, Apple Music’s offering includes Lossless (in fact it has two self-styled variants 'Lossless' and 'Hi-Res Lossless' quality) and Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Up until a few years back, we’d have said there was little to set Apple Music apart from Spotify. There isn’t much clutter, although some of the icons on the mobile app feel a little too big for the screen – you’ll get a more superior experience on a desktop or tablet – but this isn’t a dealbreaker we’re just being picky. Also, Apple isn't backwards about coming forwards when it comes to telling you the extra benefits of using its own top tier AirPods Max or AirPods Pro – namely, personalized, head-tracked Spatial Audio.Īpps are slick and easy to use. While you don’t need a house-full of Apple products to use Apple Music, as you might expect, all of your Apple devices – as well as Apple’s smart assistant, Siri – work seamlessly with the company’s streaming service. You can also add all the music you currently own in iTunes to the service, so everything is in one place. Apple Music is geared towards helping you to discover new tracks and artists, whether that’s through recommendations, curated playlists or its 24/7 digital radio stations. It offers more than 90 million songs in its massive library, as well as music videos and exclusives – to be honest, there isn’t much you won’t find here. Tidal also offers 50% off its HiFi and HiFi Plus plans to students, with the same 30-day free trial to check it out.Īpple Music is the tech giant's streaming service. You might not notice a difference between Tidal and your music streaming service of choice here (because the file quality is capped), but plump for a paid-for subscription and you might soon realize what you’ve been missing out on. If you’re interested, start with the 30-day free trial (or, if you're lucky enough to live in the US, give Tidal's free tier, Tidal Free, a whirl). Tidal is one of the streaming services out there with lossless and high-res audio files that’ll do your love of music and top-notch audio set-up justice. Especially if you’ve already invested in the audio hardware – like a pair of the best noise-cancelling headphones. This will be a high price for some to pay, for others it’s a no-brainer. ![]() That means if you take your listening more seriously, you and its MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) files could be a match made in heaven.Īgain, although Tidal is better across the board, it’s the $19.99/£19.99 Tidal HiFi Plus streaming that makes the most sense and is the most significant jump in quality. The second is that listeners get a better deal too, thanks to superb CD-quality sound, especially if you’re willing to pay extra for Tidal’s highest-tier premium subscription, HiFi Plus. This means it gets a better deal (although not necessarily a great deal) for musicians, paying them higher than many services per stream. The first is that it’s billed as being artist-owned. Make sure you have a pair of the best headphones or best stereo speakers to make the most of the upgraded sound – oh, and if you're already immersed in Apple's ecosystem with an iPhone, AirPods and HomePod mini, say, Apple Music (with its Lossless and head-tracked Spatial Audio output which can be accessed by Siri) should definitely be your first port of call. So, we put together this guide to show you the best music streaming services to consider, covering everything from what we like and dislike about them to our experiences during testing them – and crucially, the audio quality they offer. We've used and tested every single one extensively. While Spotify has promised high-res audio for some time, services such Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music HD offer much better audio quality.Ĭhoosing the best music streaming service that’s worthy of your monthly subscription fee is easier than ever, but we'll make it even easier for you. But now it's got serious competition in 2023. ![]() Spotify used to be the primary option – and at one point, the only option – thanks to its vast library and easy-to-use platform.
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