Wednesday, November 17, 2021
- October 3, 2021
- November 2, 2021
- Amazon Music
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Amazon Music HD that allows you to listen to high-resolution audio sources with high sound quality .
However, there are otherhigh-quality subscriptionmusic apps that allow you to listen to high-resolution and lossless music, such as Apple Music and mora quarilas, and high-resolution audio sources can also be obtained from download sites such as e-onkyo music and morawithout using a subscription . ..
However, considering that high-resolution audio sources such as e-onkyo music and mora are around ¥ 3,000 per album and the monthly charge for mora quarilas is ¥ 2,178 , the monthly charge forunlimited high-resolution listening to Amazon Music HD is the highest. It can be said that the low price of ¥ 650 (after applying the prime member discount + annual payment discount) is extremely cheap .
If you think calmly, high resolution and lossless sound sources are listened to for high sound quality, but Amazon Music HD is cheap and the sound quality is bad? What's wrong?
So, here, about the reason why you feel that the sound quality of Amazon Music HD is bad, and the actual sound quality comparison between the downloaded sound source from e-onkyo music and Apple Music and Amazon Music HD , Amazon Music HD for 2 years, the high resolution sound source itself I will write in detail about the high-resolution music that I have been using for over 7 years.
By the way, for the Amazon Music, in the prime member discount + yearly payment discount per month Saiyasu ¥ 650 methods and to a free trial period extended to three monthsor at the time of admission Amazon point acquisition or use to including the various campaign deals the method here " six ways to save the Amazon Music, such as in the free trial campaign I summarized in the article". Please refer to it if you like.
Three Causes of Poor Amazon Music HD Sound Quality
Not limited to Amazon Music HD, there are three reasons why you may feel that the sound quality is poor when listening to digital sound sources .
- Sound quality is poor due to sound quality specifications of the sound source
- Sound quality is poor due to software performance (internal processing)of the playback application
- Sound quality is poor due to playback hardware performance (smartphone / earphone / connection method, etc.)
The degree of influence of each cause that feels that the sound quality of Amazon Music HD is poor
The above three are the "causes of poor sound quality" of digital sound sources, but first of all, I would like to write about which one has the greatest effect .
It may be surprising, but unless the sound source such as a compressed sound source with a low bit rate has extremely low specifications, if you arrange it in descending order of influence,
- "Playback hardwareperformance"> "Playback application softwareperformance"> "Sound source sound quality specifications "
And will be.
As for the flow of music signals, it is thought that the playback hardware performance, which is the closest to the human ear and is the exit of the sound, has the greatest effect, and conversely, the sound quality specifications of the sound source, which is the farthest from the ear, have the least effect. ..
From the next chapter, I would like to explain these three factors that deteriorate sound quality one by one in descending order of sound quality.
Sound quality is poor due to playback hardware performance (smartphone / earphone / connection method, etc.)
The biggest effect on the difference in sound quality is the deterioration of sound quality due tothe playback hardware performance (smartphone / earphone / connection method, etc.) .
Regarding the playback hardware performance, there are actually various factors, and if you arrange them in descending order of influence,
- "Connection method"> "Earphone / headphone / speaker performance"> "Smartphone hardware performance"
It will be.
Sound quality is poor due to the connection method of the playback hardware
As an example of sound quality deterioration due to the connection method,
- Deterioration of sound quality due toencoding when connecting via Bluetooth
- Deterioration of sound quality due to noise superposition on the connection cable
- Deterioration of sound quality due todefective terminal contacts of the connection cable
There are three possibilities.
Deterioration of sound quality due to encoding when connecting via Bluetooth
The most common pattern of sound quality deterioration in the recent digital music playback environment is the deterioration of sound quality due to encoding when connecting via Bluetooth .
It occurs when a music playback device such as a smartphone is wirelessly connected to earphones, car navigation / car audio, etc. via Bluetooth.
With a Bluetooth connection, the music signal is sent wirelessly into the air, so signal processing is required to put the music signal on the radio waves.
