spotify or Amazon unlimited

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Morning all what is everybody using on there Alexa. I can get a good deal on a Spotify account for my Alexa in the kitchen but some say Rain forrest unlimited is better i was going to get Amazon prime which does give me one of there Music services and i do order a bit off the Rain forrest but i dont know if i can justify paying for prime cause i wouldn't use there TV side or movie side of things on it
 
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I've recently switched from Amazon Music Unlimited to Spotify Premium.

Amazon is meant to have a bigger library, but I wouldn't necessarily call it better. Amazon Music Unlimited is only £7.99 vs £9.99 if you are a Prime customer. Also I think the Windows client is nicer. And includes lyrics as well.

That said Spotify has apps on PS4 and Xbox One where you play music in the background, Spotify connect to easily swap devices, the ability to remote control your music on another device, social integration with Discord etc. And of course the ability to easily play other people's playlists.

Although the discount is nice with Amazon Music Unlimited I really like the other features with Spotify. Quality was the same.
 
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For us amazon alexa has replaced the hi fi in our house as it get used a lot more.

We only use amazon music unlimited which i think is £7.99 a month or £9.99 a month but my next door neighbours only pay £4 a month for music unlimited on their alexa and we do not know how to get the same you see.
 
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^ That PC Mag link above has the prices in US, and doesn't mention bitrates.

Personally I'd make the decision on factors other than quality given the similarity between the two streaming services; i.e. saving £2 a month, or being able to play music in the background on Xbox One/PS4 etc. Both work well with Alexa - something I didn't mention in my first reply.

However according to Amazon's pages on Amazon Music they have some 256kbps VBR files in their library: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tech...apple-music-which-is-the-best-music-streaming

Amazon has been picky about releasing the specifics of the audio quality, but has said that they support “multiple bit rates.”

From Amazon's own support pages
Where possible, we encode our MP3 files using variable bit rates for optimal audio quality and file sizes, aiming at an average of 256 kilobits per second (kbps). Using a variable bit rate allows us to allocate a higher bit rate to the more complex sections of music files while using a smaller bit rate for the less complex sections. The average of these rates is then calculated to produce an average bit rate for the entire file that represents the overall sound quality. Some of our content is encoded using a constant bit rate of 256 kbps
 
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Soldato
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Does no one else use Google Play Music then? I don't use Amazon or Spotify so I can't compare - be interesting to see why it's not been included for discussion though
 
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max audio streaming quality on spotify is 320kbps v 256kpbs on Amazon not that my ears can tell the difference, got spotify premium at the moment 3 month deal for a tenner.
plus Amazon music the basic package from prime.

recent article here.


http://uk.pcmag.com/music-products/...usic-unlimited-vs-spotify-how-do-they-compare

I find Spotify hit and miss quality wise - some tracks are sparkling with sharp detail others are a mussy mess and obviously been compressed at least twice before they get to you - even if they are being streamed to you are a higher bitrate.
 
Soldato
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Does no one else use Google Play Music then? I don't use Amazon or Spotify so I can't compare - be interesting to see why it's not been included for discussion though

I prefer Spotify, I tried Play Music for a bit when they were providing 3 month trials and didn't get along with it at all. I'm used to the app and the service as I use it to listen to my own music that's backed up to it, but as a subscription service it's poor.
 
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