new-horizons

Q: Poor sound quality

I have been using Apple Music on Android since last year and I have been also testing all the major streaming services in search of the best one for me. Here is my feedback.

Positive:

 

1. the interface is quite good
2. gapless playback of gapless albums works fine for me, many competitors have problems with that, and it was important for me
3. Integration of own files works fine on my Xperia Z5, I had problems with that on Z1 Compact


Negative:

 

Sound quality. It is bad or even terrible, depending on the kind of music. I don’t think it is a question of encoding. I believe Apple Music streams in 256 kbps AAC (is it correct?), competitor G. in 320 kbps MP3 and competitor S. in 320 kbps OGG, I believe. So, the difference in practical terms should be negligible, I think. But there is a huge difference in the listening experience.


I use a Sony Z5 and MDR-1ABT headphones, which is quite a decent setup, and I really enjoy the sound of G. or S. The listening experience is fantastic, bass is great and treble very nice, the dynamic range is excellent. If I activate Sony’s DSEE HX on the phone it gets even better, it makes you go “wow”. Just fantastic.

The listening experience on Apple Music is quite the opposite. It sounds kind of like 1990s FM radio, the sound is extremely flat compared to G. or S., the bass is very weak, no treble, just flat. The app doesn’t respect the Android sound settings, therefore there’s no equalizer and no DSEE HX. I cannot listen to Apple Music for longer than 15-20 minutes, when you know G’s or S’s sound quality, it is just not enjoyable.


Competitor T has the same issue or “feature” – Android’s sound settings are not respected by the app.

So, my question is, are there plans to fix it in the next version or in 1.0, or should I rather build my playlists elsewhere? Will it respect Android’s sound settings, such as equalizer / Clear Audio / DSEE HX? I like Apple’s interface and feel better, and would prefer to continue my subscription of Apple Music, but I just cannot stand the flat sound…


Cheers

Tom

Apple Music, Other OS, Android

Posted on May 27, 2016 4:09 PM

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Q: Poor sound quality

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  • Helpful answers

  • by reecehaigh,

    reecehaigh reecehaigh May 28, 2016 12:37 PM in response to new-horizons
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 28, 2016 12:37 PM in response to new-horizons

    It seems to very per device, Apple Music on my HTC one M7 sounds worse than my friends Samsung Galaxy which sounds like my iPhone.

     

    saying that Spotify did the same but google music sounds amazing...

  • by new-horizons,

    new-horizons new-horizons May 28, 2016 7:21 PM in response to reecehaigh
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apple Music
    May 28, 2016 7:21 PM in response to reecehaigh

    On Spotify there are different quality settings that can be applied by the user. At the highest quality setting on my Sony Z5 and very good headphones I cannot tell the difference between Spotify and Google, both sound absolutely fantastic. Deep bass, treble, great dynamic range... So cool.

     

    If Apple Music sounds good on iPhone but not on Android, that would confirm that the source files are ok, but the sound engine used by Apple in the Android version is bad. Apple should not invent anything, just use the native sound engine in Android phones, respect the equalizer and all other sound settings just like G. or Spotify. And then it will be a great music streaming service, for my purposes probably the best one. As of now, I cannot bear the flatness of the Apple sound, and I might suspend my suscription until this is rectified.

  • by BBoiss,

    BBoiss BBoiss Jun 2, 2016 10:37 AM in response to new-horizons
    Level 4 (1,404 points)
    Apple Music
    Jun 2, 2016 10:37 AM in response to new-horizons

    In iOS, there is a toggle for allowing High Quality on Cellular under Settings for the app. Could this be related to your experience on your android? I do not own an android to look for and test this.

  • by new-horizons,

    new-horizons new-horizons Jun 17, 2016 7:36 PM in response to BBoiss
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apple Music
    Jun 17, 2016 7:36 PM in response to BBoiss

    The "quality" setting is only the bit rate of the encoding. I can only select "High Quality on Cellular". But the bit rate is not the issue.

    I think the encoding quality is OK, the issue is with how the sound is produced.

     

    I noticed an interesting thing: I can use my Sony MDR-1ABT headphones in a wired mode and wirelessly with Bluetooth. For convenience I usually prefer wireless mode. I recently tried Apple Music in wired mode and there is a big improvement as compared to Bluetooth. It still doesn't sound so nice as G or S, but at least it is in hi-fi teritorry. Of course G and S also sound better when the headphones are connected with a cable, but the difference is not so huge as in the case of Apple.

    In wired mode Apple Music is only a 100 miles behind G and S, in Bluetooth mode it is 1000 light years behind.

     

    My theory is that since Apple Music doesn't respect the phone's global sound settings, perhaps it is not compatible with aptX or LDAC, so when Bluetooth headphones are used, only a standard Bluetooth codec is used for data transmission. AptX or LDAC make a huge difference, but if Apple Music cannot use the system equalizer or DSEE HX for some reason, maybe for the same reason the sound cannot be encoded by the phone for aptX or LDAC transmission.

     

    On mid-range in-ear headphones the difference in quality between Apple and G or S is not so big, but because G and S can make use of the equalizer they can offer more options and in many cases a better experience.


    High-end Bluetooth headphones such as the 1ABT are ruthless for Apple Music. The flat sound hurts my ears.

  • by new-horizons,Solvedanswer

    new-horizons new-horizons Aug 7, 2016 3:45 PM in response to new-horizons
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 7, 2016 3:45 PM in response to new-horizons

    I updated to 1.0 and what a surprise, it respects the global EQ settings and there is a shortcut in the app to the phone's sound settings. DSEE HX works now on my Xperia Z5! Fantastic.