Amazon Music HD
Answered
Hi, I am using the Windows desktop app and have just signed up for a free trial of Amazon Music HD. This service is visible in the BluOS menu but I cannot add or edit music. The only way around this is to open the Amazon music app and make changes there. These changes are then visible in BluOS. I have also tried the BluOS mobile app but it's the same story. I can add and edit music from Tidal with no problem. Am I missing something or is that how it is?
-
Official comment
Hello Matthew,
At this time the issue which you have described is a limitation of Amazon Music. We are working with Amazon closely to see what we can do to provide further support for this feature in a future BluOS firmware update.I'm sorry for the inconvenience but rest assured we are investigating this further.
Regards,
Wesley P. -
I just called Amazon with the same concern: The Amazon HD interface on BluOS is totally useless. They said they are working with BlueSound. I told them I was surprised that Amazon would have submitted such an inadequate SDK to BlueSound to launch such an important service.
To the extent that BlueSound can help address this situation, I strongly urge you to do so. In the meantime, I will have to switch back to Tidal until Amazon and BlueSound come up with an Amazon HD service worthy of both companies.
2 -
Hi tony,
I've already discussed this with Amazon but they haven't given me any confidence that they are working on this.
1 -
Following up on this thread. I have Amazon Music paid UHD subscription and a Node 2i. I also have a Sonos Port on the same system. Both the Node 2i and the Port are connected via digital coax to an outboard DAC, so both simply stream digital from Amazon Music to my system. The Node 2i is great, and supports full UHD (as opposed to the Port which is capped at 24bit/48k for now). Since I use the two side by side, it has highlighted the shortcomings in the BluOS controller software that has been discussed in this thread.
Years ago I used to exclusively stream my ripped CD library which is on a NAS drive, so integrating a streaming service like Amazon Music was not critical. I owned a few hi def files, but not many. Over the past few years I have cycled through Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, and now Amazon Music UHD. I have shifted most of my listening to streaming services, for both the wide selection and partial availability of UHD (with nearly full availability of 16/44 uncompressed).
The BluOS app has not done a good job of integrating Amazon Music. Sonos, on the other hand, has done it flawlessly. So I would urge the BluSound team to look at what Sonos has done, they do not seem to be limited in any way by the Amazon API which you have highlighted in this thread. Unlike some contributors to this thread, I am not particularly disappointed by the inability to edit my Amazon Music playlists from the BluOS controller. Rather, I am disappointed by the inability to save Amazon Music artists and albums as BluOS Favorites for easy scrolling and selection. This seems to be a much more modest request.
In the BluOS app I can save Artists to my Favorites from my Library, but not from Amazon. The BluOS app only allows me to save Amazon Radio Stations to my Presets. If I want to bring up ALL of the albums from an artist I need to type their name into the search box, which is cumbersome. The Sonos app handles this perfectly both from my library and from Amazon Music. From the Sonos app I select Amazon Music from my services, then in the search box I search for the Artist, and then click on "Add to Sonos Favorites."
From that moment forward in the iOS Sonos app the Artist now appears on a "line" that includes their most popular cuts, then their Radio Station, and then the first few of their albums. Clicking on the artist will display all of their albums. I have attached two screenshots of the Sonos app. If the BluOS controller could allow the saving of Artists to BluOS Favorites that would allow me and others to use the BluOS controller on its own, without flipping back and forth to the Sonos controller and saving me from typing into the search box to bring up Artists and Albums in the BluOS app. The order of the Artists can easily be moved around using drag and drop in Sonos, which is really important since with many artists you need to organize them in some logical way (e.g. alphabetical). Thanks.
1 -
I also have the same request as Bud and David.
I already have an NAD C658, and am stuck with Qobuz, although I'm currently getting multiple "player not recognized" errors when I try to play playlists. Qobuz blames BluOs. BluOs says logoff and then login, which does nothing to fix the errors.
Spotify works wonderfully, but the sound quality is poor.
I'd love to use Amazon HD, but without access to my Amazon Favorites and Playlists, it's a non-starter.
1 -
Hi Tony
I'm still not sure that you have addressed Bud's point (and equally my concern) . He wrote:
The BluOS app has not done a good job of integrating Amazon Music. Sonos, on the other hand, has done it flawlessly. So I would urge the BluSound team to look at what Sonos has done, they do not seem to be limited in any way by the Amazon API which you have highlighted in this thread. <snip> Rather, I am disappointed by the inability to save Amazon Music artists and albums as BluOS Favorites for easy scrolling and selection. This seems to be a much more modest request.
Presumably you are using the same API that Sonos have to use?
