The problem with every music streaming service i found that isn't youtube music is that they have a severe lack of music for nieche genres, so make sure the songs you want to listen to are actually on the platform

I used Spotify for years before moving to Apple Music about 6 months ago (due to a student discount). Honestly, I quite like it. The biggest criticism people seem to have when they move away from Spotify is that other apps have inferior UIs but after a couple of weeks you get used to the AM UI so don't worry about that. Music quality is great and I find the discovery/auto play features to be pretty good (can't compare to much to Spotify though as I never really used them that much before I left). Be aware that on Windows the AM Preview is only available from the Windows 11 store in the States (unless you VPN and change location in Windows settings) although you can use the Windows Subsystem for Android to install the Android app on your PC which actually works pretty well. Alternatively you will need to install something like Cider which doesn't support AM's lossless options.

Makes sense, tougher choice as a Windows/Android user. You could always try Tidal next month to compare.

>I have checked and it has the second highest artist payout after Tidal, quite close actually.

The topic of artist payouts is honestly pretty murky and hard to pin down. Contrary to what you often hear, it's not as simple as different streaming services offering different fixed per-stream rates. So what you see one artist being paid might be totally different to another, based on their specific situation. What does seem to be universal, though, is that buying whole tracks pays the artist a whole lot more, so if supporting them is a chief concern then buy albums you like through Bandcamp, HD Tracks, or Qobuz, etc.

>The only alternative I'm considering is Tidal at 4.99 as well but it's slightly lower audio quality because that's their Standard plan, not the Studio one.

As far as digital formats goes, it doesn't make much difference to be honest. The actual improvement from "Standard" > "CD Quality" > "Studio Quality", or whatever the marketing terms are, pales into insignificance when compared to how well the music itself was recorded, mixed, and mastered. Seeking better quality master recordings for the album/tracks you listen to is key when it comes to better sounding music.

Also, take any comments that claim one service sounds inherently different/brighter/bassier than another with a massive pinch of salt - they don't.

>I'd use it on Android and Windows so no Apple devices

I haven't had much experience using AM through the new Windows app, but I hear it's... temperamental.

The best way is to take some free trials and see which service ends up working out giving you the best user experience.

Is there a dedicated windows program coming? The main thing pushing me away from Apple Music is iTunes sucks and the lack of lossless support on Windows.

Got to admit, for technology that's 100 or so years old it still looks amazing.

A little nostalgic for me though, as I remember my granddad putting on the "gram" and it not working right and him saying "got to roll them damn valves again"
Then going in to the back of the cabinet amongst the orange glow rolling them around in circles. The gram sprung back into life, like magic.
I was only 6 or 7 at the time and now 50 years later I still use them today ☺️

considering the fact that 16/44 is enough for anything I'd say he should be fine.

Alright you convinced me. My only hesitation was the lack of a proper Windows client aside from Itunes and them shutting down Cider but i just saw there is a dedicated app coming soon anyways

Yeah same here. I was actually able to listen to all the headphones I wanted test out by like 3 PM on Saturday. It's just a matter of patience and checking out a multitude of tables.

Audezenuts

yes you can remove them

It’s been excellent in my experience. Hard to find anything that’s not on there and in Lossless. Not to mention the convenience which is the main selling point with everything Apple. Try it for a month to see how you like it.

Bought This on Amazon se for my IE300 which does have the same connectors, looked through your posting history and noticed you are Italian and as far as I know you do have a Italian marketplace, the cable I linked should be available there or on the German site if not.

It was on another floor in a hotel room. You have to sign up and it filled quickly. I got lucky and managed to sub in when some people didn't come. Ok maybe lucky is the wrong word because I waited 3 hours for that lol.

If budget isn't a concern null audio makes a cable just for the IE200/300/600/900.

might sell every headphone I own to purchase the Oriolus Traillii after spending 15 minutes listening with my jaw on the floor. A vocal lover's dream. The Elysian Diva were chunky and uncomfortable in my ear. no regrets instead choosing the Monarch Mk2 for both fit and sound last year. The Yamaha YH-5000SE was surprisingly light and very comfortable on my large head. fantastic imaging and an immersive soundstage, maybe worthy of the high price tag if one doesn't mind a brighter sound signature. obviously not a great listening environment and my brain was fried by the end of the day but a nice time overall with my fellow obsessive sound freaks

Don't worry too much about the artist payout and just pick whichever is more convenient or has particular features that you like. For some people Spotify's discovery of new stuff is essential, etc. Don't forget about Deezer, Qobuz, and so on for lossless/etc.

For the lossless/etc. part, a lot of people cannot really tell, so just pick whichever is cheapest or sounds best to you, see this recent thread for more experiences about those streaming services: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11akj4c/having_a_hard_time_differentiating_between/

Since you're on Windows and Android, don't forget parametric EQ too. Sometimes those apps for EQ on Android don't work for certain streaming services though.

Try parametric EQ for more sound changes.

See here for more info about Qudelix 5K, parametric EQ, squig.link comparison graphs, AutoEQ, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/109meb5/eq/j40cy1n/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11ahxu1/just_picked_up_the_dt990s_250ohm_for_my_pc_sound/j9s5sht/

Look up oratory1990 (check the subreddit, /r/oratory1990, don't forget the preset parametric EQ list (mainly for headphones but there's some IEMs there): https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets) and crinacle's articles on what amps/DACs/etc. are and what they do.

You can do (parametric) EQ with $8 Neutron Music Player or UAPP on Android. If on PC, the free (Peace) Equalizer APO. There are free apps on Android(/Apple) that can also do a good enough job, but most of them have those graphics sliders instead of parametric or just plug the numbers in EQ. EQ can also be used to help with channel or ear imbalances.

There's also the free Wavelet app that has the AutoEQ available now. And other free apps for more simple graphic sliders EQ, etc.

Maybe you got unlucky but I didn't really have that problem. Even behind 3 people I've only waited like 6 minutes max. Also there's so many seats at the um/music musictek booth im surprised you had trouble with there.

He had $1862 in store credit from Cable Co (which is nuts) but didn't even know that he had credit built up. So, he used said credit to buy the Meze's, which normally retail for around $3k. Meaning he got a set of Empyreans for basically a third of the normal price.

Apple music on iphone is really quite nice actually.

Do be aware that 24bit/192 over bluetooth will be downgraded a fair bit

what do you mean by cut the ring around it? do you mean the red and black rings on top of the connector that indicate the sides of the buds? you can safely remove them?

If it is a yes, i will certainly try

Aliexpress listing in 3,2,1.....

Please listen to the other comments, spend the money on better iems or headphones, they will make more of a difference than an amp/dac would

The fact that the Clear can be had for less than $1k these days makes it an amazing deal.

Made the same move as you a couple years ago and don’t regret it. The Clear has a very similar presentation to the Sennheiser, but is a lot better on the technical scale.