Best music streaming services 2021: free streams to hi-res audio

Spotify remains comfortably the most popular and accessible way to get your music fix. Not only does it offer decent 320Kbps quality, but there ... Skiptomaincontent WhatHi-Fi?THEWORLD'S#1TECHBUYER'SGUIDE Search Subscribe RSS UKUSCanadaAustralia WhatHi-FiMagazineSubscriptionWhatHi-FiMagazine...Whysubscribe?ThebesthomeentertainmentbuyingadviceIn-depth,unbiased,expertreviewsIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoorFrom£4.99View News Reviews BestBuys Deals Advice Features Awards Forum More Awards Subscribe Newsletter Sound+Image AustralianHi-Fi trendingSkyGlassBestwirelessearbudsSpotifyHiFiPS5stockBestTV WhatHi-Fi?issupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore BestmusicstreamingservicesBuyingGuide:WelcometoWhatHi-Fi?'sround-upofthebestmusicstreamingservicesyoucansubscribetoin2021.Eventhosewithadeepaffinityforphysicalformatshavetoadmitthatit'shardtoresistthelureofmusicstreamingserviceswhenitcomestogettingyourmusicfix.Accesstotensofmillionsoftracksatthetapofatouchscreenmeansithasneverbeeneasiertohuntdownoldfavouritesordiscoverbrandnewbandsandartists.There'sawiderangeofstreamingservicestochoosefrom,withthosesuchasAmazon,Apple,Spotifyandour2021Award-winningserviceTidalofferingunlimitedaccesstohugecataloguesofmusic,whichcanbestreamedovertheinternetoramobilenetworkordownloadeddirectlytoyourdeviceforofflinelistening.Sohowmuchcanyouexpecttopay?Someservicesofferlimitedfreemusicapps(supportedbyadvertswithlimitedplaybackoptions)orfreetrialsofuptothreemonths,butinthemain,youpayasetmonthlysubscriptionfee.Thequalityofthesestreamsvariesbetweenservices.Thoseconcernedlessbytheoutrightqualityandmorewithgettingbangforyourbuckcanlistentocompressedstreamsat320kbpsfromthelikesofSpotify.Butyoudon'thavetosacrificequality.Tidal,DeezerandQobuzallhavesubscriptiontiersthatallowyoutoaccessCD-qualitystreamsand,wherethecontentisavailable,evenhi-resmusic. Inthepast,thisincreaseinqualityhastypicallycomewithanincreaseinsubscriptioncost,butApplerecentlywentrogueandaddedlosslessandhi-restrackstoAppleMusicwithoutchargingextra,sendingaripplethroughtheindustry.Amazonhasalreadyrespondedbydroppingtheextrachargeithadpreviouslyleviedforitshi-resandlosslesscontent,andonehastowonderifrivalswillfollowsuit.Inotherwords,theseareturbulenttimesformusicstreamingservices,butthey'realsoexcitingtimesforthoseofuswhoarestreamingthemusicascompetitionisgreaterthaneverbefore.Sowhichisthebestmusicstreamingserviceforyou?Readontofindout.BestBlackFridayhi-fiandaudiodeals–greatpricesongreatgearHi-resmusicstreamingservicescompared:whichshouldyousignupfor?12ofthebest-producedrecordingstotestyourspeakers(Imagecredit:Apple/Tidal)1.TidalHighqualityaudiowithwiderangeofcontent.SpecificationsCost:£9.99/mthor£19.99/mth(HiFitier)Quality:320kbps,CD-qualitystreaming,24-bit/96kHzFiles:FLAC,AACLibrarysize:60million+,millionsofhi-resaudioPlatforms:iOSandAndroidapps,desktopapp,webplayerReasonstobuy+Greatsoundquality+Hi-resMasterstracks+IntuitiveinterfaceReasonstoavoid-Hi-restierundercutbyAmazon