18-Sep-2019, 03:30
Amazon has launched a high res streaming service which could well set the cat among the rats with wings ( as Woody Allen might have said ). Amazon should provide heavy duty competition for existing providers such as Deezer, Tidal and Qobuz, given that the there is a free three month trial period followed by a monthly subscription of £14.99, or £12.99 for those with Amazon Prime membership. US rates are the same but in $. These rates undercut those the existing services charge.
The launch has been quiet. No emails, but there seem to have been press releases.
The service is available in the UK, US and according to some of the audiophile websites also Germany and Japan.
MQA and Roon do not get a a mention, so presumably are not supported.
They say they have 50 million HD tracks, (CD quality) and millions at up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution in FLAC format that it’s calling “Ultra HD”.
No doubt many of you will have technical questions which I won't be able to answer. If so, you might care to try the Computer Audiophile site, which has the answers to some of your questions.
It is now 3.00 am in the UK, well past my bedtime, so I will give it a try tomorrow.
The Sofa Has Ears.
The launch has been quiet. No emails, but there seem to have been press releases.
The service is available in the UK, US and according to some of the audiophile websites also Germany and Japan.
MQA and Roon do not get a a mention, so presumably are not supported.
They say they have 50 million HD tracks, (CD quality) and millions at up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution in FLAC format that it’s calling “Ultra HD”.
No doubt many of you will have technical questions which I won't be able to answer. If so, you might care to try the Computer Audiophile site, which has the answers to some of your questions.
It is now 3.00 am in the UK, well past my bedtime, so I will give it a try tomorrow.
The Sofa Has Ears.
