5 Best Android Apps Every Audiophile Needs On Their Phone

Listening to high-res, 24-bit audio has never been more accessible or affordable on Android devices. With so much choice, you're likely wondering how to get started if this is your first sortie in the world of hi-res audio, especially now that Spotify has thrown its hat in the mix. On the other hand, if you're familiar with hi-res audio on Android devices and are looking to switch it up, you may find something that reinvigorates your love for music. 

Hi-res audio is having a moment, which has been building for some time. With music streaming services shifting the way it's consumed and experienced, users are now looking for higher-quality versions of songs they love to get the most out of their audiophile-level cans, such as the Focal Bathys headphones. Audiophiles have always gravitated to apps like Tidal on Android for access to hi-res music, but they're no longer the only game in town. Let's check out some Android apps that offer the best-quality audio.

Spotify is the most popular music streaming service by far – the free version just got a much-needed upgrade. The app's one major flaw has been a lack of hi-res audio. That ended this year. Spotify Lossless finally brings hi-res audio to the masses. For those who have stayed away from Spotify and gone to Tidal or Apple Music because of the hi-res availability, there's finally a reason to come back. Spotify's playlist curation and recommendation algorithm are a cut above the rest, and when combined with lossless audio, you have a recipe for a top-tier listening experience.

Does Spotify Lossless sound better than Apple Music or Tidal? That's tricky to decipher. What is true is that, while Spotify Lossless does offer hi-res audio files, it's not as high quality as the music offered by competitors. Spotify Lossless caps files at 24-bit / 44.1kHz, which is already better than CD-quality audio, but it falls short of Tidal's 24-bit / 192kHz support. When comparing a lossless version of a song to a lossy one, you can probably notice the difference. The detail and soundstage should be apparent. However, once you start to compare different lossless versions of the same track, it gets murkier. For most people, what Spotify Lossless offers is worth the price of admission — it's significantly better than low-quality lossy audio.

With other music streaming services offering lossless audio, what makes Tidal appealing is what you get for the price. The individual and family plans are cheaper than Spotify's. Pricing aside, the reason to get Tidal is because of how the app prioritizes hi-res audio. There's an entire HiRes hub dedicated to high-quality audio, with curated playlists that showcase the best of every genre. Tidal also supports Dolby Atmos, letting you get the most out of your high-end audio equipment. This is a 360-degree audio format, similar to Apple's Spatial Audio, that delivers an immersive listening experience. Though it's limited to only certain albums and compatible only with special hardware, this feature alone makes Tidal worth it. The soundstage is unbelievable. Finally, Tidal added universal links earlier this year, which makes it easier to share music with friends who don't have Tidal — it's a nice bonus. 

When it comes to hi-res audio, Tidal beats Spotify in terms of quality. Tidal lossless files are superior. You may not be able to discern the difference in quality when making the jump from 24-bit/ 44.1kHz to 24-bit / 192kHz audio, but you'll know you're listening to the very best file available.

Qobuz is a music streaming service, and it works a lot like Spotify and Tidal. You pay them a monthly subscription, and they give you access to, as they claim, "100 million tracks and the best hi-res catalog in the world." If you're serious about 24-bit audio files, Qobuz is one option. But how is it different from, say, Tidal? In addition to being a music streaming service, Qobuz also sells hi-res music, which is of way higher quality than the MP3 files sold by Amazon and iTunes. Not every song or album is available in hi-res, 24-bit, but you can typically find CD-quality versions of the music you're looking for, which is still miles ahead of lossy MP3 files.

If you don't want to fork over $10 a month for the studio version, you can simply buy hi-res audio from Qobuz to start building your library. However, if you sign up for the pricier Sublime tier, which costs $14.99 a month when paying annually, you can get up to a 60% discount when purchasing hi-res music. That way, you can stream high-quality music, and, if you like it, you can purchase it at a discount. In a few years, you'll have a formidable audio library at a fraction of the cost.

Tired of paying for a music subscription? You're not the only one. With subscriptions getting more expensive every year, more people are looking for alternatives, from going back to using a dedicated MP3 player to investing in a physical music collection made up of CDs and vinyl records. One option combines both, giving you access to your entire music collection on your phone wherever you are, so long as you have Wi-Fi. 

Roon is an ecosystem of software and hardware that stores your music on a home server, which makes it accessible on your phone and computer. You can buy a Roon Server, or make one by installing the software on your computer. With Roon ARC, the mobile app, you can access the music on your server via the internet, whether you're at home or abroad. In addition to storing all of your digitized music collection, you can also connect streaming services to Roon, making it the one place where you can access all of your music library, including Spotify and Tidal. Roon does require a subscription, which costs $12.49/month when billed annually, but there's no limit on simultaneous streams, meaning everyone in your family can access Roon without having to purchase additional licenses. 

USB Audio Player Pro is a $7.99 app for Android that lets you use an external DAC with your phone. This allows the music to bypass your phone's DAC and be decoded by the external device, resulting in better audio performance. Otherwise, your phone will process the audio, which makes the DAC useless. Whether you have a $50 dongle-type DAC or a beefier model that requires its own power supply, this app lets you get the most out of your hi-res audio files. 

If you're using Tidal or Qobuz, you'll have to link your accounts to the music service within the app. This means you'll have to operate your music streaming service from within the USB Audio Player Pro app. While this sounds tedious, you gain access to audiophile features like parametric EQ and bit-perfect audio, which delivers the highest quality. You can also use the app to listen to any music stored on your device or on a cloud service, such as Dropbox.