Tidal also does lossless with their high level subscription, but I'm still on Spotify because while lossless is awesome, Bluetooth makes more sense for me (wired headphones and mechanical equipment don't mix). I have no reason to pay Apple anything. I hope I don't catch to much FLAC.....π
Discussion
Oh yeah, and everytime I mention Spotify or share a song someone has to pipe up with "Can you share a different link, cause I DoN't SuPpOrT sPoTiFy". No, go look the song up on whatever other evil streaming service you use or torrent that shit then π
There are always 1 of 3 reasons they give.
1. "I don't support monopolies" And then they share shit from YouTube, Apple, Amazon....
2. "The don't compensate artists family" see above point.
3. "Joe Rogan said stuff and Neil Young left..." Oh youh mean when he spoke out about vaccines, and a bunch of woke liberal cucks through a fit that he wasn't deplatformed? Yeah, I actually elevated my Spotify subscription that month, and I'm happy to not listen to artists that promote censoring people who don't follow the narrative. π€·ββοΈ
I haven't heard any other reasons to hate on Spotify that doesn't apply to the rest of streaming services as well. I'm all for something p2p with artists, especially when it's more than a handful of artists available.
Damn autouncorrect
For YouTube at least, you can use either LibreTube or NewPipe on Android.
Invidious and Piped Web for everyone and everything else though, lol.
Spottube and Librespot both work too if people want to access Spotify with a FOSS client.
Not an option if you want lossless audio. YouTube is like 192kbs mp3 lol.
Ah, well in that case here's something that's not a total ripoff like Tidal AND allows for actual music ownership.
Woah same price as Apple Music too... if they have a good hip-hop library I'm moving to them right now. Let's see if they got a one month trial.
I wish I was getting commissions for doing this lol, but between the so-so reports of MQA's advertised benefits and Tidal being streaming-only, it's hard to see why you'd pay more for less aside from Tidal being US-based longer.
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/shop/rap-hip-hop/download-streaming-albums
I did zap you some sats! And here's a promise: if the library and UX enough that I switch over I'll zap you 420 sats on top. Remind me in a month legit.
I've been meaning to use Qobuz myself but haven't gotten around to it as of yet; I hope your experience is good once you use it!
I'm fuckin loving it already. Even linked up to import my Apple Music library through a third party service. I'd say it got about 85% right. Others are just the odd thing like tracks are mixed between the normal and deluxe edition of albums, others are the clean version for some reason, but no big bother and most are correct.
The service itself is great. Responsive good UX. Not noticed anything missing in the library.
Just hoping the algorithm learns my tastes and recommends stuff I like, Apple Music, Tidal, and Spotify are all good at that. I'll find out in the next few days as I use it more.
First impressions are very good though!
A few observations:
1. I use the music service, phone, headphones, app, etc. that I like. Fuck anyone who has a problem with it (I know you donβt, just saying).
2. MQA is a scam.
3. Use song.link and your friends can open the song wherever they choose. It respects your friends choices.
4. Spotify operates at a loss and supported Joe Rogan, so even though I use Apple Music, that still earns them brownie points with me.
Yeah, exactly! I don't care what service anybody else uses, it just irks me when I'm vibing on a song and the first comment tk roll in is someone going sjw on me about how I spend my own money, when they can't even define why their borrowed moral stance is relevant π Hell as much as I dog on Apple (mostly for fun and to stir the pot) it's not my damn money, so who cares?
That's cool to know though that there's a sharing aggregator. I'll check that out!
π―
Elistism and faux moral supremacy is always unattractive. Not directed at nostr:npub17rlc0emedw5xljztfqrmykjaacsx6ujvdas64zznjadrnhhwlavq4jjtgg either. He was making a valid and somewhat funny point. Be willing to bet almost nobody buys a DAC for their phone like I ended up doing. Bluetooth straight up makes the point moot.
Nah, Xanny is cool af π
I just gotta bust his balls, because he's more of an Apple minimalist than I am.
SMASHED MY FUCKING IPHONE ON THE FLOOR IN THE APPLE STORE!!!!!!
