On-line Stores & Sellers

Started by Expresso, July 02, 2007, 09:09:12 AM

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Que

Quote from: DavidW on February 22, 2023, 06:38:15 AMThey would need to have native support on BluOS to tempt me. 

I don't even know what that means! :D

Need some technology lessons...  8)

DavidW

Quote from: Que on February 22, 2023, 09:10:31 AMI don't even know what that means! :D

Need some technology lessons...  8)

I have a Bluesound Node streamer.  It is a little box that you connect to your stereo and use an app (BluOS) on my Ipad to connect to different streaming services and stream music directly to the stereo. 

That app is used for many devices made by different companies such as NAD and Dali. 

It just makes it easy because then I don't have to use a computer and it is just as fast as loading a cd.

Madiel

#1502
Quote from: DavidW on February 22, 2023, 03:27:25 PMI have a Bluesound Node streamer.  It is a little box that you connect to your stereo and use an app (BluOS) on my Ipad to connect to different streaming services and stream music directly to the stereo. 

That app is used for many devices made by different companies such as NAD and Dali. 

It just makes it easy because then I don't have to use a computer and it is just as fast as loading a cd.

Interesting. I bought a Panasonic mini hifi that was streaming capable and I stream from my iPhone using whatever app I want. I think Panasonic does have an app for it, but it would only be truly relevant if I'd bought separate Panasonic speakers. It's completely unnecessary when I'm using the hifi unit.

The inbuilt speakers happily play whatever would otherwise be the sound on my phone, using AirPlay or Bluetooth.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Papy Oli

While I am not an Apple user or a huge fan of the brand itself, I have noticed that some particular sets or albums are quite cheaper to purchase on the Itunes Store than on Presto or Qobuz.

Silly questions follow for your help please  ;D

- Can I "physically" download the files after purchase onto a local drive as to play them in my laptop's player ? (I assume I can as Musicbee, which I use, supports AAC, M4A and ALAC)

- Which of these formats is actually the Lossless equivalent to FLAC please? Are we given such choice in the Itunes Store?

- Any other potential issues of quirks I should be aware of ?

Thank you.
Olivier

Madiel

ALAC is essentially FLAC with an A for Apple.

Yes if you buy on iTunes you are buying downloads.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Papy Oli

Quote from: Madiel on March 28, 2023, 08:34:35 AMALAC is essentially FLAC with an A for Apple.

Yes if you buy on iTunes you are buying downloads.

Ok thank you, I'll give it a try with one cheap album first and see how it goes.

The search function was quirky (at best  ;D ).
Olivier

Madiel

#1506
Quote from: Papy Oli on March 28, 2023, 08:38:30 AMOk thank you, I'll give it a try with one cheap album first and see how it goes.

The search function was quirky (at best  ;D ).

If you haven't purchased, read this. I think it's still current. Suggests you CANNOT buy lossless. https://www.idropnews.com/news/sorry-itunes-fans-apple-wont-be-offering-purchased-tracks-in-lossless-formats/159594/amp/

Edit: several other indications of the same.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

DavidW

Quote from: Madiel on March 28, 2023, 08:43:12 AMIf you haven't purchased, read this. I think it's still current. Suggests you CANNOT buy lossless. https://www.idropnews.com/news/sorry-itunes-fans-apple-wont-be-offering-purchased-tracks-in-lossless-formats/159594/amp/

Edit: several other indications of the same.

Well that explains the discount then.  That is kind of malicious, how unnecessarily anti-consumer of them.

Madiel

Quote from: absolutelybaching on March 28, 2023, 08:56:57 AMWell, you could view it that way. Or you could argue that most people using Apple airpods and the like, especially via Bluetooth, don't particularly care about spot-on, lossless audio fidelity, and for them a 320kpbs MP3 (or an almost-equivalent 256kpbs AAC) is perfectly sufficient. There surely is a market for on-the-spot consumption of music that isn't exactly going to last for centuries, so by segmenting the market as they have done, maybe Apple is merely making cheap (lossy) music more readily available to the masses?

Don't know, but I can see it both ways.

But they offer lossless to those exact same listeners. So long as you rent it monthly.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Papy Oli

Thank you @absolutelybaching & @Madiel for your clarifications and additional information.

I shall stay away from Itunes store  ;D
Olivier

Spotted Horses

Quote from: absolutelybaching on March 28, 2023, 08:56:57 AMWell, you could view it that way. Or you could argue that most people using Apple airpods and the like, especially via Bluetooth, don't particularly care about spot-on, lossless audio fidelity, and for them a 320kpbs MP3 (or an almost-equivalent 256kpbs AAC) is perfectly sufficient. There surely is a market for on-the-spot consumption of music that isn't exactly going to last for centuries, so by segmenting the market as they have done, maybe Apple is merely making cheap (lossy) music more readily available to the masses?

Don't know, but I can see it both ways.

When I had a free trial of Apple Music I frequently saw the "lossless" tag. I think it is a marketing strategy to entice people to use Apple Music rather than purchasing from iTunes, since they recognize that the market is moving away from downloads and they want to be well positioned in the streaming world.