Tidalhaslongbeenattheforefrontofhigh-qualitystreaming,buttheservicehasrecentlymadeseveralchangestoitspricingstructurethatseesitbecomingmoreaccessiblewiththeinclusionoflossless16-bit44.1kHzaudiostreamsinitsstandardplan. For£9.99/$9.99/AU$11.99permonth,subscriberstothenewlyrebranded‘TidalHiFi’plangetinterruption-freeaccesstoaudioatupto1411kbps(comparedto320kbpspreviously).However,therearestillsomeperksthatarereservedforTidal’stoptier.BesidesCD-qualitystreams,‘TidalHiFiPlus’affordsitssubscribersaccesstomillionsofhi-resaudiotracksthataretypically24-bit/96kHzbutdogoupto24-bit/192kHz.Called‘TidalMasters’,thesemusicfilesareencodedusingMQA(MasterQualityAuthenticated)technology,whichthecompanysays allowsformoreefficientpackingofthehi-resdata.  HiFiPluscosts£19.99/$19.99/AU$23.99permonthandalsoincludestracksmixedinimmersivesoundformats(DolbyAtmosMusic and Sony360Audio recordings). Buthi-resandCD-qualitystreamsaren’tthebe-allandend-allofTidal’soffering.CustomersintheUScantakeadvantageoftheservice’sfirst-everfreeplan,called‘TidalFree’,whichoffersthecompany’scompletelibraryof80milliontracksat160kbpswith“limitedinterruptions”fromTidalthatwill“aimtoeducateconsumersonthemusicindustry.”YoucanaccessTidalthroughiOS,Android,desktop–allofwhichofferhi-resstreams–aswellasabrowser-basedplayerandagoodspreadofotherplatforms,suchasSonos.TidalConnectalsonowallowsyoutoconnectviawi-fitoagrowinglistofproducts. Itmayhavethepriciestpremiumaccounttieronourlist,butTidal’seaseofuseisexemplary,andsoundqualityisexceptionalacrosstheboard.TheCD-qualitystreamsdisplayexcellentlevelsofdetailandexpression,andhi-resrecordingstakethisupalevel.SonicallyTidalstillhastheedgeoveralmostallthecompetition,althoughAppleMusic’sALACstreamsmanagetomatchitforopennessandsubtlety.Tidalisalsonowdistinguishingitselffromtherestofthepackbyintroducinginitiativesdesignedtoprovideartistswithdirectpayments(fromHiFiPlussubscribersonly) thatrepresenteachuser’slisteninghabitsratherthanbeingattributedbyaggregation. Ifyou’reaconscientiousmusicfanlookingforthebesthigh-qualitystreamingexperience,withanextensivecatalogue,immersivecontent,broaddevicesupport,improveddiscoveryfeatures(andyouaren’talreadytiedintotheAppleecosystem),Tidalisunquestionablyit.Readthefullreview:TidalTidalMasters(withMQA)reviewOurpickofthe bestTidalMastersalbums25Tidaltips,tricksandfeatures2.SpotifyEasytouseandtodiscovernewmusic.SpecificationsCost:£9.99/mth,£4.99(studenttier),£14.99(familytier)Quality:320kbpsFiles:MP3,M4P,MP4Librarysize:60million+Platforms:iOSandAndroidapps,desktopapp,webplayer,smartTVapps,connectedspeakersupport,carsTODAY'SBESTDEALSSpotifyStudent£4.99/mthSpotifyPremium£9.99/mthSpotifyFamily£14.99/mthVisitSiteatSpotifyReasonstobuy+Exhaustivediscoveryfeatures+Intuitiveinterface+FreetierReasonstoavoid-Otherssoundbetter-Nolosslessorhi-res(yet)Spotifyremainscomfortablythemostpopularandaccessiblewaytogetyourmusicfix.Notonlydoesitofferdecent320Kbpsquality,butthereisahugelibraryofover40millionsongs.Thesecanbeplayedonprettymuchanydeviceyouown,thankstointuitiveiOSandAndroidappsandsupportinnumeroussmartTVs,connectedspeakersandotherAVkitcourtesyofSpotifyConnect. Theserviceisrenownedforitsnewmusicdiscoveryalgorithms,whichcompileexcellentweeklyplayliststailoredtoyourmusictastes.Andthemoreyoulisten,themoretheplaylistsevolve–acompellingreasontochooseSpotifyasyourstreamingservice.Ifyourlimitis£10permonth,Spotifydeliversacomprehensiveandcompleteexperienceandevenoffersa40percentdiscountforstudents.Plus,ifyoudon'thaveanysparecashtospend,there'safreetierthatofferslower-qualitystreamssupportedbyadverts.Oh,andaHiFitieriscoming!Althoughwestilldon'tknowhowmuchit'llcost(orofficiallaunchdate),wedoknowitwillgivesubscribersthechancetolistento“musicinlosslessaudioformat,withCDquality”. Asnotedabove,thebestoptionwithinSpotify’sstreamingqualitysettingsrightnowis'VeryHigh',whichdeliversaudiotrackswithabitrateof320kbps.Bycomparison,aCDcontainsa1411kbpsbitrate.So,'CD-quality'ofaround1411kbpsshouldbeasolidstepupfromwhatSpotifyusersareusedto.Ahigherbitratemeansmoreinformation,whichshouldtranslatetoabettersound(that’sthesimplifiedversion).Essentially,we’reexcitedtoseewhatSpotifyhasgotinthepipeline. Readthefullreview:Spotify33Spotifytips,tricksandfeatures30ofthebestpodcastsonSpotify11ofthebestSpotifyplayliststolistentorightnow (Imagecredit:Apple)3.AppleMusicAnappealingstreamingservicewithintelligentcuration,avastcatalogueandgoodsoundquality.SpecificationsCost:£9.99/mth,£14.99/mth(familytier)£99(12mths)Quality:AppleMusicLossless(24-bit/48kHz)andHi-ResLossless(upto24-bit/192kHz)Files:AACLibrarysize:75-million+inCDresolutionorhigherPlatforms:iOS,desktopappTODAY'SBESTDEALS£6.29ViewatBase.com£6.29ViewatBase.comSeeallprices(3found)Reasonstobuy+Well-curatedplaylists+Hi-ressoundqualityforlittlemoney+ExcellentcatalogueReasonstoavoid-PlentyofrivaloptionsUnsurprisingly,AppleMusicisaimedsquarelyatAppleusers,soAndroidownersoftenwanttolookelsewhere–althoughthat’sslowlychanging.However,ifyou’refullyimmersedinApple’secosystem,AppleMusicmakesalotofsense.Itcostsacompetitive£10permonth,oryoucanpayanannualfeeof£99.There’sa£5permonthstudentdeal,whileafamilymembershipcoveringuptosixpeoplecosts£15permonth. Inarecentannouncement,Applehassaidthatitwillalsolaunchanewsubscriptiontierbeforetheendof2021 thatonlyworksviavoicecontrolthatwillcost£4.99/$4.99/AU$5.99.Crucially‘AppleMusicVoicePlanwon’tletyouusetheAppleMusicapptoplaysongsanddoesn’tofferaccesstoAppleMusic’spremiumofferings,including SpatialAudio, LosslessAudio,Lyricsandmusicvideos.You’llneedtoswitchtotheIndividualorFamilyplansifyoufancyanyofthosefeatures.Whetherusingthedesktopormobileapp,theinterfaceiseasytonavigatewithasimpleyeteffectivelayout.Theservicedoesagreatjobofcuratingplaylistsandservingupusefulandintelligentrecommendations.Whilethere’snofreetier,ApplehasnowaddedsupportforlosslessaudioandspatialaudiowithDolbyAtmos,crucially,withoutchargingextra.Theservice’s75million-strongcatalogueisavailableinCD-quality(16-bit/44.1kHz)with20millionsongsavailableinhi-res(24-bit/48-192kHz)atlaunch,increasingtotheentirelibrarybytheendoftheyear. However,therearesomelimitationsonwhatkitcanplaybackApple’snewhigh-qualityoffering.Forexample,althoughAppleMusicwithDolbyAtmoswillworkwithallheadphonesandApple’sownHomePodandHomePodMiniwillsupportLosslessatsomepoint(followingasoftwareupdate),Apple’sownheadphonesdon’tsupportlosslessaudio. Also,whileApple’siPhones(sincetheiPhone7)nativelysupportlossless,thatonlyappliestoAppleMusicLosslessandnotthehighestqualityHi-ResLossless.SoifyouwanttolistentoAppleMusictracksabove24-bit/48kHzonyouriPhone,you’llneedtoshelloutforanexternalDACanduseawiredpairofheadphones.Applehasn’trevealedthebitrateitusesforitsstandardstreams,buttracksstillsoundclean,snappyandentertaining.ComparedwithsimilartracksonSpotify(320kbpsstreams),Apple’shavegreatersubtletyandmorespacearoundinstrumentswhileitsALAC(AppleLosslessAudioCodec)streamsmatchTidalforopennessandsubtletyevensometimessoundingjustatouchclearer.Ifyou’reanAppleuser,thisserviceisundoubtedlythemostattractiveandbest-valuehi-resstreamingserviceoutthere.Readthefullreview:AppleMusic30AppleMusictips,tricksandfeaturesThere'saproblemwithAppleMusicLossless(andwe'reexcitedtoseethesolution)10AppleMusicplayliststolistentorightnow 4.PrimephonicThego-toappforanyoneinterestedinclassicalmusicSpecificationsCost:£8/mth,£80/yr(MP3-quality)/£15/mth,£150/yr(hi-resaudio)Quality:320kbps,24-bitFiles:MP3,FLACLibrarysize:1million+Platforms:iOSandAndroidapps,webplayerReasonstobuy+Revampedinterface+Lotsofplaylists+Helpfornotclassical-savvy+GreatsoundReasonstoavoid-CataloguestillnotexhaustiveIfyou'reaclassicalmusicfan,you'llgetakickoutofPrimephonic.Sincelaunchingin2017,theservicehasbeenrevampedandnowclaimstoofferover3.5millionclassicalmusictracks–includingagoodfewyouwon'tfindelsewhere.What'smore,Primephoniciswelcomingnotonlytothosewhoknowwhatthey’relookingforbuttothosewhoarelookingtoexplorethegenrefromastandingstart.TheplatformincludesMaestro,anin-applisteningguideofferingdetailed,step-by-step"walkthroughs"ofclassicworks. WithMaestro,youcanlistentoclassicalmusicalongsideawrittendescriptionofthemusicalpassageandtheinstruments,asandwhentheyareheard. The£10permonth(or£100peryear)tierprovidesaccessto320kbpsMP3streams,butyoucansplashout£15permonth(or£150peryear)forglorious24-bitFLACstreams.Thelatter,the'Platinum'tier,ischeaperthansomerival24-bitofferings,thoughofcourse,thefocusismuchnarrower. Whilethereisnofreetiera14dayfreetrialisavailable.Therearestillafewgapsinthelibraryaroundcontemporaryclassicalartistsandwe'dappreciateadesktopapp,butthankstoamuch-improvedinterface,theadditionofofflineplaybackandexcellentall-roundsoundquality,wehavenoproblemrecommendingPrimephonic. Readthefullreview:PrimephonicCheckout 