If you want to stream music to your iPod or other music player at CD quality, then you’ll have to find a way to get your music from a variety of sources. For instance, you could get your music from Spotify, Amazon Music HD, Tidal, Qobuz, or Deezer.

Amazon Music HD

The best way to choose between Amazon Music HD and Spotify is to figure out what you want from your music service. If you are looking for something that is easy to use, ad free, and has a large library of songs, then you may want to go with Spotify. However, if you are an audiophile who is looking for a high-resolution audio stream, then Amazon Music HD might be a better fit for you.

One of the major differences between these services is that while Amazon Music HD is only available to Amazon Prime members, Spotify can be used by anybody. Plus, it also offers a 30-day trial, so you can try it for free.

Another important feature to look for is the ability to play your content offline. You can also get recommendations based on what other users like.

While both services offer a wide range of music, it is only Amazon Music HD that offers lossless audio. To get this, you will need a high-quality audio device and an internet connection that can support up to 1.5 Mbps. Also, keep in mind that you must download the music files before you can listen to them on your device.

Lastly, it is important to note that Spotify provides more options for discovering new music. Instead of presenting songs in a list, Spotify presents them in an organized manner. This includes suggestions, curated playlists, and stations. It also offers personalized daily mixes.

In addition to streaming music, Amazon also offers a podcast service. The site has more than one million available podcasts, and there are also a variety of podcasts available on iTunes.

Overall, both services offer high-quality audio, but the Amazon Music HD service is only available to Amazon Prime members, while Spotify offers an ad-free experience with a large catalog of songs.

Deezer

Deezer is a competitor to Spotify. Both have millions of songs. But if you are looking for high-fidelity audio, Deezer is the better option. Unlike Spotify, Deezer offers lossless audio that can be played back using a CD player.

There are also a few unique features that can help you discover new music. Among the features, a personalized playlist called “Discover Weekly” uses 30 new tunes every week. Another is called “Hear This.” It monitors your listening habits and shows you which songs you listen to the most. You can even save these songs to your library.

Other features include ad-free music and offline playback. In addition, you can upload your favorite tracks and catalogs from other services to your own. Plus, you can find more local music than any other audio-streaming service.

Using the same service, you can find podcasts and audiobooks. Deezer is available in 188 countries. It also offers an offline attribute, which allows you to listen to up to 3,333 tracks on your device offline. However, the standard plan is only available in a few countries, including the US.

Deezer also offers a feature called “Hear This” that recommends songs you might like based on your listening habits. It’s similar to Apple Music’s recommended podcasts, but there’s a caveat.

Compared to other streaming services, Deezer does a much better job of suggesting content. They have a wide range of genres and categories to choose from. Some features to look for include the #MyDeezerYear feature and the Discovery Mode tool. The first helps you find new artists, while the second allows you to find artists you haven’t heard of.

Whether you are a music lover or just want to stay on top of the latest albums, you can count on Deezer to keep you entertained. Depending on what you want, you can get a free tier, or sign up for a Premium or Family plan.

Tidal

Tidal is a popular music streaming service that has gained a lot of fans and musicians. It provides high quality audio for a premium subscription. In addition, it has a wide selection of artists and genres. However, it is not as social as Spotify, and it lacks certain features.

Although both services offer a variety of music, Tidal is more focused on sound quality. That is why it offers high resolution, lossless audio. Plus, it offers a few unique features that are not available with Spotify.

For instance, it uses MQA to give you the highest quality possible when listening to songs. And it also gives you a choice of four different quality settings. These include Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), Standard, HiFi and Master. Each has its own benefits.

Compared to Spotify, Tidal also gives you more detailed information on a song. You can view its history, listen to the track in the background, and read articles on the artist. There is a feature called Behind the Lyrics, which shows a video of the song’s story. But that feature only works if the artist has uploaded lyrics to the service.

Tidal also has an extensive collection of videos. The Hip-Hop section offers many playlists. Also, users can watch live-streamed concerts.

Tidal supports Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay, and it is also available on Android TV. Furthermore, it offers a number of exclusive deals with well-known artists.

Tidal is also part-owned by several big-name artists, including Jay-Z. This is beneficial for musicians, as it allows them to receive a portion of their subscription fees.

While both services have a similar look and feel, Tidal has an edge when it comes to exclusive releases. Many of the biggest artists release their material on Tidal first.

Qobuz

Qobuz is a music streaming service that offers Hi-Res and lossless music in the form of FLAC files. It is similar to services such as Spotify and Amazon Music, but it is slightly more expensive.

Qobuz offers a variety of different plans. You can use it to stream music to your home or you can download songs to listen on your own. With each plan, you will receive the same high-quality streaming experience. Streaming rates range from 320 kbps to 9,216 kbps.

The Qobuz desktop app is well-designed. It allows you to browse tracks by artist, genre, or record label. In addition, you can create custom playlists. This makes it easy to find tracks by mood or type of music.

The Qobuz catalog is extensive. There is a wide selection of classical, jazz, and rock. However, it does not include a great deal of indie music. For those who are looking for new artists, you may want to look elsewhere.

There is also a feature that allows you to create collaborative playlists. If you are working with others, you can make a playlist that is tailored to their musical tastes.

While the user interface is functional, it needs a little work. Some of the menus and buttons are complicated and confusing.

Compared to other streaming services, Qobuz has a large selection of Hi-Res and lossless music. It also features a large catalogue of classic albums. But it’s not always clear how to find a particular song or artist.

One downside is that Qobuz is limited in the number of countries it supports. If you live in a country that isn’t supported, you can still access the service by using a VPN.

CD-quality streaming is a real pain

It’s not as easy as it sounds to find music on Spotify. Some users complain about the quality of the streaming service’s normalization and loudness of the music. The company claims its streaming is better than most purchased MP3 titles.

Despite its flaws, Spotify’s Premium tier offers a decent selection of music. Its catalog includes over 75 million songs. There is also an HD tier that features immersive audio streams.

There is one big downside to Spotify’s lossless streaming: its selections are in compressed Ogg Vorbis. So you have to choose your favorites carefully.

The company announced a new lossless tier called the Hi-Res Premium, which offers 48 KHz/24 bit streams. However, the company has yet to reveal the price.

Another service, Qobuz, boasts the world’s largest catalog of CD-quality lossless albums. While its catalogue may be a step up from Spotify’s, its app had some issues in the early days.

Tidal has also entered the fray. The company promises CD quality in its upcoming hi-res tier.

The company hasn’t revealed the name of the new tier, but it is rumored to feature MQA Masters. As with Spotify’s Hi-Res Premium, it may be an add-on to a current Premium subscription.

It’s also possible that Tidal will offer CD-quality FLAC streams. This could put the company on a collision course with its rivals.

If this service is successful, it could be the first step towards a fully blown high fidelity music streaming service. In other words, it may revolutionize the industry.

Until then, music fans and audiophiles are left to fend for themselves. Luckily, there are services like CD Baby that make it simple to take the music out of your favorite streaming services.