The Best Music Streaming Services for Audiophiles

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Discover the best music streaming services for audiophiles. Learn how Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz deliver lossless audio and choose which app is best for you.

Being an audiophile sounds great until you leave your listening room. You can’t exactly play a stack of 180g deluxe reissue LPs when you’re out and about, but you can pack your high-quality earbuds and download the best audiophile music streaming apps to your phone or high-resolution music player to enjoy immersive lossless audio to-go.

When it comes to quality audio that’ll keep you happy, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz come packed with features that most lossy streaming apps lack.

You’ll hear the difference with benefits like the otherworldly Dolby Atmos and/or Sony 360 Reality Audio spatial audio formats, exclusive video content from the world’s biggest artists and of course, lossless streaming music in exceptional fidelity up to 24-bit / 192kHz.

And for the true heads, these apps go deep behind the music with advanced personalized AI music recommendations, audiophile-specific music picks from real experts and, in the case of Qobuz, an entire online music magazine to discover.

If you’re ready to hear your favorite songs the way the artist intended, keep reading about the best music streaming services for audiophiles. It’s the next best thing to being in the recording studio.

Tidal—Where exclusive video meets spatial audio

Take note fans of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Jason Aldean, Madonna, Jack White, the Arcade Fire, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Coldplay, Calvin Harris, deadmau5, J. Cole and Daft Punk—the world’s first artist-owned streaming platform is home to exclusive video content and spatial audio releases you won’t find elsewhere.

With few exceptions—like deadmau5’s where’s the drop and Jay-Z’s 4:44Tidal exclusive albums are largely a thing of the past. After Beyonce’s Lemonade and the rest of Jay-Z’s discography returned to Apple Music and Spotify in 2018 and 2019, Tidal pivoted swiftly to exclusive video content.

Now, audiophiles and stans alike can enjoy live concert streams, music videos, documentaries and exclusive movie streaming premieres from music’s biggest stars plus up-and-coming artists. With exclusive videos from Illuminati Hotties, Japanese Breakfast, Cardi B, Daft Punk, Damien Marley and more, there’s plenty to see (and hear) on Tidal.

When it comes to new audio formats, early adopters have the most fun and that’s where Tidal really shines. It’s easy, too. Type “Dolby Atmos” or “Sony 360 Reality Audio” into Tidal’s search bar and you’re rewarded with individual tracks, playlists and entire albums rendered in stunning and immersive spatial audio.

Whether you re-discover your favorite classic albums or stream new releases in spatial audio, the difference is overwhelming compared to listening in stereo. When you experience a 360-degree soundstage for the first time, you’ll be reluctant to return to simple left-right listening.

Qobuz—Own your music in the highest fidelity possible

Golden-eared audiophiles with the DAC hardware to back it up can count on Qobuz for the highest fidelity of any streaming platform—lossless 24-bit / 192kHz Hi-Res Audio. In addition to the incredible streaming quality, Qobuz offers downloads in WAV, AIFF, ALAC and FLAC formats.

Sure, it’s not quite the same as playing a stack of Mo-Fi reissues sitting in the sweet spot of an acoustically treated listening room under the soft glow of vacuum tubes, blue LED lights and bouncing VU meters, but it’s the best audio quality you can stream (and download) over Wi-Fi. Let’s call it a win.

Qobuz users can stream over 80 million tracks in exceptional sound quality or (better yet) purchase lossless downloads in either CD quality (16-bit / 44.1kHz) or Hi-Res Audio (24-bit / 192kHz). And the best part? Purchasing a download gives you permanent access to your music at the highest possible quality and it supports artists. Win-win.

If you’re a music lover who prefers IRL recommendations to algorithms, Qobuz publishes an old-fashioned music magazine on their website. Featuring a roster of real-life music writers, the Qobuz magazine is a reliable resource for audiophile-leaning music news, album reviews, hi-fi gear resources and more.

Deezer—90 million tracks and CD-quality flow

At nearly 90 million tracks, Deezer’s HiFi tier is one of the largest audiophile streaming libraries on the web. The Paris-based streaming app uses uncompressed, 16-bit / 44.1kHz FLAC files to deliver lossless CD-quality audio on-demand.

Can’t wait to test your new Ultimate Ears? We know the feeling. And so does Deezer. Deezer HiFi subscribers receive exclusive access to The HiFi Room, a selection of audiophile-approved music recommendations from Deezer’s discerning music editors.

So go ahead and fire up the Deezer app once you’ve filmed that unboxing video, because you’ll want to hear how your new earbuds handle the holy grails of high fidelity in The HiFi Room. Inside, you can browse FLAC playlists by decade, rediscover your favorite albums remastered for HiFi or simply enjoy iconic audiophile recordings, collected in one convenient location.

Indecisive audiophiles can count on Flow, Deezer’s AI-driven recommendation feature, for a seamless, spot-on mix of personalized music.

If you’re moving to Deezer from a competing streaming app, transferring your library to Flow takes only three steps so you can play an infinite playlist of inspired music selections to suit your musical preferences and mood. Just ask Siri to play your Flow on Deezer.

Hear and feel the difference. Love them or your money back.

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