8ofthebestclassicalmusictracksfortestingspeakersHowPrimephonicissteppingintofillavoidcreatedbySpotify30ofthebestpianotrackstotestyoursystem(Imagecredit:Future)5.AmazonMusicUnlimitedASpotifyrival,particularlyattractiveforthoseinAmazon’sfold.SpecificationsCost:£9.99/mth,£15/mth(familytier),£14.99/mth(MusicHD)Quality:3730Kbps(HD)Files:N/ALibrarysize:70million+Platforms:iOSandAndroidapps,desktopapp,webplayer,connectedspeakersupport,carsTODAY'SBESTDEALS3-monthfreetrialAmazonMusicUnlimited£9.99/mthVisitSiteatAmazonMusicUnlimitedReasonstobuy+DiscountforPrimesubscribers+Excellentcatalogue+HDandUltraHDcontentisincluded…+andsoundsgoodReasonstoavoid-Nofreetier-Musicdiscoverycouldbebetter-Mobileappcanbebuggy-UserexperiencelacksalittlecohesionAt£9.99permonth,AmazonMusicUnlimited'spricingiscompetitivewithourtoppicksforstreamingservices.AndifyousubscribetoAmazonPrime,thisdropstojust£8,undercuttingtherestofthefield.What'smore,AmazonisnowincludingitsAmazonMusicHDlibraryaspartofAmazonMusicUnlimitedatnoextracost.Featuring70milliontrackswithaCD-qualitybitrateof16bit/44.1kHzplusmillionsmorein24bitandupto192kHz,wegaveitfivestarsunderintensereviewbackwhenitincurredanextra£5charge.MusicUnlimitediscompatiblewithsmartphonesandtabletsviaitsAndroidandiOSappsandPCsandMacsviaitswebplayerordesktopapp.FiretabletsandTVsarealsocompatiblewhilesomein-carsystemsandaudioproducts(includingAmazonEchoandSonosspeakers)alsosupporttheservice.Themobileapplooksgoodon smartphones and tablets,butisn’tquiteasintuitiveandreliableasthoseprovidedbyAppleorSpotify.ThoserivalservicesalsohavetheedgewhenitcomestomusicdiscoveryandcuratedrecommendationsalthoughAmazondoesprovideplentyofsuggestiveguidance,allowingyoutobrowsethecataloguewithminimalfussandfindnewmusic. Amazonhasbeencoyaboutrevealingitsstreamingbitrateforitsstandardtier,claimingtosupport“multiplebitrates”,butitsoundsnotdissimilarfromSpotify’s320kbpsstreams.Listentothetwoside-by-sideanddifferencesarebarelyaudible:Amazonisatouchbetterintermsofdynamicsubtlety,andthere’sapleasantnesstoitsrounder-soundingpresentation.Whileitmaybeevasiveaboutitsstandardtier,AmazonMusichasgoneall-inonhigh-resand3Dformatsandisnotatallbashfulaboutit.ThenumberofUltraHDsongsontheplatformhastripledsincetheformatwasintroducedin2019andunlimitedsubscription-holdersalsohaveaccesstoarapidlygrowingcatalogueofsongsmixedinDolbyAtmosandSony's360RealityAudio,anofferingthat(accordingtoAmazon)hasgrownbymorethan20timessincespatialaudiowasoriginallyintroducedtoitslisteners.Notably,AmazonMusicUnlimited listenerscannowstreammusicmixedinspatialaudiooniOSandAndroiddeviceswiththeirexistingheadphones–nospecialequipmentrequired–aswellasonselectdevicesthatsupportAlexaCast.ForPrimesubscriberslookingtotakeadvantageofthereducedsubscriptioncostandtheaddedCD-qualityandhi-restiersprovidedbyAmazonMusicHD,MusicUnlimitedmakesalotofsenseandiscertainlyatemptingalternativetomorepremiumservices.Readthefullreview:AmazonMusicUnlimitedAmazonMusicUnlimitedvsSpotify:whichisbetter?WithAppleandAmazonofferinglosslessstreamingfornoextracharge,whatnowfortheirrivals?