Thanks
1 -
I just signed up for Amazon Music, as it would be cheaper as a Prime member. I, too, am shocked at its limitations. Honestly, it has been a year (according to the thread, anyway), and it does not seem that any progress has been made.
I would love to hear if there are any updates from the Bluesound team.
Thanks.
1 -
Phil, I have continued to use my Bluesound Node with Amazon Music since my original post a year ago in this thread. I also have a Sonos Port connected to the same DA converter and I find that despite my small complaints about the BlueOS architecture with Amazon Music, I use my Bluesound Node 90% of the time instead of Sonos. The few shortcomings are overcome by an otherwise solid platform that works well in high res.
BluOS continues to be "Library-centric" in that favorite lists, etc. are limited to my library (which sits on a file server in my house). Also when you open the controller it always defaults to Library, you can't set the default to Amazon Music.
But the ability to select from the huge range of music (much of which is higher res than CD quality) on Amazon Music vs. my (large but obviously not AS large) local library of 44.1K leads me in practice to use Amazon Music with BluOS, as opposed to Amazon Music with Sonos (44.1K only, full Amazon library) or BluOS with my local library (ability to build lists, etc. directly from BluOS but limits me to my smaller local library which is 99.9% 44.1K, as I only own a few hi-res tracks. I build and maintain my Amazon lists from the Amazon app, and then access my Amazon favorites
Perfect? No. Good enough? Absolutely. Stunning audio quality plus huge selection range = happy listening.
1 -
And kudos to the BluOS team - I just noticed that in a recent update they added the ability to save Amazon Playlists as Presets. That is terrific, and addresses one of the issues I originally raised at the top of this long running thread. So now with one click you can see BluOS presets that mix local library playlists and artists (was always there), Amazon Music Stations (was always there), and now Amazon Playlists. This is really helpful, as Presets appear on the home screen so with one click you can now get to both your favorite library presets and both Amazon personal playlists, public playlists, and stations. Thank you BluOS.
1 -
Same experience here as I made the switch yesterday from Tidal as well. My gut is that the BluOS integration with Amazon Music was previously somewhat limited as I'm assuming most Bluesound owners were using Tidal, Qobuz, etc. However, with this new announcement from Amazon (which I'm personally pretty excited about) I have to think the Bluesound folks will enhance the integration. I mean, Amazon is Amazon after all and this should be a game changer in the digital streaming world.
0 -
I am also looking forward to BluOS integration with amazon HD.
0 -
At Stephen
It's here now, please upgrade to BluOS 3.4.24 by selecting Help, Check for Upgrade
0 -
Just updated - makes no difference!
0 -
Under Music Services, Amazon, have you logged in to Amazon using your Amazon Music Unlimited or Amazon Prime account?
If problems persist after that, please select Help, Send Support Request in the App.
0 -
I don't have an Amazon Prime account - I'll report in app.
0 -
Hi Matthew
Amazon is a paid service so you will need an account and log in for it to appear.
0 -
I can't edit Amazon music either (android tablet). The 3 dot menu in the playlist is broken and does not appear at all in the player view. If say Tidal items and Amazon items are in the playlist the 3 dot menu will work for Tidal items but not for Amazon items.
Update: Can't edit on IPad either.
0 -
Tony W - I do have a paid Amazon HD account - you don't need to be a Prime member (that just gives you a discount on the price).
Edmcmuffin - totally agree - this is exactly my problem too.
0 -
I'm also having problems with the Amazon implementation in BluOS, both desktop and iOS.
With Tidal, I could browse by genre, or browse by new and then pick a genre, which I cannot do with Amazon. Also, when I look at New > Albums I get a list of album titles but no artists listed? And can't sort by genre? This is very frustrating. Additionally (sorry) when I choose an album or playlist, it only shows a partial list of tracks?!? I have to click on Show All to see the rest. Ugh.
When I use the Amazon Music desktop player I don't have these issues, but of course it cannot control my Node 2i...
0 -
Hi all - I put all of our issues to the tech team and this is their reply:
"Hello Matthew,
Thank you for getting back to me with the update and clarification.
After running through some tests here in our BluOS lab I was able to replicate the experience you have described.
Therefore, I have taken your input regarding this feature and forwarded it to our Quality Assurance Team for further review and consideration in a future update.
I really appreciate your feedback as we are always developing our BlueSound Players alongside with our BluOS Controller App, continuing to expand on its features and deliver a more customized and Hi-Fi listening experience.
In the meantime, I would advise typing in the song, artist or album that you are looking for in the search bar to locate it.
I do apologize for the inconvenience, but if you have any other questions or concerns please don't hesitate to let me know. I will be more than happy to help.
Kind regards,
Eric W.
