Apple Music Lets Me Hear Music Better Than Ever: It’s Time for Everyone to Switch

As a long-time Spotify subscriber, I often wonder if this is the best music streaming service for my money. Therefore, when my new iPad arrived with a three-month free trial for Apple Music, I was eager to test the competition.

It turns out that I should have made the switch years ago.

Apple Music Has High-Resolution Audio

One of Apple Music’s main attractions is its support for high-resolution audio across its entire catalog. Unlike Spotify, which has dragged its heels for many months over the release of its hi-res Spotify HiFi, rivals like Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Apple Music are blazing ahead by providing listeners with high-resolution audio.

Hi-resolution music streaming uses the most advanced audio codecs for more faithful sound reproduction. Inferior streaming services use lossy formats that compromise sound quality to minimize file size. They do this by processing the audio file using a compression codec, which loses data when decoded to play the file.

On the other hand, lossless hi-res codecs restore audio files to their original size, returning the music to its uncompressed state after streaming for a fuller and more detailed sound. It made good sense to use compressed or “lossy” formats in the past when we had limited storage in our devices and inadequate bandwidth. However, recent improvements in the capabilities of cellular technology and improved bandwidths now make it possible to stream CD-quality music.

How Apple Music Audio Quality Compares

Suppose I listen to music through headphones on a busy commute. In that case, I will not notice the difference between lossy and lossless formats like those used by Spotify and Apple Music, respectively. However, if I am paying for a service, I want the best quality for my money, and there are instances when lossless audio does make a difference.

At my desk, I stream music through a pair of active studio monitors with a 24-bit/192 kHz sound card. These speakers are designed to deliver detailed sound across a broad frequency spectrum, and I used these to perform a series of tests to determine whether I can hear the difference between lossy and lossless formats.

I used music from various genres for my tests, selecting songs with wide dynamic ranges. Notably, when listening to Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, violins sounded brighter when played in the higher registers. I also performed an A/B comparison of The Weeknd’s single Dancing in the Flames, where an electronic hi-hat was almost inaudible on Spotify. In contrast, I could hear all percussive elements when it was played on Apple Music.

All this may sound like nitpicking, but as the idiom goes, “God is in the details.” A visual parallel would be the difference between HD television and Full HD. HD’s lower level of sharpness and image quality would not negatively impact your enjoyment of a movie. However, your senses would appreciate higher-quality visuals in Full HD, and your overall experience would be more positive.

Apple Music Other Features and Benefits

Apple Music is much like most other streaming services regarding content and features, with most offering curated playlists, various subscription plans, and around 100 million songs. However, it is attached to the robust ecosystem of the Apple brand, with all the benefits that this provides.

Apple Music Offers Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos

It wasn’t so long ago that you needed a complicated multiple-speaker configuration to achieve surround sound. Apple’s Spatial Audio feature gives you an immersive experience with three-dimensional sound. The Dolby Atmos technology further embellishes Apple Music’s already superior audio, provided you have a Dolby Atmos-compatible sound bar, Apple AirPods, or a Dolby Atmos-ready AV receiver. This is another way that Apple Music trumps Spotify’s quality and makes me feel I’m getting more bang for my buck.

Apple Music Has a Dynamic Karaoke Feature

While other music streaming services, including Spotify, offer karaoke features as part of the package, these are often unavailable in certain territories. On the other hand, Apple Music has an intuitive and dynamic karaoke feature called Apple Music Sing, which allows scrolling and highlighted lyrics to be accessed via a dedicated button while a song is playing. Furthermore, on some popular tracks, you can lower the volume of the vocals or turn them off entirely so you can do your best impersonation of your favorite singers.

Apple Music is Available on Most Devices

As an Apple product, Apple Music is a top-quality service that uses leading technology with an uncluttered UI and seamless integration, especially if you intend to use it with Apple devices. However, if you are an Android user or favor a Windows PC, Apple Music is also available for download on Google Play and the Microsoft Store. Apple’s software works fine in these cases, although you lose some native perks, such as Airplay compatibility and the Apple Music Sing karaoke feature.

Apple Music Offers Original Productions and Playlists

Like its sibling streaming service, Apple TV+, which offers a broad range of original content, Apple Music Radio boasts a decent variety of original shows and expertly curated playlists to rival that of Spotify. These are presented on a neat and familiar-looking interface that resembles the iTunes of old. Just as Apple TV+ spared no expense when compiling a roster of famous faces to star on its platform, Apple Music Radio has artist-hosted shows featuring many top musicians and spanning every genre and era of popular music.

After many happy years as a Spotify subscriber, I feel it is time to switch to Apple Music. The Cupertino company’s platform offers spatial audio and high-resolution music and is affordable at under $11.00 per month—a dollar less than Spotify’s Premium Individual plan. Further savings can be made with a subscription to Apple One, including cloud storage, Apple TV, and Apple Arcade as part of the bundle.