Article: Amazon Music HD Launches

[MikeyFresh]

For anyone who still cares about the long discontinued and now distant footnote in audio streaming devices called Google Chromecast Audio (CCA), I connected mine to an optical input on my DAC last night and streamed to it from the Amazon Music app for Android, and I could not get any track to play at anything other than 44.1kHz.

 

When clicking the little yellow HD or UHD icon while casting, the text dialog states no further information about the stream is available while casting. So the software doesn't seem to know (or want to tell you) what the stream exactly is when casting, while the Simaudio DAC is quite sure it's a 44.1kHz sample rate.

[MikeyFresh]

13 minutes ago, rn701 said:

 

Amazon said in their faq that hd over chromecast is not supported "at this time." So maybe someday?

 

https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=14070322011

 

Ahh, thanks, I completely missed that... and yet their statement is a little misleading, it is supported, but only at 44.1kHz.

[MikeyFresh]

3 minutes ago, rn701 said:

 

Wondered about that. Wondering if they are just serving up the mp3 "sd" file in that case, which would also report 44.1?

 

I'm thinking that's a distinct possibility. While I only quickly sampled a few tracks and wasn't doing any critical listening, what I heard over the CCA/Toslink connection wasn't great, kind of thin and bleached out sounding, not a great stereo image, probably MP3.

[MikeyFresh]

46 minutes ago, MarkS said:

To me, that’s the concern.  

 

Totally legit at this juncture.

 

48 minutes ago, MarkS said:

If Amazon’s hires service indeed kills alternatives, SQ ultimately could suffer, which would be ironic and unfortunate.

 

Indeed.

 

48 minutes ago, MarkS said:

Thus, I will continue to support both Tidal and Qobuz for the foreseeable future.

 

Qobuz yes... Tidal a decided no, due to their MQA attached at the hip status. F MQA.

[MikeyFresh]

15 minutes ago, lucretius said:

I am curious as to where I can find the link to download the app?  Is it for the PC? Or is there only apps for Android/iOS?

 

There are both Windows and macOS desktop apps.

 

I was prompted within the web browser by a ribbon notification to "click here" for the desktop app, that same notification warned that HD and UHD tracks were only compatible with the desktop apps and not a regular web browser.

[MikeyFresh]

1 hour ago, left channel said:

 

In their announcements they have suggested that people buy two Echo Studio units for their "home theaters". Sigh.

 

Now that will be truly immersive. 3D.