Why Apple Music Sounds Better Than Spotify

Summary

The video script compares the audio quality of Apple Music and Spotify, highlighting Apple's higher bit rate streaming at 256 kbps versus Spotify's 160 kbps for free users, with a 320 kbps option for premium users. Apple Music's superior sound is attributed to its use of AAC encoding, lossless audio with larger file sizes, and the introduction of Spatial Audio, which simulates a 3D sound experience. Spotify's lack of true lossless audio and Spatial Audio capabilities is noted, with Apple offering these features without additional cost, enhancing the user's listening experience.

Takeaways

• 🎵 Apple Music offers higher audio quality with a streaming rate of 256 kilobits per second, compared to Spotify's 160 for free users and 320 for paid.
• 🔊 The difference in audio quality is partly due to the compression methods used, with Apple Music using AAC and later introducing ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec).
• 🗜️ Audio compression is essential for streaming services to reduce file sizes for efficient storage, faster loading, and less storage space usage on devices.
• 🆚 Spotify's Ogg Vorbis format was initially inferior to Apple's AAC in terms of sound quality, and they have not yet delivered on their promise of a Hi-Fi tier for lossless audio.
• 💾 Lossless audio, like Apple's ALAC, retains more of the original audio data, resulting in better sound quality but larger file sizes, approximately five times larger than AAC.
• 🎥 Apple Music introduced Spatial Audio, an immersive audio experience similar to surround sound, placing sounds in a 3D space around the listener.
• 🎧 Spatial Audio utilizes Dolby Atmos signals and adjusts audio based on head movement tracked by sensors in AirPods, creating a fixed point illusion in space.
• 🚫 Spotify has not yet offered a comparable technology to Apple's Spatial Audio, which gives Apple Music an edge in the streaming market.
• 🆓 Apple Music provides lossless audio and Spatial Audio without charging a premium, enhancing the value proposition for subscribers.
• 📈 The introduction of advanced audio technologies by Apple Music suggests a commitment to providing superior listening experiences, setting a high bar for the industry.
• 📚 The script highlights the technical aspects of music streaming, emphasizing the importance of bitrate, compression, and audio formats in delivering quality sound.

Q & A

Why does Apple Music offer better audio quality compared to Spotify?

Apple Music streams songs at a higher bitrate of 256 kilobits per second, compared to Spotify's 160 for free users and 320 for paid users, which contributes to better audio quality.

What is the significance of a higher bitrate in audio streaming?

A higher bitrate results in better sound quality as it allows for more data to be transmitted per second, thus preserving more of the original audio's fidelity.

How does audio compression affect the quality and file size of streaming music?

Audio compression reduces file sizes to save storage space and improve loading times, but different methods of compression can affect the quality, with some losing data and others retaining more of the original sound.

What was Apple Music's original audio compression format when it was released in 2015?

Apple Music originally used AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) for audio compression, which provided better sound quality than Spotify's Ogg Vorbis format.

What is 'lossless audio' and how does it differ from standard compressed audio?

Lossless audio refers to audio files where no data is lost between the original and the compressed file, resulting in better sound quality but also larger file sizes.

How much larger are file sizes for Apple Music's lossless audio compared to AAC?

A 4-minute AAC song on Apple Music is about 4 megabytes, whereas the same song in lossless format would be about 20 megabytes, approximately five times larger.

What is 'Spatial Audio' and how does it enhance the listening experience?

Spatial Audio is an upgraded version of surround sound that places instrumentals or vocals in a 3D space around the listener, creating an immersive audio experience similar to a movie theater.

How does Apple utilize sensors in AirPods to enhance the Spatial Audio experience?

Apple uses sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes in AirPods to track head movements and adjust the placement of audio channels, giving the illusion that the audio is coming from a fixed point in space.

What was Spotify's plan regarding lossless audio, and what is its current status?

Spotify announced plans for a Spotify Hi-Fi streaming tier in February 2021, which was intended to deliver lossless audio. However, there have been no updates or signs of its release since then.

Why might Apple Music's audio quality be considered superior to Spotify's despite the latter's paid options?

Apple Music's superior audio quality is attributed to its higher streaming bitrate, the use of lossless audio, and the addition of Spatial Audio and head tracking technology, all without charging a premium for these features.

What is the role of AAC encoding in Apple Music's audio quality?

AAC encoding plays a role in Apple Music's audio quality by providing a balance between sound quality and file size, allowing for better sound than Spotify's Ogg Vorbis format while still being efficient for streaming.