At this time, the signal is converted (encoded) to the format determined by the Bluetooth communication standard, but the sound quality definitely deteriorates here.
For example, even a music signal with a bit rate of 1411 kbps equivalent to CD sound quality
- Bluetooth A2DP (SBC) connection: Virtually 64 to about 200kbps (theoretically up to 328kbps)
- Bluetooth A2DP (AAC) connection: Virtually 64-320kbps
- Bluetooth A2DP (apt-X) connection: up to 384kbps
- Bluetooth A2DP (apt-X HD) connection: up to 576 kbps
- Bluetooth A2DP (LDAC) connection: up to 990kbps
At such a level, the amount of information in music data of 30 to 80% is truncated .
For example, if you are using Bluetooth-connected earphones and feel that the sound quality of Amazon Music HD is poor , simply changing to wired earphones may dramatically improve the sound quality .
Deterioration of sound quality due to noise superposition on the connection cable
Similar to the deterioration of sound quality due to signal processing when connecting via Bluetooth, there is also the deterioration of sound quality unique to wired connection when connecting by wire.
Analog signals are the mainstream for wired connections, but unlike digital signals, analog signals have low resistance to noise because there is no technology such as error correction, especially when the cable is long or in a car. In some cases, the sound quality may deteriorate due to the influence .
Deterioration of sound quality due to defective terminal contacts of the connection cable
Similar to noise superposition on the connection cable, there are cases where the sound quality deteriorates due to poor terminal contact , especially when connecting an analog signal to a wired cable .
If you touch the terminal part with your hand while connecting the terminal and move it a little, you will hear something like "gritty".
Sound quality is poor due to earphone / headphone / speaker performance
It may not be necessary to explain here, but if I write earphones as an example,
- Earphones sold at 100-yen shops
- 10,000 yen luxury earphones
Comparing the two, it is clear that there is a big difference in the circuit / component elements in the earphone, and there is a difference in sound quality.
In particular, the price difference is directly linked to the performance difference, the material / specification of the cable and the structure of the part that drives the sound called the driver in the earphone .
The structure of the driver part is mainly
- Dynamic type
- BA (balanced armature) type
- Capacitor type
Roughly speaking, the more complicated the structure, the higher the price tends to be, although the delicate sound can be expressed in detail .
If a high-end earphone of 10,000 yen has the same sound quality as 100 yen, it should have no value and disappear.
The sound quality of 100 yen earphones is definitely worse than that of 10,000 yen high-end earphones.
Sound quality is poor due to the hardware performance of the smartphone
The difference in sound quality due to the software performance (internal processing) of the music playback application that I explained earlier actually causes deterioration of sound quality in relation to the combination with the hardware .
When playing music, I wrote that the following various internal processes are performed on the digital sound source file before it is output to the earphones and speakers.
- Decoding (decompression of compression processing such as FLAC and mp3) → sound quality adjustment (DSP and equalizer) → AMP (signal amplification) → volume adjustment
Among them, each music playback application makes a difference in "how to prevent deterioration of sound quality" during the above internal processing, but in fact , the sound quality of "AMP (signal amplification)" is especially good for the hardware performance of smartphones. It will affect the deterioration .
For example, when comparing Sony's high resolution Walkman equipped with the same Android OS and a cheap smartphone,
- High resolution Walkman NW-WM1Z: 300,000 yen
- High resolution Walkman NW-WM1A: 130,000 yen
- Android cheap smartphone Galaxy A21: 10,000 yen
There is a price difference that can be said to be the difference between heaven and earth.
Since the greatest feature of the Walkman is good sound quality, parts that improve sound quality are selected and assembled as hardware.
For example, the hardware of the High-Resolution Walkman is designed to improve the sound quality from the following viewpoints.
- The acoustic circuit block (green part in the figure below) and the digital circuit block (red part in the figure below) are clearly separated on the board.
