256kbps AAC is not so great for Apple Music.

[MICHAELSD]

Google Play does sound quite good, and I can hear slight difference between Tidal 320kbps premium and Apple Music. However, I don't think there's enough of a difference between Google and Apple's offering to label one as better than the other.

Bottom line is lossless, such as Tidal offers, is the top choice. I can hear the difference between Tidal or lossless ripped from a CD over Apple Music and Google Play. IMHO Spotify sounds awful -- it's the most artificial-sounding. The difference between Apple Music and Spotify's highest quality was striking on every sound sysyte tested.

 

[M. Gustave]

...I can hear the difference between Tidal or lossless ripped from a CD over Apple Music and Google Play.

No, you can't. But please do prove me wrong by posting an abx log file.

 

[Soni Sanjay]

Unless you've tested yourself using a blind automated abx tester like foobar2000 on pc, or abxtester on iOS, no valid conclusions can be drawn from your anecdotes.

Hydrogen audio forums, for example, will ban you for suggesting you can hear the difference between fomat x and format y without posting a valid log file as proof.

And rightfully so...

 

[tonyr6]

Play Music is louder than Apple Music. I do notice that when switching back and forth between the services.

 

[orioncrystalice]

Professional musician here, two albums recorded (one being released after September) and 3 demos before that. Playback review for my tracks is done through my iPhone via EarPods, an iLife Bluetooth speaker, 3 different car stereos, a giant Vizio soundbar, and my Mac. The main engineer I've worked with is Jamie King out of NC. I rip to lossless WAV and then my default iTunes setting is 256 AAC. For a compressed format, I really don't think it gets any better than the 256 AAC, in fact to me it slightly bests any VBR mp3. Note the usage of the word "slightly". There is barely a difference. There is a difference in the lossless WAV, but still nothing that would make me junk my iTunes library for it. And NONE of these formats will fix poor recordings, poor transfers, etc.

 

[Winterfibre]

Deezer streams at 1,411kbps

 

[Uofmtiger]

Professional musician here, two albums recorded (one being released after September) and 3 demos before that. Playback review for my tracks is done through my iPhone via EarPods, an iLife Bluetooth speaker, 3 different car stereos, a giant Vizio soundbar, and my Mac. The main engineer I've worked with is Jamie King out of NC. I rip to lossless WAV and then my default iTunes setting is 256 AAC. For a compressed format, I really don't think it gets any better than the 256 AAC, in fact to me it slightly bests any VBR mp3. Note the usage of the word "slightly". There is barely a difference. There is a difference in the lossless WAV, but still nothing that would make me junk my iTunes library for it. And NONE of these formats will fix poor recordings, poor transfers, etc.

Apple Music does have many albums (hard to say how many because they don't segregate them out) that use files from their Mastered For iTunes program. These files at least have the potential to sound better than the versions submitted to other services.