Spotify vs. Apple Music via USB Connection with B&O

[Antimatter22]

In my opinion I think Tidal sounds better than Apple Music. Seems like the system is open a little more with Tidal, enough so that I pay for Tidal even though I get Apple Music for free through Verizon. It's all subjective though. Good thing is all these services usually have a 7-30 day free trial so people can give a shot before purchasing.

I usually plug my phone into USB when I drive just because Android Auto seems to be a battery hog. Although I don't notice any quality differences if I just use wireless Android Auto on a quick trip.

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[Porpoise Hork]

In my opinion I think Tidal sounds better than Apple Music. Seems like the system is open a little more with Tidal, enough so that I pay for Tidal even though I get Apple Music for free through Verizon. It's all subjective though. Good thing is all these services usually have a 7-30 day free trial so people can give a shot before purchasing.

I usually plug my phone into USB when I drive just because Android Auto seems to be a battery hog. Although I don't notice any quality differences if I just use wireless Android Auto on a quick trip.

Tidal probably has the best overall sound quality of any of the music streaming services out there. They just lack the extensive catalog that Spotify or Apple Music has.

 

[DBL R]

I’ve done this test quite often in my 22 Platinum with the Unleashed system. I’m mainly a Spotify user, but got Apple Music for 3 months free when I got my new iPhone, and wanted to check out the Lossless audio. I’ve found that Dolby Atmos/Spatial audio doesn’t sound as good as just pure Lossless. I always plug my phone into the truck and don’t use wireless carplay. If you toggle Dolby Atmos off in the Apple Music settings, it will default to a Lossless version of the song if available.

To me, Apple Music/Lossless songs sound much more detailed than Spotify, especially in the mids and highs. It seems to wake up each individual speaker in the truck more than Spotify on high quality. Bass seems less muddled and more intentional if that makes sense. Vocals are crystal clear and really come out of the center speaker above the 12 inch screen more than Spotify (Unholy does sound amazing in Lossless). My track of choice for comparing the two streaming apps is “IM GONE” by JOYRYDE. It goes from heavy bass to piano/drums and with Lossless it sounds like you’re in a concert hall. I’ve played the same song for passengers in the truck and they’re blown away by how loud it gets without distortion.

I’m at the point where I have a playlist of my favorite songs from Spotify in Apple Music just because it sounds much better. I’ve also noticed that with Lossless the speakers tend to rattle interior panels a little less. Oh, and the high-res lossless audio chugs about ~150MB of data for a 3 minute song!

I played around with this on the drive to work. For the above mentioned song, Apple Music is not only louder at same audio setting but has much clearer highs and mids. I have partial hearing loss in my right ear, and I can hear the upper tones much clearer with Apple Music. It’s made music more enjoyable. I’ll be switching my playlists from Spotify.

 

[carmigo]

Hi there friends!

Anyone up for an experiment? I am a Spotify user but recently tried Apple Music in the F150. (Note: I use a wired USB connection for charging/handoff consistency)

I swear there is a huge difference in the "spacial" quality of the music where Apple Music is far more dynamic or spacial aware. Both services are set to their highest quality settings and while I am not sure if the F150 is doing lossless decoding, I am pretty sure Apple Music is in someway more rich than Spotify.

Would anyone be willing to test this? Here is the process:

1. You need both a Spotify and Apple Music subscription.
2. Go to both Spotify and Apple Music on your device and set the streaming quality to highest.
3. Connect your device to the truck via a USB cable.
4. Pick a song that has great dynamic sound range. This might be anything from a Rush song to the one I used for my test, "Unholy" by Sam Smith.
5. Play the first minute of the song on Spotify first.
6. Then play the first minute of the same song on Apple Music.
7. Take note of any spacial differences in the distribution of the sound.
8. Report back here and let me know if I am crazy or if the difference is real.

Thanks in advance and I hope the weather is trending warmer where ever you are. (Unless you're in LA then you can just go outside and tell us what 80F feels like in December.)

Cheers,

Erik

Hey there! So I heard that apple music actually just has better sound quality. I'm partial to Spotify, but I was surprised to learn about apple music.

Here is an article i found interesting about it:

https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/0...ality is where,spatial audio with Dolby Atmos.

 

[justerik]

Thanks @carmigo !

 

[justerik]

@carmigo - We were interested to know mainly if the BO Unleashed system is Atmos aware. "Sounds" like it is. Carplay 4 supports Atmos but does the B/O Unleashed? I cannot find a source yet.

 

[superfordman]

Tidal probably has the best overall sound quality of any of the music streaming services out there. They just lack the extensive catalog that Spotify or Apple Music has.

I was waiting for someone to throw Tidal a bone. I have it and it sounds awesome, even if the library seems a bit lacking and skewed. On both my computer and home theater setup, I can tell a different between it and Spotify on its highest settings. To most people not a night and day different, but on a good setup you can tell. In my truck I can tell a difference as well usually, as much difference as you can muster from the standard B&O system that is.

 

[AngeloMartinez]

Apple Music is just more advanced and constantly improving. Spotify, on the other hand, works due to its popularity, which it has gained for quite some time.

 

[m_bt54]

I happened to come across an article yesterday saying Spotify has/had plans to offer higher quality but wanted to charge a premium for it. Apple and other competitors beat them to it and offered the same for free causing Spotify put their plans on hold.

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/spotify-president-breaks-silence-on-spotify-hifi-heres-what-we-know

 

[Beef_Stew]

I was experiencing distorted “crackling” noises with Spotify via usb on my 8 speaker b&o. Switched to the wireless CarPlay and the sound quality is much improved with no more “cracking” noises. I have the bass turned up pretty high on both Spotify and the screen, so I’m sure that isn’t helping the quality.

 

[sippy2]

I started on Spotify...used primarily for earbud listening...and BT speaker. Liked the User Interface.

B&O system had me looking for improvements. Tried Amazon, Apple and Tidal. All pretty close sound quality....and better than Spotify. I like the UI on Tidal the best and canned the other two as I didnt like theirs. Audiophiles don't like MOQ that Tidal uses...I dont mind it on my stock system.

BTW I have a huge selection of Flac lossless on a thumb for comparison.

I am in the process of installing a massive audio upgrade..and may have to reeval after that.

 

[justerik]

I am in the process of installing a massive audio upgrade..and may have to reeval after that.

OHH I would love to know the results of this.

 

[Maggie Chan]

Currently, Spotify and Apple Music are paid. But it seems that the free version is getting more and more limited. But Apple Music's Family Sharing plan allows multiple family members to have their own accounts under a single subscription. This point still attracts me. But no matter what, I will use my DumpMedia Apple Music Converter and DumpMedia Spotify Music Converter to download those songs I like to my PC in case one day I cancel my subscription.

 

[m_bt54]

Currently, Spotify and Apple Music are paid. But it seems that the free version is getting more and more limited. But Apple Music's Family Sharing plan allows multiple family members to have their own accounts under a single subscription. This point still attracts me. But no matter what, I will use my DumpMedia Apple Music Converter and DumpMedia Spotify Music Converter to download those songs I like to my PC in case one day I cancel my subscription.

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