Apple Music will output at a lower bitrate, but with a better codec

The streaming music service that was presented last Monday at WWDC 2015, Apple Music, will arrive in more than 100 countries on June 30. Some details have already been released, including the quality at which we will hear the music. Although initially the numbers say that the quality will be lower, some media claim that the quality of Apple Music will be equal to or higher than the quality offered by competing services.

According to Chris Davies by SlashGear, Apple Music will broadcast at 256kbps, the same bitrate used in iTunes Match and most iTunes songs, but the codec they will use in the streaming music service is not mentioned. Anyway, it's probably AAC, so if it's 256kbps AAC, which is what Apple uses in iTunes, will have a quality equal to or better than MP3 audio at 320kbps.

curious about #AppleMusic bitrate? I was too. It's 256 kbps http://t.co/pobCjqRqS2 pic.twitter.com/qEOogt8WoH

- Chris Davies (@c_davies) June 9, 2015

For comparison, Beats Music streams MP3 at 320kbps or HE-AAC at 64kbps on mobiles. Spotify varies between different Vorbis encoded bitrates of 96kbps for mobile and 160kbps for computers. If we are premium users, we can listen to Spotify music at 320kbps on any platform. Jay'z's Tidal offers 320kbps for € 10 / month and HiFi without quality loss for € 20 / month.

In reality, these are all numbers for the vast majority of users. Only a few human ears will be able to appreciate the differences between 160kbps and 320kbps, but it is also true that there is modern music in which a higher compression can make the headphones appear to be damaged. In those cases I at least do notice it and it would be appreciated the less compression, the better.

Anyway, Apple Music will offer a three-month trial so that we can check if the streaming music service fits us or not.. In those three months we can check the catalog, quality and if we miss something from other services. What you have to do, since it is free, is to try it and, later, decide.