Pump Up the Volume: Your Guide to 5 High-Resolution Music Streaming Services

In this review, we will explore the most popular music streaming services with Hi-Fi sound among audiophiles. Let's discuss which devices you can use to listen to high-resolution streaming music and how to connect foreign platforms in today's reality.

Roon

Roon provides perfect streaming sound for your music from various sources and allows you to customize it according to the capabilities of your audio equipment.

This service for audiophiles can consolidate all your music in one place and take control of a vast library. Through extensive metadata, Roon identifies your musical compositions and streaming content. Then, it adds missing information, including genres, author biographies, song lyrics, reviews, concerts, and much more. Moreover, the platform features a convenient filter for any criteria.

Roon supports all key audio formats in the highest resolution. It ensures PCM sound quality up to 768 kHz/32 bit and DSD512 (stereo and multichannel) in formats such as WAV, WAV64, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC (Apple Lossless), DFF, DSF, OGG, MP3, and AAC. If the device doesn't support the presented formats, Roon adapts the content for the best quality available on the device.

Roon is known for personalized sound formation: it uses parametric and procedural equalizers, automatically checks and corrects sampling frequencies and bit depths, equalizes volume, and adjusts cross-feed through headphones.

You can use Roon on any device, including phones, laptops, network streamers, smart TVs, wireless speakers, players, and other devices. Sound on any device is reproduced with the highest possible quality thanks to the audio engine and special Roon server.

Roon is available in UAE for a monthly subscription fee of $14.99 or an annual subscription fee of $12.49. You can also purchase a lifetime subscription for $829.99.

Tidal

TIDAL is a global music streaming platform that allows you to play any sound without loss of quality in Hi-Fi resolution. The service has a rich library of over a hundred million compositions.

The platform allows you to choose the sound quality between high and maximum depending on the plan and the capabilities of the audio device. The precise analog sound of the compositions is reproduced in Hi-Res FLAC format. For this, the DAC (digital-to-analog converter) must support the 24-bit/192 kHz format. Unlike basic FLAC, Hi-Res expansion provides excellent sound, while the standard two-channel stereo format provides CD quality.

Available formats in TIDAL: Hi-Res FLAC, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio, FLAC, Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), AAC. The maximum sound quality is 24 bit/192 kHz.

You can listen to music without loss of quality from the streaming platform on any device: smart speakers, phones and tablets, Hi-Fi players, network streamers, and smart TVs. TIDAL streaming also works through Roon, which allows you to significantly expand the music library.

The platform offers a variety of subscription plans to fit your needs. The basic TIDAL Hi-Fi plan costs $9.99 per month and offers high-resolution audio, exclusive content, and a personalized listening experience. The TIDAL Hi-Fi Plus plan costs $19.99 per month and adds ad-free listening, offline playback, and access to TIDAL Masters, which offers even higher-quality audio than Hi-Res FLAC. You can also try family (up to 6 members, $14.99 per month) and student ($5.99 per month) subscriptions.

Qobuz

Qobuz music streaming offers 24-bit Hi-Res quality, like the previous platforms. However, users note that the sound of the same compositions noticeably differs from TIDAL in greater detail and purity. The Qobuz high-res library is known as one of the richest among other Hi-Fi streaming services.

Qobuz was the first in the world to offer streaming of 16-bit CD quality. Then, it became the first website to negotiate with producers and recording companies to broadcast tracks in 24-bit resolution.

Thanks to this, the Qobuz catalog has the largest selection of music in high resolution. Among the platform's features, there is also an excellent algorithm for selecting similar compositions, the ability to purchase and freely download files in Hi-Res for listening outside of streaming. The platform has articles, album reviews, and artist biographies.

Qobuz is compatible with all types of audio equipment and is available on all devices supporting basic wireless connection protocols. You can enjoy streaming through the installed app on any equipment capable of playing 24-bit resolution:

• smartphones and tablets supporting Hi-Res format
• computers
• streamers
• smart speakers
• network audio players
• smart TVs, etc.

Qobuz is not available in UAE now, but you can use any VPN to connect. Enjoy unlimited streaming of CD-quality and Hi-Res music for $12.99/month. Or you can lock in savings with a $129.99/year subscription, saving over 15% compared to monthly billing.

Deezer

Deezer streaming service provides access to over 120 million music compositions from around the world.

In addition to music, Deezer allows you to listen to podcasts for free, receive recommendations and exclusive audio content, create playlists, and share them with friends. With a paid subscription, extended features are available, such as saving and downloading favorite tracks, listening to them offline, and access to Hi-Fi quality.

Deezer differs from previous streaming platforms in that the maximum sound resolution here is FLAC, corresponding to CD quality, i.e., no more than 16 bits. You can listen to music in this format on any device, including a desktop app. Streaming works great on smartphones, smart TVs, wireless speakers, acoustic systems, network audio players, stereo receivers, and more.

Deezer is available in UAE offering various subscription plans. The Deezer Premium is your all-access pass to music paradise. Stream ad-free, play any song on demand, download your favorites for offline listening, and experience High Fidelity sound for $11.99 per month. Or save big and listen uninterrupted all year long. Lock in a year of Deezer Premium for $107.99, a sweet 25% discount compared to monthly billing. You can get even more profit, by trying student ($5.99/month) or family (up to 6 accounts, $19.99/month) subscriptions.

Apple Music

Apple Music provides its listeners with Hi-Fi quality. The service offers access to over 100 million songs that can be listened to in Lossless with a frequency of up to 48 kHz and in Hi-Res Lossless with a frequency from 48 kHz to 192 kHz.

Apple Music has its own sound format ALAC, as well as Dolby Atmos technology, allowing you to experience spatial sound through both headphones and external speakers. Owners of Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV 4K can connect lossless sound through device settings (in the "Music" section, go to "Sound Quality"). Hi-Res Lossless resolution can be used with external equipment, such as a network player or a digital-to-analog converter. You can also listen to music in Dolby Atmos format on any Apple device and other compatible devices: headphones, Dolby Atmos soundbars, etc.

The streaming functionality allows you to upload your tracks and listen to music on any devices, not only to Mac and iPhone owners but also to Android and Windows users.

Try Apple Music, choosing the plan that meets your requirements. The Apple Music plan costs $10.99 per month and offers all of the features listed above, except for Hi-Fi sound quality. The Apple Music Student plan costs $5.99/month and is available to students 18 years old or older. The Apple Music Family plan costs $16.99/month and allows up to 6 people to share a subscription.