(Imagecredit:Apple/Deezer)6.DeezerAcomprehensiveandwell-connectedserviceSpecificationsCost:Free,£10/mth,£15/mth(CD-quality)£20/mth(Familytier)Quality:128kbps,320kbps,16-bitFiles:MP3,FLACLibrarysize:56million+Platforms:iOSandAndroidapps,desktopWindowsandMacapps,Sonos,YamahaMusicCast,Bang&Olufsenspeakers,MOONbySimaudionetworkaudiosystemReasonstobuy+Vastcatalogueanddevicesupport+CD-qualityHiFitier+Envelope-pushing3DaudioReasonstoavoid-Nohi-resstreaming-Spotifydoesdiscoverybetter-Tidaldoeshi-fibetterBackin2017,Deezerbecamethefirstmusicstreamingservicetocelebrateits10thbirthday.Aswithanysignificantcomingofage,theFrenchcompanycelebratedbymaking2017ayearofbigchange.ItrebrandeditsCD-qualitytier,givingitanewnameandprice,andmakingitaccessibleonmoreappsandplatforms. Fastforwardto2021,andwhileDeezerhasteamedupwithhi-resstreamingpartner,MQA,there'snosignofhi-resaudiostreamsonDeezerasyet–only16-bitCDquality.Thatputsitatadisadvantagecomparedtothehi-resmusicyou'llfindonTidalandQobuz.Meanwhileitscore,non-HiFisubscription,fallsjustawhiskershortofSpotifywhenitcomestoubiquity,discoveryandpresentation.Deezerdoeshaveoneupaceupitssleeve:360RealityAudiotracks.TheimmersiveformatisabitlikeDolbyAtmos,butspecificallyforstreamedmusic.It'sanicebonusbutit'sonlyavailabletosubscribersofDeezer's£14.99($14.99,AU$14.99)amonth'HiFi'tier,andonlythroughaseparateiOS/Androidapp.AlsowhileDeezerwasthefirstmusicstreamingservicetooffer360RealityAudio,ithassincebeenjoinedby othersincludingTidaland AmazonMusicHD makingitnolongerauniqueoffering.Thankfully,Deezer'sextensivecatalogue,vastdevicesupport,user-friendlyinterfaceanddecentnon-musiccontentlaysthefoundationsforaservicethatcanstillrivalthebest.Andthere'safreetierifyouwanttotryitfirst.Readthefullreview:DeezerHandson:360byDeezerreview10ofthebesttrackstotestyourheadphonesSony360RealityAudio:everythingyouneedtoknow(Imagecredit:Qobuz)7.QobuzThemostadvancedstreamingecosystemoutthere,butnotnecessarilythebestvalue.SpecificationsCost:£14.99/mthor£149.99/yr,£249.99/yr,£24.99/mth(Familytier)Quality:16-bit/44.1kHz,upto24-Bit/192kHzFiles:FLACLibrarysize:70million+Platforms:iOS,Android,desktopapp,webplayerReasonstobuy+Largehi-reslibrary+ExcellentCD-qualitystreams+Eclecticcatalogue+Hi-resonmobileappReasonstoavoid-Tidal'shi-resstreamssoundbetter-Librarydoesn'tmatchsomecompetitorsQobuzmightnotbethemostwell-knownstreamingservice,butitisarguablythemostadvancedintermsoffilequality.ItsSublime+tiergivesuserstheabilitytostreamover70,00024-bithi-resalbumsanddownloadtracksatdiscountedprices,butyouneedtospend£250onanannualsubscription.Belowthistiersitsahi-resStudiotier£15permonthor£150peryear. Qobuzisavailableonlotsofdevices.There’sawebplayer,desktopandmobileapps,plusseveralnetworkedstreamingproductsthatarealsocompatiblewiththeservice.Whileits‘CarplayOnline’featureallowsuserstoviewandlaunchtheirfavouriteplaylistsandtracksdirectlyfromtheintegratedscreenoftheircar.Overall,Qobuz’sinterfaceisnicetouseacrossdesktopandmobile,althoughthecurationcouldbebetter.Theservicerecentlyintroduced‘MyWeeklyQ’.ThisAI-poweredrecommendationengineservesupapersonalisedplaylistofmusicaldiscoveriesitthinksyou’llenjoy,basedonthelisteninghabitsofotheruserswithsimilartastestoyours.Whenitcomestothecatalogue,Qobuzisn’tquiteaspop-heavyasitsclosestrivalsandhassomeprettymajorblindspotsinitscatalogue,butthere’sstilladecentbalance,andit’sworththefreetrialtoseeifmostofwhatyouwantisonthere.Theonlyotherissueisthat,whileQobuzclaimstohavemorehi-restracksthanrivals,Tidal’shi-resstreamsalsosoundmarginallybetterfortiminganddynamics. Qobuzis,however,thefirstmusicservicetobring24-bithi-resaudiostreamingtoSonosspeakers,makingitagoodchoiceifyou’veinvestedintheSonosecosystem.Readthefullreview:QobuzQobuztalksAmazonMusicHD,3Daudio,newfeaturesandmoreWherecanyoubuyhi-resmusic?HerearethetopdownloadsitesHowtoplayhi-resmusiconyouriPhone 8.YouTubeMusicAmusicserviceforfansofmusicvideoSpecificationsCost:Free,£10/mth,£15/mth(family)Quality:256kbpsLibrarysize:40million+Files:AACPlatforms:iOSandAndroidappsTODAY'SBESTDEALSYouTubeMusicPremium£9.99/mthVisitSiteatYoutubeReasonstobuy+Brilliantsearchfeature+AddsYouTube'smusicvideos+LotsofliverecordingsReasonstoavoid-Underwhelmingmusicdiscovery-Audiolacksrealdetail-Streamstoocompressed-CatalogueneedsimprovingTheserviceratherunderwhelmedusatlaunch,butYouTubeMusicisnowstartingtolooklikeit’sreadyforthechallenge.Theuserinterfaceissolid,andthesearchfunctionisterrific,turninguplong-lostmusicalgemsthroughitsvideovaults.Theproblemisthatthecompetition'squalityremainsanissue:SpotifyandAppleMusicarethemassmarkettitanstotackle,andbothalreadyofferfive-starservices.ThereareafewgoodreasonstochooseYouTubeMusic,though.Thefreetieriseasytouseandsupportedbyadsbut,for£10permonth,youcansignuptoYouTubeMusicPremium,whichisad-freeandallowsdownloadsforofflinelisteningtoo.(Studentscangetitforjust£5).TheappisavailablethroughSonosspeakersandanythingGoogleAssistant-powered,suchasGoogleHomedevicesorthird-partydevicessuchastheSonyLF-S50G and JBLLink20.Asforsoundquality,the256kbpsstreamsarefarfromunlistenablebutsoundcompressedinawaythatmainrivalsdon't.Still,ifyouliketheUSPhere–musicvideos,ratherthanaudio–andtheabilitytoseekoutarecordingplayedliveatacertainvenueonacertaindate,YouTubeMusichasplentytooffer.Readthefullreview:YouTubeMusicBestmusicstreamers2021:upgradetoawirelesssystemHigh-resolutionaudio:everythingyouknowHowtomakeyourcomputersoundbetterRoundupoftoday'sbestdealsSpotifySpotifyStudent£4.99/mthView3-monthfreetrialAmazonPrimeMusicAmazonMusicUnlimited£9.99/mthViewYoutubeYouTubeMusicPremium£9.99/mthViewWecheckover250millionproductseverydayforthebestpricespoweredby MaryStone   MaryisastaffwriteratWhatHi-Fi?andhasoveradecadeofexperienceworkingasasoundengineermixingliveevents,musicandtheatre. Seeallcomments(30) 30Comments Commentfromtheforums DeezerdoeshaveHiFisteaming,anditisinthemobileapp.Itis16-bit,1,411KbpsFLAC,sonot24/XXX,itstillsolid. Reply