Is lossless audio worth it?

As far as the best music subscription is concerned, lossless music streaming is the new game in town. Compared to the lossy compression format that we have been dealing with for years, it is hopeful that it will provide quality sound, the marketing himself wrote.Although those of you are still rocking physical CD music and FLAC Collections have been ahead of streaming games for a long time.

However, as we know, snake oil sales people love the audio industry. So, is lossless audio streaming really worth subscribing? The following is an overview of the advantages, disadvantages, reality and basically everything else you need to know about the world of lossless music streaming services.

What is lossless audio?

When you stream music from the Internet, file compression must be done-at least if you don’t want to exhaust your data traffic in a few hours. Compression is divided into two different categories, lossy and lossless. Lossy compression discards some data in the original file to save space, while lossless compression allows you to reproduce completely faithfully without loss when decompressing. Obviously, this triggered a long-term debate about the difference in audio quality.

Lossy compression is based on psychoacoustic compression, designed to cut out the audio data bits you can’t hear, in order to achieve a very high compression rate-hence the term “lossy”. research shows This is very effective, and there is no noticeable difference between the source material and the lossy file with a high bit rate. However, those popular ad-supported and affordable music streaming options usually use lossy bitrates as low as 128kbps. When listening through a pair of high-quality headphones, this can cause a significant loss of quality.

Lossless music files use encoding algorithms designed to optimize audio compression, which can reduce file size without compromising quality. Unzip the lossless file and you have an accurate source version. Lossless file types, including FLAC and Apple’s ALAC, can provide compression rates as high as 50%.

For a quick comparison, let’s look at the data size. A four-minute track with lossy compression is about 3.8MB at 128kbps and 9.6MB at 320kbps. The equivalent weight of a 1,411kbps CD is 42MB, and a 24-bit 192kHz Hi-Res track is 277MB. Listening for more than an hour, the data consumed may only be 60MB and more than 4GB. The lossless file type can reduce the CD file size to about 25MB per track, and the streaming media playback time below 400MB.

Lossless streaming services ensure that you always listen to the best quality available. Although it has the disadvantage of higher consumption than lossy data.

If you are looking for lossless music streaming services in the market, there are some to choose from. In fact, almost all the big names in the field now offer lossless music as part of a standard subscription or as an optional additional service. However, these services vary depending on the audio bit rate, sampling rate, and price.

The following list provides a quick comparative overview of the most popular lossless music streaming services in the industry.

• Apple Music — 24-bit 48kHz (192kHz requires DAC), 9.99 USD/9.99 GBP/9.99 EUR
• Amazon Music HD— 24-bit 192kHz, 9.99 USD/9.99 GBP/9.99 EUR (Prime: 7.99 USD/7.99 GBP/7.99 EUR)
• Deezer High Fidelity— 16-bit 44.1kHz, 14.99 USD/14.99 GBP/14.99 Euro
• Spotify High Fidelity— To be determined
• Tidal high fidelity— 24-bit 192kHz, USD 19.99/19.99 GBP/19.99 EUR
• Kubuz — 24-bit 192kHz, 14.99 USD/14.99 GBP/19.99 EUR

CD quality is try your best And it consumes less data stream than high-resolution, so I will not choose streaming services based on bitrate specifications alone. Conversely, the size of the library and application features has a much greater impact on your listening experience compared to higher sample rates. Especially if you plan to listen through a Bluetooth headset, we will discuss it below.

The golden rule of audio is that your voice is only as good as the weakest link in the chain. You can pay for high-resolution sound, but bad speakers or headphones will make this investment worthless. The same is true for Bluetooth, which has always been one of the weak links in the audio chain.

For example, Apple’s AirPods Pro only supports lossy AAC, so it doesn’t make sense to buy lossless files from Apple Music in this case. Although AAC, aptX, and LDAC are good-sounding lossy codecs, they can still compress your lossless audio, especially the high-resolution version. It is true that compressing from high-quality sources is still better than re-compressing low-quality sources.

The problem is that Bluetooth cannot maintain the high bit rate required for lossless audio. You can read more about Bluetooth restrictions below. The key point is that if you plan to listen to music only through wireless headphones, then investing in lossless quality audio may not be worth buying a decent lossy compression subscription. That is, unless you plan to invest in some of the latest Bluetooth technology.

Next: Why you should care about lossless Bluetooth audio (and why not)

Currently, the only lossless Bluetooth audio codec announced is Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless. Qualcomm has the ability to use this codec and Snapdround Sound ratio optimization device to accurately play CD quality (16-bit 44.1kHz) via Bluetooth. Sony’s LDAC also provides near-lossless CD quality playback at 990kbps, although not all devices provide a trouble-free playback experience at this bit rate. If you pay for lossless sources, you also need playback devices and headphones that support these codecs.

For those with high-resolution music collections or lossless streaming services, lossless playback via Bluetooth seems out of reach for the foreseeable future. Although both LDAC and aptX Adaptive support lossy 24-bit, 96kHz playback.

So let’s put it all together — Is lossless audio streaming important? Is the subscription worth it? Like most things, it depends.

If you have a high-end home speaker setup or a pair of headphones, then you are best suited to use lossless audio. Those on the go will need more generous data allowances and products that support high-end Bluetooth codecs to take full advantage of the available audio quality. Remember, don’t indulge in marketing games: CD-quality audio is as good as you need.

Customers who usually listen to music in less than ideal environments, such as on public transportation or in a gym, will not benefit from lossless quality music. Similarly, if you use a more affordable pair of earplugs as your primary listening tool, then the cost and data consumption are not worth it.

The difference between a lossless streaming service and its decent lossy equivalent is small, if not imperceptible. Only when you compare lossless sources with heavily compressed music from ad-subsidized services will you notice that even so, you need a very good pair of headphones or speakers. Lossless may be a good market, but lossy compression still sounds great. You really need a pair of “golden ears” and the right equipment to run through your audio chain to find the difference.