Mate you have no idea how much I wish a competitor like Spotify would offer lossless streaming for the same price as Apple Music. If they did while maintaining a big library I'd switch right now.
π€£ππ€£π
I can respect this, as long as you respect my decision to keep using mine. You strike me more as a βI have convictionsβ type than a βyou must agree with meβ guy.
Iβm also developing a Nostr PWA using C# and visual studio code on a Chromebook just to piss purists off. π€£
I just donβt like one size fits all thinking. Iβm happy you like your phone. I just want people to be happy I like mine too. π€·ββοΈ Why canβt everyone be reasonable like yβall?
I wouldβve paid to see you smash your phone though. Did anyone faint? Lol
Ofc. People should buy what they prefer. It's their money.
You put it perfectly there. Strong convictions but it's not like I give people lectures on audio quality when they open Spotify on their iPhones. Individual consumers making choices in how and where they spend is essential for a free market.
Haha I don't think the Apple "genius" was expecting it at all. They were blaming me for a well documented fault in one of their products and expecting me to pay out of pocket for a replacement for like at least the tenth time.
I totally fucking lost it, said I'd never buy another Apple product again, that they lost not just my business but all the people who come to me for tech advice, and asked how the fuck a trillion dollar company can fuck up making working chargers and ports.
They had such a smug arrogant look on their face, yeah I took my iPhone out of its Bitcoin case and smashed the fucker, walked off and left it there.
So you see I'm far from trying to be snobby against Spotify. Please please Spotify, give us lossless audio on Spotify Premium, I would dump Apple Music so fast. Literally the last remaining thing I give Apple money for.
This. π― this.
Experience is *everything* for customers. If I pay $1000 for a product, I expect it to work. If I pay another $250 for AppleCare I expect you to fucking apologize if I ever need it and fix it.
I dropped my MacBook Pro. It was my bad. The trackpad went completely dead.
I took it to the Apple Store, and the βgeniusβ opened it, said βYep, that donβt work. Come back in a week and itβll be fixed or there will be a new MacBook waiting.β
It was 11 months into the one year warranty. There was no fee.
If they could just manage to make that experience consistent, people would put up with so much shit just to keep the service. But nobody gets it right. r/Pixel is filled with Google Store horror stories and r/Apple is a great place to vent frustration.
Honestly, service alone is why Iβm considering a Framework or System76 for my next PC. I need Windows and will install it regardless, but being treated like shit gets old. Iβve gotten lucky so far.
Apple has the best service of probably any company tbh.
They have in my experience, but there are certainly horror stories out there. Small boutiques often can do better.
It used to.
In the past decade it's been getting worse and worse each year ime.
Since Steve died. Say what we like about him, he knew customer experience.
Yup. I honestly think they've just been coasting ever since.
I honestly miss scrappy just-back-from-bankruptcy Apple. π€£
That's best Apple because it's basically startup Apple. Gotta be creative and standout or die.
Always been a walled garden even somewhat in the iPod era but at least you couldn't argue with the quality and service.
I remember my iPod Nano was faulty a few months past warranty and they just gave me another one anyway.
Now they'll fight you over a clear fault within warranty.
I 100000% recommend Framework! I have one myself and it's straight up the best laptop I've owned in my life.
Got the DIY one to save money, but all it actually means is you put the SSD and RAM in yourself, which took me all of 10 mins. Been running Ubuntu since. Love it.
That modular stuff as well, pure genius. And they're gonna be releasing cases so you upgrade the mobo on your laptop when you need to (no need to buy a whole machine) then put the old one in a mini PC case. Use it as a server, node, media device, whatever.
Can't give enough praise to Framework. I hope they move into the smartphone market.
A framework phone would be pretty cool. NGL.
Iβd prefer a tablet, but Iβd play with the phone regardless. Hell, an android DAP with modular DACs would be sick.
Modular DACs on a DAP would be fuckin π₯π₯π₯
I remember reading Framework or a third party making modules for their ecosystem is developing a DAC module for their laptops. Can't wait for that.