WhatHi-Fi?said:Thebeststreamingservicesofferslickinterfaces,high-qualityaudioandaccesstomillionsoftracks. Bestmusicstreamingservices:freestreamstohi-resaudio:ReadmoreIdon'tunderstandthecommentaboutQobusbeingmoreexpensivethanTidal.SoTidalis£19.99fortheirHIFIserviceandtheequivalentQobusis£15.Alsothecommentaboutquality,isthiswhatyouhavemeasuredorisitbasedonmarketinginformation? Reply AmazonMusicdoeshaveafreetier,andsurprisedyoudidn’tmentionPrimeMusicandits2mtrackcataloguethatcomesaspartofbeingaPrimemember.Also,thepriceforanHDfamilysubscriptionwipesthefloorcomparedtotheotherhiresoptions https://blog.aboutamazon.com/entertainment/free-streaming-now-available-on-amazon-music Reply IwouldliketotryAmazonmusicHDbutcannotseemtofindanywayofbenefitingfromtheHDqualityonmyAVreceiver. IhaveaYamahaRX-A860whichhasn'tgotaninbuiltapp,ithasQobuz,Tidal&Deezerandwonderedifanyonecouldassistandtellmeifitispossibletogetthis? Thanks Reply OnethingIbelieveismissedfromthisreviewisthefactthatwithYouTubemusicyoucanuploadyourflacfilesandthentakealookatthekbpswhenplayingthefilesback.Isuspectthefilesarenotcompressed.Theyareavailableimmediatelyafteruploading...soasfarasIcantell,thisistheonlyserviceontheplanetthatallowsyoutouploadvastquantitiesofmusic,forfree,andthenallowyoutoplaybackWITHOUTadvertsFORFREE!I'mbusydoingthat,track6,noadverts!Ithasonscreenlyricstoo,sothismakestheperfectcompanionforanAndroidTVboxconnectedtoyourTVandyourDACandHiFi...LOVEIT!!!(Idon'thavetoolstoverifythestreamislossless) Reply Assadasitistosay,IthinkAmazonisthebestchoiceforhi-fistreaming(assumingyouhaveprime).At$13,it'sthecheapestoption,andithasalotofhi-fimusic.IlikeTidalthebest,but$20isjusttoomuchtopaypermonthonmusicstreaming. Reply spizzlosaid:Assadasitistosay,IthinkAmazonisthebestchoiceforhi-fistreaming(assumingyouhaveprime).At$13,it'sthecheapestoption,andithasalotofhi-fimusic.IlikeTidalthebest,but$20isjusttoomuchtopaypermonthonmusicstreaming.Youdon’tneedtobeaPrimecustomertouseAmazonMusic,they’reseparateservices-allthatbeingaPrimecustomeroffersyouisadiscountonsometiers. Reply Brantomesaid:Youdon’tneedtobeaPrimecustomertouseAmazonMusic,they’reseparateservices-allthatbeingaPrimecustomeroffersyouisadiscountonsometiers.Right,Iwasbasicallysayingit'sthebestoptionifyouhavePrimebecauseit'scheaper.Ifyoudon'thavePrime,it'sthesamepriceasQobuz,soitmakesitaharderdecision,atleastforme. Reply spizzlosaid:Assadasitistosay,IthinkAmazonisthebestchoiceforhi-fistreaming(assumingyouhaveprime).At$13,it'sthecheapestoption,andithasalotofhi-fimusic.IlikeTidalthebest,but$20isjusttoomuchtopaypermonthonmusicstreaming.Iagree,withtheU.K.costsofAmazonMusicUnlimitedHDbeingaboutthesamein£asitisin$.LikeothershavementionedabouttheAmazonPrimefreetier,Iamsurprisedthishi-resservicedoesnotgetamentioneither. Reply IwouldshifttoTidaliftheybroughttheirpremiumpricedownto£9.99-butuntilthenIhavenomotivetomigrateattwicemycurrentsubscriptionforthesmallnumberofmasterscurrentlyavailable.IfIwasahip-hopfan,wellthenmaybe.ButI’mnot. Reply ViewAll30Comments Showmorecomments