Best way to stream music, is Sporify it?

[Guitar_Jesus]

Just like the title says, I'm getting some Galaxy earbuds and I want to be able to stream music while I'm running. Is spotify the only app we can use to stream music? I don't mind moving all my music on to my watch, but if I don't have to come I don't wanna do the work.

 

[SpookDroid]

On Samsung Watches, yes, the only way to have offline music (not sure about direct stream if you have the LTE version) is either downloading actual MP3 files or Spotify. On Android wear, is MP3 and Google Play Music (Spotify offline is currently only available to Samsung and Apple Watches).

 

[sonnnet]

There is Tidal, too. @Greymire rates it. Have a search on this forum. Spotify isn't great. It's too unreliable for me for running, so I use MP3s instead. Which is a shame.

 

[tadpoles]

I discovered Tidal this year and am loving it. Completely loving it.

 

[Greymire]

Tidal is good quality, relatively easy to use (Their phone app has been slammed for copying Spotify so they have switched it up a little) and you can get CD quality if you want to pay for it. I did but they offer a nice discount to US military Vets. In all honesty I still don't tbu K audio streaming, even at cd quality, really is true audiophile quality but it more than good enough for most. I used to work in audio so I can be a bit picky.

 

[nofaithineli]

I'm no audiophile but I find the Spotify LTE stream on the watch unlistenable due to poor quality. Offline mode sounds perfectly acceptable to my ears though. Most of my complaints about the watch app have been rectified with the recent update but it is still awkward fumbling back and forth between SHealth and Spotify while running. All audio notifications must be turned off so as not to interrupt (and stop) Spotify.

 

[Guitar_Jesus]

I'm testing out both woth trials so I can use both with LTE. I do like how spotify is a nice quick download of my playlist.

 

[tadpoles]

Tidal even offers "Masters Quality Audio" but unless opera and symphony are your cup of tea you may not find a lot of that that you care for.

 

[Guitar_Jesus]

Tidal even offers "Masters Quality Audio" but unless opera and symphony are your cup of tea you may not find a lot of that that you care for.

Well, I'm not cutting my teeth on Phantom of the Opera or Pirates of Penzance, so I'm good with regular mp3.

 

[tadpoles]

Well, I'm not cutting my teeth on Phantom of the Opera or Pirates of Penzance, so I'm good with regular mp3.

Ha!

 

[sonnnet]

I'm testing out both woth trials so I can use both with LTE. I do like how spotify is a nice quick download of my playlist.

I *love* the nice quick download of the playlist and offline Spotify quality is good enough for me. But, since the Spotify watch app update, although some things are improved (staying logged in, remote function etc), I'm finding that offline, it will get stuck at the end of a track and not go to the next one. This is the last thing you need while running, it puts you off completely.
So what I now do is loop Spotify through my sound card on my PC and export tracks as MP3s. Great quality, probably not strictly legal, but since they can't sort out their own app so I don't have to do this, IMO, morally, it's justified. I pay my subscription, too.
I would love to quit Spotify and change over to Tidal but I have a family subscription and I doubt my kids would ever speak to me again!

 

[Greymire]

Tidal even offers "Masters Quality Audio" but unless opera and symphony are your cup of tea you may not find a lot of that that you care for.

They have added a lot of other genres recently. Their library is growing quickly.

 

[Greymire]

I *love* the nice quick download of the playlist and offline Spotify quality is good enough for me. But, since the Spotify watch app update, although some things are improved (staying logged in, remote function etc), I'm finding that offline, it will get stuck at the end of a track and not go to the next one. This is the last thing you need while running, it puts you off completely.
So what I now do is loop Spotify through my sound card on my PC and export tracks as MP3s. Great quality, probably not strictly legal, but since they can't sort out their own app so I don't have to do this, IMO, morally, it's justified. I pay my subscription, too.
I would love to quit Spotify and change over to Tidal but I have a family subscription and I doubt my kids would ever speak to me again!

As an audiophile I am cringing... Lol..

 

[sonnnet]

As an audiophile I am cringing... Lol..

Lol! Actually the quality is better than offline Spotify. Depends how good your sound card is... and obviously the source. I loop at highest Spotify quality and export at 320kbps.

But it is laborious, especially compared to offline playlists.

