Amazon going Audiophile

I saw Amazon has released a flurry of Audiophile add ons and amps and now looking to rival Tidal with a streaming service.

Perfect for those with Prime.
Bezos mantra is your margin is my opportunity.

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If only Spotify would go there, their library and music curation is excellent and it’s native on Naim streamers, just the sq lets it down.

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Yes I agree with Spotify, it seems they have missed the boat, too bad. Amazon maybe a killer streaming service and out do all, especially with their pricing.

Well, you could look at it that way. But alternatively another hi-res streaming service could encourage Spotify to take the plunge. Anyway, it must be good for pricing, whatever one thinks of Amazon :+1:

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Spotify started a closed lossless beta nearly 2 yrs ago then tumbleweed.

Would be nice if Spotify finally did go lossless, as at the moment I run Spotify and Tidal, but only use Tidal, but use Soundiz to covert my Spotify playlists to Tidal.

I did use Amazon Music for a very short period, purely for occasional Alexa requests, but quality I think was VBR, but not Amazon will offer that for free like Spotify with ads.

Read this as well…curious about apple‘s answer here…will they still sell their 256k crap? They have all the eco system to enter the streaming market right and they have the master files in high-res already! What are they waiting for?

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I dont see the typical spotify customer as interested in paying a higher price for more bits. Spotify have a hard time convincing them even to the existing paid accounts.

And the typical mobile user will probably prefer spending their download budget on youtube movies than more bits from spotify.

Amazon is after market domination, they are probably pricing very low to force tidal/spotify/qobuz out of the market. Amazon can make money on other stuff where they already dominate and can charge more.

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Bezos saying to his competition, your margin in my opportunity.

Interestingly in the last few weeks Amazon has linked up with GM, Ford and others.

Amazon do seem to be pushing the mother of all ECO systems extending across every aspect of life, so their staff can listen and watch you :expressionless:

For Prime members things like this just become a no brainer, plus it is clear to see their is an emerging niche for low/mid priced audiophile solo boxes.

Coming back to a possible Muso 2 or QB, it won’t have a chance vs an Audiofool Alexa unit which may even come with a lossless subscription and all the Amazon benefits.

It’s interesting, do we need ‘hirez’, we need simply CD quality streaming, which can sound phenomenal in a quality system,… and currently there are only two major names doing it: Qobuz and Tidal.
It would be interesting to see if Amazon start CD quality … should increase competition.
We may see then moves from Apple using their CD quality lossless ALAC codec…

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I think this probably hits the nail on the head.

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I agree about their library being excellent but their cataloging of classical music could do with some work. It can be very difficult to find a particular recording on occasion even though they have it.

Interesting on CD quality. Over the past few days I have dug out standard CDs from the 80s, like Highway 61 Revisited/Blonde on Blonde and a few classical. CDX2/ND 5555 DAC or ND 555 digital out to Chord HMS/TT2. Wonderful sound, can’t believe it. I remember these old CDs always sounding horrible, thin, bright. Now they are coming over dark and resonant, full of depth with wide detailed sound stage. That thin, wild mercury sound in its full glory but now not so thin anymore.

Ah, Amazon, I think I’m trying to get as far away as I can from their world. Amazon domination and destruction of all before it does not seem right to me. I’m surprised there is not more rebellion arising.

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Its amazing the information that was always on these old cd,s that the new streamers resolve…and there probably is still more residing on the discs to be retrieved.

I wouldn’t say my system is the most resolving, but have always found listening to anything old, unless it is a recent remaster, it just sounds limp and lifeless.

Even high quality rips.

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On the subject of fabulous quality CDs check out Boz Scaggs ‘Dig’, liten to the last track ‘Thanks to you’, Amazing what can be achieved with proper recording and masstering techniques

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The only question I have. Will Naim implement this in the next firmware for my Superuniti ?

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They almost certainly wouldn’t integrate it into the current streamers, let alone the old models.

And why wouldn’t they you think?

I can honestly say that if they are not going to do it the Naim Superuniti will be the last Naim product I ever bought.

Naim implement what?
If you are talking about streaming services, that is what they have Chromecast and Airplay inputs for… that’s official I heard that from the product dev team on my last factory visit.

Implementing Amazon like they did with Spotify and Tidal. Wasn’t I clear?