Amazon Launches HD & Ultra HD Premium Music Quality

Amazon has launched a new premium music quality service with over 50 million songs in HD and “millions” in Ultra HD.

HD quality music tracks are 16-bit with a minimum sample rate of 44.1 kHz (also known as CD quality) at up to 850 kbps.

Ultra HD offers up to 10x the original bitrate at 24-bit with sampling rates ranging from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz (an average bitrate of 3730 kbps).

Both qualities offer a huge jump in bitrate from SD quality which offers only up to 320 kbps.

The service costs $12.99 per month for Prime members or $14.99 per month for non-members. Existing Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can upgrade to Amazon Music HD for an additional $5 per month.

What will you need?

For Amazon’s HD quality the company suggests a data connection of at least 1.5Mbps or higher (such as LTE). Devices should support 16-bit/44kHz audio or higher (such as iPhone 5s and newer). And, headphones or speakers should support 16-bit/44kHz rates or higher (OK with most wired headphones and speakers).

For Ultra HD you’ll need an Android device later than 2014 (most support 48kHz) or iOS device from 2014 or later running at least iOS 11). Macs later than 2013 will support Ultra HD audio from Amazon. Windows devices will vary according to model and software.