1. Use whatever you prefer. I don't like Apple at all but they have the best value lossless streaming service. Obviously someone who doesn't care about lossless audio gains nothing from this. Nothing is wrong with Spotify. Imo it's got a super UX to Apple Music esp on Android too.
2. MQA is indeed a scam. But that's Tidal's scam. ALAC isn't a scam.
3. Cheers for the tip!
4. I respect this for sure. If Spotify offered lossless streaming as part of Premium I'd happily switch. I don't like using Apple crap. I do however find it ironic that Apple's primary competition (Android) takes better advantage of Apple's lossless streaming than Apple's own devices.
Yeah, I had no beef with your post. Hope I was clear on that. FiiO makes a killer DAC for iPhones and Android devices that is very affordable (the KA1).
Itβs also worth noting that lossless is supported by all Macs, HomePods, and AppleTV, so for the home theater experience it is of benefit. The standard lightning to 3.5 jack also supports lossless up to 24bit/48kHz.
If you havenβt experienced Dolby Atmos yet, you should definitely check it out. Not all releases are mixed for it equally well, but a good number sound amazing.
Yeah you're Gucci just wanted to make sure everyone is clear I'm not tryna be an audiophile snob, it just doesn't make any business sense to me haha.
I had one of those FiiO DACs too before I get my A45. I actually love that A45 and feel sad about replacing it. Had it for years, it's taken so many beatings, still works perfectly. But I wanted a DAP that could also work with lossless music services. Plus it's Android, plenty to tinker with, I literally have Amethyst on my Walkman π€£
As for Dolby Atmos yes it's fucking amazing! My Samsung supports it including in the Android Apple Music app. Great fun.
What are you driving with it? Iβm having a hard time finding satisfactory IEMs to compete with the AirPods.
Over ear is good at home, but I spent $400 on Bose headphones just to be constantly disgusted with them.
Any tips or reviews?
I'm an over ear headphones guy myself so this probably ain't for you but I use DT 770 80ohm indoors and Sony WH1000XM4's when I'm out and about.
Despite being Bluetooth the Sony pair is very very good esp with LDAC. It's not got that flat sound audiophiles like, it's tuned to be a bit "lively" and has a bit of a punchy bass, obviously nothing too forced that it blocks out the rest of the track though. Very good for the kind of music I tend to listen to (hip-hop) and the battery lasts forever too. Also can be plugged into a 3.5mm jack.
DT770's should speak for themselves. The DAP I have here drives em very well. Plugging into a laptop or something directly without a DAC though, they'll sound dull. Luckily the DAP doubles as a USB DAC and does the job well!
I wonder how the KA1 would drive em. Worth trying at least. π€
If you get the 80ohm DT770's any reasonable DAC should have no trouble at all with them.
Back when phones still had 3.5mm jacks they'd even sound pretty decent on most flagships, although they're not exactly designed to be portable. Verrrrry long wire as you always get from professional headphones, bulky too, but very comfy and seals outside noise out well without needing ANC.
Spotify censors though. What is MQA?
Apologies in advance for the source.
MQA is a proprietary format for storing audio that βallegesβ to be higher quality than open source lossless, such as FLAC, or ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec).
MQA stands for Master Quality Authoritative. It is a scam. Very scientific audio tests have revealed the audio is actually degraded by the process - a process they will not explain.
They just do a lot of hand waving and talk about βexperience.β
The reality is, without trained ears that have sustained almost no damage, the difference between AAC 256kbps and a high res FLAC/ALAC is not perceptible. People like #[3]β and I (I worked in a studio for a while) can hear it, on expensive equipment.
I have a lot of nice audio stuff and can also say that there is effectively zero difference. The source is not the issue in practically every case where ppl arenβt happy with the audio quality.
Gotta pull your chain here renegade, did you just admit to being a CENTRALIZED SERVICE supporter???
To each their own.
My point isn't that everyone needs lossless audio.
Rather that it's ironic that the only streaming service to provide lossless audio at no extra cost also produces hardware unable to take advantage of this.