For 2 channel music streaming, I've been using Amazon Music HD, streamed over Wi-Fi from my phone's HEOS app to a Denon X4500H.
I really don't like the HEOS interface at all, so I wanted to try streaming over the Amazon Music App, which is vastly better. In order to accomplish this, I picked up a Firestick 4K Max. From a usability / interface, perspective, it works great as expected. But after over a week with the Firestick, I'm having what appears to be a small issue, but I honestly can't tell if it's just psychoacoustic weirdness messing with me or not.
When streaming through the Firestick itself or via the Amazon Music app on my phone, I am seemingly losing a small amount of audio quality versus the same tracks played through HEOS. When using the Firestick, songs tend to sound ever-so-slightly more compressed / bit-starved. I took some quick and dirty SPL readings, and noticed no differences there, so it doesn't appear to be a volume disparity. It's difficult to describe, but when streamed through HEOS, tracks seem to sound just a tinge more full, effortless, and open.
I do know that there is an issue between the Firestick and Denon receivers, where the Firestick reads Denons as only 16 bit capable rather than 24 bit, so every track gets knocked down to 16 bit. I thought this might be playing a role, but I noticed the same quality disparity happening with native 16 bit tracks as well. Would there be any reason that this might actually be occuring, or am I just imagining things? Could there be a setting I'm missing? I have the Firestick outputting in PCM and I turned off volume equalization from the Amazon Music app. It's also set to stream in "Ultra HD".
Thanks.
I really don't like the HEOS interface at all, so I wanted to try streaming over the Amazon Music App, which is vastly better. In order to accomplish this, I picked up a Firestick 4K Max. From a usability / interface, perspective, it works great as expected. But after over a week with the Firestick, I'm having what appears to be a small issue, but I honestly can't tell if it's just psychoacoustic weirdness messing with me or not.
When streaming through the Firestick itself or via the Amazon Music app on my phone, I am seemingly losing a small amount of audio quality versus the same tracks played through HEOS. When using the Firestick, songs tend to sound ever-so-slightly more compressed / bit-starved. I took some quick and dirty SPL readings, and noticed no differences there, so it doesn't appear to be a volume disparity. It's difficult to describe, but when streamed through HEOS, tracks seem to sound just a tinge more full, effortless, and open.
I do know that there is an issue between the Firestick and Denon receivers, where the Firestick reads Denons as only 16 bit capable rather than 24 bit, so every track gets knocked down to 16 bit. I thought this might be playing a role, but I noticed the same quality disparity happening with native 16 bit tracks as well. Would there be any reason that this might actually be occuring, or am I just imagining things? Could there be a setting I'm missing? I have the Firestick outputting in PCM and I turned off volume equalization from the Amazon Music app. It's also set to stream in "Ultra HD".
Thanks.
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