• Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser states bluntly: “In a blind test with an iPhone and headphones, most people can’t tell the difference between lossless and lossy”
• Apple is betting on Spatial Audio instead — far more people can perceive the difference in blind listening tests
• Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Qobuz, Amazon Music, KKBOX, MOOV — a complete comparison of bitrate, pricing and features across seven platforms
• Is lossless audio a marketing game or a real need? Let’s break it down
• 💰 Monthly fees range from HK$48 to HK$128 — but the most expensive option isn’t necessarily the best fit for you
• ⭐ Kaia’s verdict: Don’t let bitrate numbers dictate your choice. Your headphones, your listening environment and your listening habits — those are the real deciding factors
🏭 The Streaming Battlefield: From “Who Has More Songs” to “Who Has Higher Bitrate”
Music streaming is far from a novelty. According to the RIAA’s 2025 year-end report, streaming now accounts for roughly 82% of total US music industry revenue, with total streaming revenue hitting an all-time high. But the market is shifting from double-digit growth to saturation — platforms are no longer competing on user numbers. They’re fighting over added value: sound quality, spatial audio, AI-powered recommendations and device ecosystem integration.
The choice of streaming platform today is no longer a simple “Apple Music or Spotify” binary. A recent feature analysis by Japanese audio outlet Phile Web identifies five major players across Western and Japanese markets: Apple Music, Spotify, Qobuz, Amazon Music and TIDAL. In Hong Kong, two local contenders also hold significant ground: KKBOX and MOOV (owned by PCCW, with a focus on Cantonese music and a unique music therapy feature). Each platform differs markedly in bitrate, codec, spatial audio support and ecosystem integration.
So why is everyone suddenly talking about lossless audio? Because Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser, in a candid moment on Billboard’s On The Record podcast, laid bare the entire industry’s “emperor’s new clothes” dilemma.
⚙️ Schusser’s Honesty: The “Emperor’s New Clothes” of Lossless Audio
During the interview, when the host remarked that “most ordinary people can’t hear the difference with lossless audio,” Schusser didn’t just agree — he went further:
“Honestly, if we did an anonymous blind test with an iPhone and headphones… I can tell you, most music fans can’t tell the difference.”
These words carry real weight coming from the person who runs Apple Music. Remember, when Apple Music launched lossless in 2021, the headline selling point was “Lossless at no extra cost” — a move that directly pressured Spotify to follow suit (Spotify finally delivered its long-promised “Spotify HiFi” in 2025). And yet here’s Schusser, saying most people genuinely can’t hear it.
He went on to explain Apple’s strategic thinking: prioritise Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) over chasing ever-higher bitrate numbers. The reasoning is simple — in the same blind-test conditions, far more people can perceive the difference with spatial audio than with lossless.
This strategic choice has visible evidence: Apple’s entire AirPods lineup still uses the AAC Bluetooth codec (which is lossy). Only the AirPods Max and AirPods Max 2 support lossless playback — and only via a wired USB-C connection. By contrast, Sony’s high-end wireless headphones come standard with LDAC (up to 32-bit/96kHz), and competitors like the Technics EAH-AZ100 also support high-bitrate Bluetooth codecs. Apple’s insistence on AAC reflects their internal data: most people listening on wireless earbuds genuinely can’t hear the bitrate difference — chasing specs is less valuable than chasing experience.
🔧 Technical Breakdown: Bitrate Isn’t Everything — The Three Layers That Really Affect What You Hear
As someone who has worked in product design, I (Kaia) want to highlight a point that’s frequently overlooked: bitrate numbers are like ingredient specs — they don’t determine how the dish actually tastes. When comparing sound quality across streaming platforms, you need to consider three distinct layers:
1. Source Layer: Codec and Bitrate
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and ALAC (Apple Lossless) can theoretically reproduce studio-quality sound at up to 24-bit/192kHz. AAC at 256kbps is lossy compression, but Apple’s AAC encoder is widely regarded as one of the finest lossy encoders in the industry — at 256kbps, many audiophiles cannot reliably distinguish it from FLAC in blind testing.
2. Transmission Layer: Wired vs. Wireless
This is where the real bottleneck lives. Even if you’re streaming 24-bit/192kHz from Qobuz, if the audio travels via Bluetooth AAC to your AirPods, what reaches your ears is still AAC 256kbps. To genuinely experience Hi-Res audio, you need: wired headphones plus an external DAC, or headphones and players that support high-resolution Bluetooth codecs like LDAC or aptX Lossless.
3. Listening Layer: Ambient Noise and Attention
Background noise on the MTR can easily exceed 70dB. In that environment, the dynamic range gap between FLAC 24-bit/192kHz and AAC 256kbps (theoretically ~144dB vs ~96dB) is essentially swallowed whole by ambient noise. The “iPhone plus headphones blind test” that Schusser describes mirrors precisely how most people actually listen to music day to day.
📋 Seven Streaming Platforms: Complete Comparison
HK$68/mo
HK$78/mo
~HK$88/mo
~HK$108/mo
~HK$78/mo
HK$65/mo
HK$48–68/mo
* TIDAL is now officially available in Hong Kong, but pricing is settled in foreign currency (~US$10.99/mo). Qobuz Japan has officially launched (¥1,280/mo, ~HK$68); Hong Kong users need to arrange their own payment method. Amazon Music pricing in Hong Kong fluctuates — the above is a reference conversion. KKBOX Hong Kong pricing is based on official website information.
One point worth highlighting is Spotify’s long road to Lossless: Spotify finally delivered on its years-old “Spotify HiFi” promise in 2025, giving Premium subscribers access to FLAC lossless streaming at up to 24-bit/44.1kHz. However, Spotify still doesn’t support Hi-Res beyond 44.1kHz, nor does it offer Dolby Atmos. In practice, Spotify Premium Lossless gives you roughly CD-quality audio — which, for most listeners, is already more than good enough.
💡 Kaia’s Take: The Bitrate Arms Race is “Spec Inflation”
As someone who’s worked in product design, I can’t help but see the bitrate arms race as the audio world’s version of the megapixel wars in cameras — the numbers keep climbing, but most users can’t perceive any real difference in actual use. The Apple Music VP’s candour cuts straight to an uncomfortable truth the audio industry has long danced around: for the vast majority of listeners, lossless audio provides “peace of mind” rather than a genuinely audible upgrade.
That’s not to say bitrate is meaningless. The question is: under what conditions does it matter? If you’re sitting in a treated listening room, using reference-grade wired headphones with an external DAC, fully focused on the music — you can distinguish 24-bit/192kHz from AAC 256kbps. But if you’re on the MTR with AirPods Pro, half-listening to a playlist, that difference is essentially erased by ambient noise and Bluetooth compression combined.
So when choosing a streaming platform, instead of chasing the highest bitrate number, ask yourself: (1) What headphones do you use — wireless or wired? (2) Where do you listen — a quiet room or on the go? (3) What do you listen to — classical and jazz, or pop and K-pop? (4) What extra features matter to you — music discovery, Spatial Audio, or Roon integration? The answers to these four questions are ten times more important than whichever platform has the biggest bitrate spec.
✅❌ Seven Platforms: Quick Pros & Cons
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| • Apple Music: Lossless + Hi-Res + Dolby Atmos at no extra cost — best value | • Apple Music: Walled garden; AirPods can’t do Lossless wirelessly; no Roon/Audirvana integration |
| • Spotify: Best-in-class AI recommendations and music discovery; widest Spotify Connect device ecosystem | • Spotify: No Hi-Res (capped at 44.1kHz); no Dolby Atmos |
| • Qobuz: Studio-master-grade sources; native Roon integration; richest metadata for classical & jazz | • Qobuz: Not officially launched in Hong Kong; pricier; no AI recommendations; no Spatial Audio |
| • KKBOX: Unmatched Chinese / Japanese / Korean catalogue; fair HK pricing; supports Hi-Res | • KKBOX: Weaker Western catalogue; no Spatial Audio; narrow device ecosystem |
| • TIDAL: Hi-Res + Dolby Atmos combo; Roon integration; higher artist royalty share | • TIDAL: Exchange-rate-based pricing fluctuates; weaker J-pop support; opaque HK official pricing |
| • Amazon Music: Prime member discount; best Echo voice integration; large Hi-Res catalogue | • Amazon Music: Expensive without Prime; no Roon integration; weak Asian market support |
| • MOOV: Best Cantopop library; unique music therapy feature; carrier bundle deals; reasonable 24-bit plan | • MOOV: Weaker international catalogue; some 24-bit tracks are upsampled, not native; no Spatial Audio; limited desktop Hi-Res experience |
🎯 How to Choose — Pick a Platform Based on Your Use Case
| Your Use Case | Best Platform | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone + AirPods, daily listening | Apple Music | Seamless ecosystem integration, best Spatial Audio experience, Lossless at no extra cost |
| Love discovering new music, playlist-driven | Spotify | AI DJ + Discover Weekly lead the industry; smoothest social sharing |
| Audiophile, dedicated Hi-Res listening sessions | Qobuz or TIDAL | Studio-master-grade sources; Roon/Audirvana integration; bit-perfect output |
| Primarily listen to Chinese / J-pop / K-pop | KKBOX | Most complete Chinese catalogue; fastest J-pop/K-pop updates; excellent localised playlists |
| Already own Amazon Echo smart home devices | Amazon Music | Unbeatable Echo voice control; great value with Prime membership |
| Mainly listen to Cantopop, want affordable lossless | MOOV | Strongest local catalogue; carrier deals often under HK$50; exclusive music therapy feature |
| Budget-conscious but want Lossless | Apple Music or Spotify | Lossless from HK$68; Apple Music throws in Hi-Res + Atmos on top |
🏁 Verdict: The Numbers Are for Spec Chasers — the Music Is for Your Ears
Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser’s frank admission is less a case of “shooting himself in the foot” and more a moment of rare industry honesty. In an era where every platform is racing to push ever-higher bitrate figures, he’s reminding us of a foundational truth: the value of music was never defined by a bitrate number.
Of course, Schusser’s position isn’t entirely selfless. Apple’s decision to keep AirPods on AAC rather than adopting a lossless Bluetooth codec is partly a hardware limitation and partly a cost decision. Shifting the conversation from bitrate to Spatial Audio is exactly the new battleground Apple wants to own — and the hardware and software ecosystem required for Dolby Atmos music production remains, for now, Apple’s moat.
But for the average listener, the reminder is a valuable one: before you double your monthly subscription fee, buy an external DAC, and swap in a balanced cable — all for 24-bit/192kHz — ask yourself: can your headphones actually reveal the difference? Does your listening environment even allow the difference to surface?
If you’re on the MTR with AirPods Pro listening to K-pop, the gap between Apple Music’s AAC 256kbps and Qobuz’s FLAC 24-bit/192kHz might genuinely be zero.
One last thought: Bitrate is an engineer’s pursuit; music is your pleasure. Pick the platform that feels right to use, has the catalogue you actually listen to, and costs an amount you’re comfortable with — that is the smartest choice you can make.
🔗 More Info
📰 Original report: unwire.hk — Apple Music VP says most people can’t hear the difference
📰 Platform comparison reference: Phile Web — Top 5 Streaming Services Compared (Japanese)
🎵 Apple Music: Apple Music HK
🎵 Spotify: Spotify HK
🎵 Qobuz: Qobuz (now officially available in Japan)
🎵 KKBOX: KKBOX HK
🎵 MOOV: MOOV HK