- Strengthening the power supply circuitaround the amplifier
- Optimization of adopted parts / elements
An even easier example is
- Smartphone: Designed to be light and thin , giving priority to portability
- Walkman: Sound quality is more important than portability, and it isdesigned to be a little heavy and thick.
The board layout is advantageous for sound quality as shown in the figure below (the size increases), the adoption ofa large high-quality sound capacitor (the size increases), and the shield performance / ground performance. Heavy and large metal enclosures are sometimes used for reinforcement .
The comparison between the High-Resolution Walkman and smartphones is an extreme example, but there is a difference in hardware performancebetween smartphones when viewed from the perspective of sound quality .
Sound quality is poor due to software performance (internal processing) of the playback application
The next thing that cannot be ignored unexpectedly iswhen the sound quality is poor due to the software performance (internal processing) of the playback application .
When playing music, various internal processes such as the following are performed on the digital sound source file before it is output to the earphone or speaker.
- Decoding (decompression of compression processing such as FLAC and mp3) → sound quality adjustment (DSP and equalizer) → AMP (signal amplification) → volume adjustment
Each music playback app is not only different in appearance and operability, but also in the performance of "how to prevent deterioration of sound quality" during these internal processes .
By the way, in the case of subscribed music such as Amazon Music HD, there is no option other than listening with a dedicated player, but if it is a sound source file of music that is not subscribed, you can listen to it with various music playback apps.
For example, the results of listening to and comparing non-subscribed sound source files with several music playback apps are as follows.
| Music app name | Good sound quality | Lossless support | Advertising display |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONKYO HF Player | ◎ | ○ ○ | Yes |
| Pulsar | ○ ++ | ○ ○ | – – |
| Rocket Player | ○ ＋ | ○ ○ | Yes |
| NePLAYER Lite | ○ ＋ | △ Paid billing | – – |
| Galaxy Music | ○ ＋ | ○ ○ | – – |
| Musix match | ○ － | ○ ○ | Yes |
The environment in which the sound quality was confirmed is as follows.
- Sound source (FLAC file): Hikaru Utada / "Wait & See ~ Risk ~"
- Music playback hardware: Android smartphone Galaxy S20
- Headphones: Sony MDR-1R
I tried to expressed the difference between the sound quality level in the column of "good sound quality" in the symbol, as compared to listen to the same sound source / in the same hard, sound quality difference due to the playback application is greater than you think, clearly feel the differencethat Is done.
Among the above apps, the one with the best sound quality is ONKYO's HF Player.
It's no wonder that ONKYO's HF Player is by far the most popular among the many music playback apps.
Sound quality is poor due to sound quality specifications of the sound source
The last is the case where the reproduced digital sound source data itself has poor sound quality .
With music media such as analog records and cassette tapes, there may be cases where the sound source deteriorates as playback is repeated, but with digital media, data deterioration does not occur in principle.
In other words, the sound source is bad = the sound quality of the sound source is bad from the beginning .
Three factors that determine sound quality specifications
First of all, I would like to write about what the sound quality specs mean.
The sound quality of a digital sound source is determined by the amount of information, but there are the following three factors that determine the sound quality specifications.
- Dynamic range (= bit)
- Sampling frequency (= kHz)
- Lossless (lossless / lossless compression) or lossy (lossy compression) and compression ratio
Number of quantized bits in dynamic range [bit]
It is an index that indicates how many steps are recorded as a dynamic range for a moment when sound is sampled as a digital signal, and is also called the number of quantization bits.
- Number of quantization bits used in high-resolution audio sources: 24bit or 32bit or more
- Number of quantization bits used in CD-equivalent sound sources and compressed sound sources: 16 bits
In the case of 16 bits, it has the amount of information that can record the dynamic range of 2 to the 16th power (= 65,536) steps.
The larger the number of quantization bits that can express the dynamic range, the larger the amount of data, but it means that music can be recorded more finely and delicately.
Sampling frequency of digital sampling period [kHz]
When sampling sound as a digital signal, it is an index showing how many times a second is recorded, and basically 44.1kHz or higher is used.