I think it is an incorrect assumption that Apple customers typically use cheap earbuds to listen to music. Apple now sells some high-end headphones and there are various ways to send music from an apple device to an "audiophile" audio system.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Spotted Horses

#1511
Quote from: absolutelybaching on March 28, 2023, 09:53:05 AMThere's nothing cheap about Airpods! (See https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Airpods-Charging-latest-Model/dp/B07PZR3PVB, for example, picked at random). I wasn't suggesting the devices were sub-par, merely that they tend to get used in gyms, on trains, whilst jogging etc etc... that is, in environments where audio fidelity is not a prime requirement. *That* segment of the market is probably not in need of lossless, is all I meant.


I was gifted AirPod Max.

https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/

They are quite good overear noise canceling headphones, and probably not for the gym.

And probably a lot of us (me included) don't want to acknowledge that we don't need lossless compression. I rip my CDs and purchase downloads in FLAC rather than MP4, etc, just because I don't want to be always wondering if it might sound a little better.

There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Spotted Horses

By some coincidence I just got an email from Deutsche Gramophone pointing out that Apple has just introduced a separate app for classical music under Apple Music. Apparently it comes with Apple Music at no additional cost. They promise the highest possible quality and enhances search engine allowing a user to specifically search for individual works.

I might go for it. I liked Apple Music for casual pop music listening. I could pull up an album  (Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Kinks) that I never had, or maybe had on vinyl but never updated to CD or iTunes. But I was too cheap to spring for it. If I can also use it to sample classical music, maybe it is worth it.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

DavidW

Quote from: absolutelybaching on March 28, 2023, 10:05:29 AMthey allow those with less disposable income (and perhaps less discernment or need for discernment) to participate in the market.

But those people are streaming, not buying music.  The marketshare for digital downloads is painfully small (4%), and the fraction of those that fit your paradoxical demographic (wanting to pay the least, but purchase instead of stream) would have to be vanishingly small.

I think it is far more likely that instead of charitably thinking of the underdog, Apple just wants to push people onto their streaming platform and gave no thought to downloads.  The only way that they stand out from Spotify is having lossless audio.  But it would cost them almost nothing to offer lossless downloads as well.

Madiel

Quote from: Spotted Horses on March 28, 2023, 10:17:47 AMBy some coincidence I just got an email from Deutsche Gramophone pointing out that Apple has just introduced a separate app for classical music under Apple Music. Apparently it comes with Apple Music at no additional cost. They promise the highest possible quality and enhances search engine allowing a user to specifically search for individual works.

I might go for it. I liked Apple Music for casual pop music listening. I could pull up an album  (Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Kinks) that I never had, or maybe had on vinyl but never updated to CD or iTunes. But I was too cheap to spring for it. If I can also use it to sample classical music, maybe it is worth it.

The key question is whether the classical app has fixed search and metadata. Which were abominable for classical in Apple Music.

I've personally got no intention of switching from my existing apps anyway, but if you liked Apple Music, that's the big test. Whether in the new classical app you can actually find things.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

DavidW

Quote from: Madiel on March 28, 2023, 11:59:23 AMThe key question is whether the classical app has fixed search and metadata. Which were abominable for classical in Apple Music.

I've personally got no intention of switching from my existing apps anyway, but if you liked Apple Music, that's the big test. Whether in the new classical app you can actually find things.

I really hope so, else they tore primephonic up for no good reason.  I think I'm fine with Idagio, but like you I'm also curious.

Madiel

#1516
Quote from: DavidW on March 28, 2023, 12:13:13 PMI really hope so, else they tore primephonic up for no good reason.  I think I'm fine with Idagio, but like you I'm also curious.

Turns out it's possible to install the app on my phone and try searching without a subscription.

"Mozart symphony 12" yielded Mozart's 12th symphony, so it immediately passed the test that Apple Music spectacularly failed. But it also yielded some poor results below that, of Mozart piano concertos. I compared to Idagio, and Idagio's "wrong" results are less wrong.

And the very first most popular result for Symphony no.12 only has 2 of the movements. I'm used to seeing such results low down on the list. Maybe some early listener happened to dislike minuets and finales. Um.

EDIT: I also searched for Ivo Pogorelich albums because a few hours ago I got curious about his discography. Whereas Idagio has all 14 of his Deutsche Grammophon albums (plus some later repackaging), Apple Classical is missing 3. Or doesn't know to list them on his artist page.

Also... I'm finding the Apple Classical interface quite unattractive.

I think that's enough for my personal curiosity!!
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

vandermolen

I read yesterday that HMV is reopening its flagship store in Oxford Street, London  :)
However I wonder how much classical music will feature. This is partly the result of demand for Vinyl and CDs ( :o ) growing, not to mention the return of the audio-cassette. What goes around comes around!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Que

Quote from: vandermolen on April 28, 2023, 11:52:52 PMI read yesterday that HMV is reopening its flagship store in Oxford Street, London  :)
However I wonder how much classical music will feature. This is partly the result of demand for Vinyl and CDs ( :o ) growing, not to mention the return of the audio-cassette. What goes around comes around!

Audio cassettes were a menace!  :o 

Their advantages - portability and recording ability - are superfluous nowadays.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on April 28, 2023, 11:52:52 PMI read yesterday that HMV is reopening its flagship store in Oxford Street, London  :)
However I wonder how much classical music will feature. This is partly the result of demand for Vinyl and CDs ( :o ) growing, not to mention the return of the audio-cassette. What goes around comes around!
:o  8)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter