However you'll need one of a small number of compatible headphones for this to work. Here, the instruments remain in the same sonic space, even when you turn your head thanks to head-tracking technology in the headphones. The Dolby Atmos technology used by Apple and other providers allows for the arrangement of instruments to be accurately reproduced in playback over headphones. The 3D audio offer, on the other hand, is still modest, as the vast majority of audio content still needs to be remixed for this. The testers ranked Deezer second, followed by Amazon Music HD, Apple Music and Tidal - all have extensive hifi and some hi-resolution tracks on offer. The other providers score points with hifi sound, among other things, however it's worth mentioning that Spotify is also introducing HD audio as part of a new 'HiFi' pricing tier in 2021. The reason for the good overall usability rating: Spotify offers the most functions and is available almost everywhere. Test winner Spotify managed to come in first place without any hifi or 3D features. The testers took a close look at five major providers, all of which scored in the 'good' range in the overall evaluation, although the benefit of hifi audio failed to secure a win for any service. That's because the overall range of functions and ease of use counts just as much as audio quality, especially if you plan on listening over Bluetooth headphones, which rules out lossless audio, according to a detailed test by audiophiles at Germany's Computer Bild magazine.

The latter offers a more immersive sound than stereo by making it seem as if parts of the music are fixed in certain spaces around you, while high-resolution streaming brings CD-quality music rather than the usual compressed audio for a richer listening experience.Īs promising as these new features may be, experts say they're not yet enough to make a major difference in everyday music listening for most users.

Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Apple Music or Amazon Music? The competition between audio streaming platforms has been heating up with the addition of lossless audio streaming to more platforms.Īnd yet anyone considering switching or subscribing to a new platform would do well to look past the promise of high-resolution streaming, as well as the emerging option of 3D audio.

Spotify hi res