The things we do for our kids...

 

[Greymire]

Lol! Actually the quality is better than offline Spotify. Depends how good your sound card is... and obviously the source. I loop at highest Spotify quality and export at 320kbps.

But it is laborious, especially compared to offline playlists.

The things we do for our kids...

Ha ha. But your taking a compressed signal, recording it, then further compressing it. But I used to tell people, why buy a $2000 stereo amp if a $150 one sounds just as good. And as I get older my hearing has worsened a bit from doing live sound for years then working in a steel mill when I decided I was done with the road. I did work in radio briefly but made triple in the mill. I used to cringe at MP3s but now I have listened to them so often as long as they are high quality I don't mind. And it's easier to carry around my LG V40 with quad dac and over 7000 audio files than a bunch of cds. I can't deal with any audio off the watch. It's not loud enough and sounds lifeless to me. Since it's Bluetooth and needs my phone anyway I use the V40

 

[sonnnet]

Ha ha. But your taking a compressed signal, recording it, then further compressing it. But I used to tell people, why buy a $2000 stereo amp if a $150 one sounds just as good. And as I get older my hearing has worsened a bit from doing live sound for years then working in a steel mill when I decided I was done with the road. I did work in radio briefly but made triple in the mill. I used to cringe at MP3s but now I have listened to them so often as long as they are high quality I don't mind. And it's easier to carry around my LG V40 with quad dac and over 7000 audio files than a bunch of cds. I can't deal with any audio off the watch. It's not loud enough and sounds lifeless to me. Since it's Bluetooth and needs my phone anyway I use the V40

Yep, I hear you and agree! But there is less compression with my method than with taking Spotify's original track (already compressed) and then using their download for offline feature. That second compression is massive (hence the incredibly quick download time and file size) and a far bigger compression than my mp3 export. But, to be honest, for exercise, either method is perfectly fine for me (so I will hope the Spotify app improves). Especially due to the limitations of the watch, as you say. But as I've said before, it is still better than I expected from a watch and I am quite impressed (where I think we differ ).

I will only ever stream from watch to BT headphones. Anything else, I'll use my phone or an audio device.

 

[Greymire]

Yep, I hear you and agree! But there is less compression with my method than with taking Spotify's original track (already compressed) and then using their download for offline feature. That second compression is massive (hence the incredibly quick download time and file size) and a far bigger compression than my mp3 export. But, to be honest, for exercise, either method is perfectly fine for me (so I will hope the Spotify app improves). Especially due to the limitations of the watch, as you say. But as I've said before, it is still better than I expected from a watch and I am quite impressed (where I think we differ ).

I will only ever stream from watch to BT headphones. Anything else, I'll use my phone or an audio device.

Don't get me wrong. I am impressed with what the watch can do. And for a watch it amazes me that it sounds as good as it does. It just wont make me give up my phone or home stereo. Heck, I graduated in 1980. If you told me then about CDs, or even the internet, I would have laughed at you. I did my studio recording classes on huge 16 track tape and massive mix consoles. I remember getting a satellite phone to test in the mid 80s. It was the size of a car battery.

 

[sonnnet]

Don't get me wrong. I am impressed with what the watch can do. And for a watch it ama, ES me that it sounds as good as it does. It just wont make me give up my phone or home stereo. Heck, I graduated in 1980. If you told me then about CDs, or even the internet, I would have laughed at you. I did my studio recording classes on huge 16 track tape and massive mix consoles. I remember getting a satellite phone to test in the mid 80s. It was the size of a car battery.

Lol, I like the bit about the 80's. When I was at University and in a band, we recorded our album on an 8 track cassette tape recorder and people still bought it!

I'm glad you are equally impressed with what the watch can do, audio-wise, *considering* it's a watch. That's my view, too.

 

[tadpoles]

I just upgraded my system with a NAD Masters M12 and M22. I was really interested in Tidal's Master's Quality but didn't see much, in Master's Quality, that I cared for so their regular HiFi it is.

 

[Greymire]

I am listening to Pete Townsend All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes in Master Quality on Tidal right now. Impressive for streaming. Listened to Billy Squires Don't Say No in Master earlier. They seem to be adding regularly but I have no idea how they decide. The Pete Townshend album I find a bit obscure for Master. But it is one of my favorites.