- Number of quantization bits used in high-resolution audio sources: 44.1kHz or 48kHz or higher (96kHz, etc.)
- Number of quantization bits used in CD-equivalent sound sources and compressed sound sources: 44.1kHz
At 44.1kHz, the sound is recorded with a fineness of 44,100 times per second.
At the same time, in signal processing theory, only high frequencies that are about half the sampling frequency can be recorded, so the highest sound that can be recorded with 44.1kHz sampling is about 20kHz.
In other words, if you double the sampling frequency to 88.2kHz, for example, the highest sound that can be recorded will be doubled to about 40kHz.
Lossless (lossless / lossless compression) or lossy (lossy compression) and compression ratio
The third factor that determines sound quality other than the number of bits and kHz is the availability of audio compression technology.
For audio compression technology,
- Lossless (uncompressed / lossless compression): Compression technology that can completely restore the original sound quality / amount of information (compression rate is low)
- Lossy (lossy compression): One-way ticket compression technology that cannot restore the original sound quality / amount of information (high compression ratio)
The latter technology, Rossy (lossy compression), is used for compressed sound sources such as mp3 and AAC.
Also called a psychoacoustic model, it compresses data capacity small by thinning out sounds that are difficult for humans to notice.
Bit rate of music information [kbps]
By combining the three factors (bit x kHz x compression rate) that determine the sound quality specifications that have been explained so far, the bit rate that determines the sound quality specifications can be calculated.
For example, in the case of CD sound quality,
- 16 [bit] x 44.1 [kHz] x 100% (no compression) x 2 [ch] (stereo) = 1,411.2 [kbps]
It will be.
For example, in the case of a 2ch stereo high resolution sound source without 24-bit / 96kHz compression,
- 24 [bit] x 96 [kHz] x 100% (no compression) x 2 [ch] (stereo) = 4,608 [kbps]
It will be.
By the way, since "bit rate = information amount = file capacity", the file capacity of the above high-resolution sound source is about 3 times that of the CD sound quality sound source.
How to distinguish good or bad sound quality by the sound quality specifications of the sound source
From the above, as a way to distinguish between good and bad sound quality from the sound quality specifications of digital sound sources,
- Small number of quantization bits = poor sound quality
- Sampling frequency is low = sound quality is poor
- High compression rate, not lossless, lossy (compressed) sound source = poor sound quality
It will be.
Since the sound quality equivalent to a CD is "16bit / 44.1kHz / lossless", if the number is larger than this, it can be said that the sound quality is equal to or higher than the CD sound quality, and if the number is smaller, the sound quality is lower than the CD sound quality.
Amazon Music HD / Apple Music / e-onkyo sound quality confirmation result
Here, "playback hardware performance" is fixed and there are two types of hardware, and "sound quality spec performance of sound source" is the one with the highest sound quality provided by each application service.
In other words, as a result, we made a sound quality confirmation comparison between "software performance of the playback application" and some "sound quality spec performance of the sound source".
The legend of the sound quality evaluation result is as follows.
- ◎: High-quality sound suitable for high resolution is fully demonstrated.
- ○: High sound quality equivalent to that of a CD is fully demonstrated.
- △: The sound quality is much higher than that of the compressed sound source, but the sound quality is not equivalent to that of a CD.
Check if the sound quality deteriorates if the playback application is different (Ultra HD vs high resolutionless)
The playback hardware performance + sound quality specifications of the sound source are completely fixed, and we mainly compared and confirmed the sound quality of the software performance of the playback application.
The sound sources used to check the sound quality are as follows.
- Hikaru Utada / "Wait & See ~ Risk ~" (24bit / 96kHz)
However, while Amazon Music HD / e-onkyo uses the FLAC format, only Apple Music uses the ALAC format, so there may be a difference in sound quality even when decoding from ALAC.
⇒ Check the details of e-onkyo music
⇒ Check the details of Amazon Music HD
⇒ Check the details of Apple Music
Amazon Music HD / Apple Music / e-onkyo playback app difference Sound quality deterioration confirmation [High resolution Walkman environment]
First of all, regarding the sound quality confirmation result in the high resolution walkman environment, the sound quality of Amazon Music HD is compared with the sound quality of the downloaded file from e-onkyo music played with the W.Music app even with the FLAC file sound source of the same specifications at 24bit / 96kHz. I felt a little worse , and I was able to confirm a slight difference .
On the other hand, the sound quality is much better than Apple Music, and I was able to fully enjoy the high-quality sound unique to high resolution.
| sound source | FLAC e-onkyo music | Amazon Music HD (Ultra HD sound quality) | Apple Music Lossless |
| Hikaru Utada Wait & See ~ Risk ~ | ◎ (24bit / 96kHz) The shout of the intro, which fully demonstrates the excellent range and voice volume, is beautifully reproduced including the reverberation. | ◎- (24bit / 96kHz) It is a little inferior to FLAC in terms of spaciousness, but it is a level that can only be understood by listening carefully. | ○ + (24bit / 96kHz) Compared to FLAC and Amazon, the lack of spaciousness after the vocal started is remarkable, and the sound of the orchestra is buried in the vocal and the resolution is low. |
The sound quality comparison audition environment is as follows.
- Music playback app: W. Music / Amazon Music / Apple Music
- Music playback hardware: Sony High-Resolution Walkman NW-ZX507 + Sony TA-ZH1ES
- Headphones: Sennheiser HD650
Amazon Music HD / Apple Music / e-onkyo playback app difference Sound quality deterioration confirmation [smartphone environment]
Next, regarding the sound quality in the smartphone environment, the sound quality of Amazon Music HD is slightly worse than the sound quality of the download file from e-onkyo music played with the W.Music app, similar to the sound quality confirmation result in the high resolution walkman environment. I felt it, and I was able to confirm a slight difference.
On the other hand, compared to Apple Music, the sound quality is much better than Amazon Music HD , and on the contrary, it turned out that Apple Music has a disappointing sound quality that does not show the goodness of high resolution even though it uses a high resolution sound source.
| sound source | FLAC e-onkyo music | Amazon Music HD (Ultra HD sound quality) | Apple Music (high resolution lossless sound quality) |
| Hikaru Utada Wait & See ~ Risk ~ | ○ (24bit / 96 → 48kHz) Compared to the Walkman, the sense of spaciousness and presence unique to high resolution is inferior. | ○- (24bit / 96 → 48kHz) The gloss of the high-pitched sound is the same as that of FLAC, but the sound of the orchestra is slightly buried in the vocal in the part where many sounds overlap, and the resolution and resolution are slightly inferior. | △ (24bit / 96 → 48kHz) Compared to FLAC and Amazon, the lack of spaciousness after the start of vocals is remarkable, especially due to the lack of high-pitched information, the lack of clearness is felt, and the goodness of high resolution is the maximum. Not exerted to the limit |
The sound quality comparison audition environment is as follows.
- Music playback app: Pulsar / Amazon Music / Apple Music
- Music playback hardware: Android smartphone Galaxy S20
- Headphones: Sony MDR-1R
Check if the sound quality deteriorates if the sound quality specifications of the playback application + sound source are different (HD vs high resolutionless)
Next, we compared and confirmed the sound quality mainly when the software performance of the playback application and the sound quality specifications of the sound source are different, with only the playback hardware performance completely fixed.
The sound sources used to check the sound quality are as follows.
- Misia / "Beside me ... (MISIA Hoshizora no Live IV @ Inasayama Park Outdoor Stage)"
Amazon Music HD / Apple Music / e-onkyo playback app + sound source spec difference Sound quality deterioration confirmation [High resolution Walkman environment]
You are the first Hi-Res Walkman sound quality confirming the results of the environment but, Amazon Music that's compared to the confirmation of the 16bit / 44.1kHz HD-quality sound source and the e-onkyo music of 24bit / 88.2kHz sound source of HD, Amazon Music HD of it is sound source Despite the low specs , I could hear it with almost the same sound quality .
This means that in the world of lossless and high-resolution sound sources that exceed the sound quality of CDs , the sound source specifications have reached a certain level .
On the other hand, Amazon Music and HD sound quality sound source of 16bit / 44.1kHz of HD that's comparison of the high resolution lossless sound quality sound source of 24bit / 88.2kHz of Apple Music, reversed the sound source specification and, of low sound source spec Amazon Music HD I was able to listen to it with higher sound quality .
In other words, this means that the performance difference of the playback application exceeds the performance difference of the sound source specifications .
| sound source | FLAC e-onkyo music | Amazon Music HD (HD sound quality) | Apple Music (high resolution lossless sound quality) |
Beside Misia ... (MISIA Starry Sky Live IV) | ◎ (24bit / 88.2kHz) The clearness and luster of the intro piano, and the sense of presence that you receive from the expanse of the insects that are unique to outdoor live performances are wonderful. | ◎- (16bit / 44.1kHz) The feeling of expansion is a little inferior to FLAC, but it is wonderful that the sound field reproduction power is high even though the sound source is inferior to FLAC and Apple with 16bit. | ○ + (24bit / 88.2kHz) Compared to FLAC, the glossiness of the intro piano is low, and the range of spaciousness is narrow, making it difficult to feel the realism unique to high resolution. |
The sound quality comparison audition environment is as follows.
- Music playback app: W. Music / Amazon Music / Apple Music
- Music playback hardware: Sony High-Resolution Walkman NW-ZX507 + Sony TA-ZH1ES
- Headphones: Sennheiser HD650
Amazon Music HD / Apple Music / e-onkyo playback app + sound source spec difference Sound quality deterioration confirmation [smartphone environment]
As for this, the result is similar to the sound quality confirmation result in the high resolution Walkman environment.
| sound source | FLAC e-onkyo music | Amazon Music HD (HD sound quality) | Apple Music (high resolution lossless sound quality) |
Beside Misia ... (MISIA Starry Sky Live IV) | △ + (24bit / 88.2kHz) I was worried that the vocal stretch was a little lost. | ○- (16bit / 44.1kHz) The sound quality level is inferior to that of the Walkman, but despite the inferior sound source specifications, I was surprised to hear that the sound quality was higher than FLAC. | △ (24bit / 48kHz) As with FLAC, the vocal elasticity is lost, but it is more noticeable. |
The sound quality comparison audition environment is as follows.
- Music playback app: Pulsar / Amazon Music / Apple Music
- Music playback hardware: Android smartphone Galaxy S20
- Headphones: Sony MDR-1R
Amazon Music HD Sound Quality Summary: Worse than e-onkyo and better than Apple Music
From the above, finally summarizing the sound quality of Amazon Music HD,
- The sound quality of Amazon Music HD is slightly worse than e-onkyo (large factor difference in playback application performance )
- The sound quality of Amazon Music HD is much better than Apple Music (playback application performance difference factor is large )
have become.
⇒ Check the details of Amazon Music HD
⇒Check the details of e-onkyo music (sound quality is better than Amazon Music)
⇒Check the details of Apple Music (sound quality is worse than Amazon Music)
By the way, for the Amazon Music HD, including a method other than the prime member discount, extend the free trial period to three months or at the time of admission Amazon score points or how to use the deals from among the various campaigns and complex pricing structure the Click here for " six ways to save the Amazon Music, such as in the free trial campaign because I summarized in the article of", please refer to us if you care for.
Right now, we also recommend using the Amazon Music HD 3-month free trial campaign, which will be held for a limited time until January 10, 2022 .
Just by entering, the normal one-month free period will be tripled to three months, so you can try it slowly for three months, and if it does not suit you, you can cancel it for free, so you can rest assured.
The details of the campaign can be found at the link below, so please check if you like.
⇒Check the details of the Amazon Music HD 3-month free trial campaign (until January 10, 2022)(Amazon official page)
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