BluOS Support Crew Analyst."I cannot see this being fixed any time soon so I'll be staying with Tidal. On the positive side, perhaps Amazon's pricing will put pressure on Tidal and others to price-match ;)
0 -
"In the meantime, I would advise typing in the song, artist or album that you are looking for in the search bar to locate it."
That's very disappointing. One of them main reasons I use streaming services is to explore, and to find new music.
0 -
Ditto. I just cancelled my Amazon HD trial and renewed my Tidal subscription. By the way, I took the opportunity to try the Roon player, which works with Tidal (and not Amazon HD). It is awesome if you're interested in discovery and metadata. BlueSound+Tidal+Roon = HD music nirvana!
0 -
Thanks. I've been eyeing Roon.
I cancelled Tidal last week as my account got hacked and Tidal was like, "I see no issues with the account ... Unfortunately, regardless of the possible fraudulent activity, the collected subscription fees to-date are non-refundable (you can review our Refund Policy here: http://tidal.com/us/terms#ref-
purchase . As for the charges, you will have to work with your bank / financial institution to issue a charge back and/or stop payment."(What happened is someone upgraded my account to a family plan and added three users to it, and of course I started getting charged for the family plan. As stated, Tidal would not refund the difference, so I had to open a claim with my credit card company)
So I was thrilled to be able to switch to Amazon HD, but the experience using it with my Node 2i has been disappointing.
0 -
Hi all,
I'm currently an Amazon Music HD subscriber, and i'm looking at buying a Node 2i for my existing Hi-Fi. However, noticing the issues around Amazon Music HD in BluOS I was hoping you guys could clarify something for me before I buy. Are the issues you're facing with add and edit around creating playlists? I'll mainly be using the app to queue songs from Amazon Music HD and my local library, I'm wondering if this is affected by these issues? Or does the queue work fine when queuing songs from Amazon Music HD and local library?
Thanks
Phil
0 -
Add/edit in Amazon app then you can play in Bluesound app. As much as I like my Node I would never buy it for its Amazon 'integration'. I expect Amazon is the problem here but regardless the experience is painful.
You cannot queue in Amazon app for Bluesound unless you favorite or build playlist in amazon app then access favs/playlist from BlueOS.
Search on BlueOS side won't even show what's in HD. It's just terrible.
OTOH integration with Tidal is excellent and even has better functionality than Roon in some cases (like seeing all an artist's tracks).
0 -
Thanks, Ed
We are in the process of providing feedback to Amazon regarding their provided API and hoping we can work with them to create a better experience for our mutual consumers - namely you.
0 -
Hi all, I've recently purchased a Powernode 2i, and am very happy with the sound quality (via Monitor Audio Silver speakers) from Amazon.
It's clear from the comments here and on other threads that BlueOS integration with Amazon is patchy. I'm a software developer myself, so I can empathise with replies from Bluesound regarding the quality level of Amazon's API.
However, I think it's important to keep this conversation going - Amazon integration is going to get more important. Currently as a discovery service the integration is not fit for purpose - related artists, go to artist, album, sort and filter facilities etc - all part of a decent GUI.
How much of this is BlueOS and how much is Amazon? And how can we mount a co-ordinated effort to get all parties to work together towards a more fit-for-purpose interface? (empathising that integration is still relatively new) I also have a Tidal subscription on trial and do not want the interface (much better in Tidal) to be the reason I switch to them (I actually favour the library and sound quality from Amazon, although Tidal seems more 'refined').0 -
ps. if anyone has a link to the specific 'department' in Amazon that deals with their API then please post it here - the more of us that contact Amazon the better!
0 -
Neil, I agree with you, but assume the problem is squarely with Amazon, not Bluesound. As you mentioned, the Tidal AP is much better, and I agree. Sadly, the reason I started using Amazon Music HD was because my Tidal account got hacked and they could not have cared less, so I cancelled.
Ultimately, I found the Amazon/BluOS integration to be so frustrating that I've now gone to Qobuz and been fairly happy. I cancelled Amazon Music HD (but still occasionally use Prime Music, which comes with a Prime subscription)
I suspect Amazon's developers are pretty busy working on their own products, and on integration with mass market devices like Roku and Apple, so am not holding out hope for a quick fix...
0 -
Thanks Marc, I tend to agree, although as someone who both writes and uses API's, there has to be some onus on the API consumer to work effectively with what they've got.
Qubuz is a bit pricey for me. I may stick with Tidal, but ultimately the big question this month is whether I end the Bluesound experiment altogether and try a different streaming solution (which would be a shame because so far I'm happy with the sound quality, and there is no perceived degradation when playing my vinyl via the Powernode 2i).
0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
55 comments