Amazon Music Amazon Music Stations currently down

[slartibartfast]

Also, there has been periodic speculation in the press that Amazon may pull support for the Alexa platform at some point in the future. Keep an eye on how their new AI experiment goes.

Seriously? Making millions of Echo devices obsolete? I can't see that happening.

 

[WiiMer SJ]

Seriously? Making millions of Echo devices obsolete? I can't see that happening.

Copy and paste this into your favorite search engine.
"amazon alexa loses money"

 

[Burnside]

Copy and paste this into your favorite search engine.
"amazon alexa loses money"

They’ve just launched Alexa Plus and articles state “Amazon would rather you upgraded to Alexa Plus, of course. It says "we're positive you'll love all that Alexa+ has to offer", but that "if you prefer using the original Alexa, it will remain available on your devices".

Like Mark Twain, I think reports of Alexa’s imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated

 

[slartibartfast]

Copy and paste this into your favorite search engine.
"amazon alexa loses money"

I'll ask Alexa

 

[WiiMer SJ]

They’ve just launched Alexa Plus and articles state “Amazon would rather you upgraded to Alexa Plus, of course. It says "we're positive you'll love all that Alexa+ has to offer", but that "if you prefer using the original Alexa, it will remain available on your devices".

Like Mark Twain, I think reports of Alexa’s imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated

Samuel Clemens died virtually broke after a bankruptcy due to bad Investments.
Amazon's loses from Alexa were estimated at 25 billion (with a b) mid 2024.

 

[slartibartfast]

Samuel Clemens died virtually broke after a bankruptcy due to bad Investments.
Amazon's loses from Alexa were estimated at 25 billion (with a b) mid 2024.

Why do Amazon care whether you buy through Alexa rather than through the Amazon App though?

 

[WiiMer SJ]

Why do Amazon care whether you buy through Alexa rather than through the Amazon App though?

Seemingly they've been willing to absorb the loses, but if the loses continue it will affect profits to a point that can't be ignored.
As I said, this has been speculation in the press. The only substantive affects I've seen were some recent layoffs related to the Alexa staff.

Edit: The layoffs occurred in 2023.

 

[N2AUDIO]

At 64 my hearing isn't what it used to be and I have tinnitus. The best way for me to appreciate higher bit rates is via headphones. In that case I bypass WiiM altogether and feed a DAC/AMP with USB or use a Bluetooth dongle with LDAC.

I’m 66, also have tinnitus, but I do my best to concentrate on the music I’m playing and not on the ringing. Despite the tinnitus, I still hear things in music that my wife doesn’t, and she has better hearing than me!

I have to say, though, I’ve been enjoying listening to this WM and Amazon Music Unlimited through my Lexicon MC-8 processor. It sounds great, even if all I can wring out of the Mini is 24bit/96kHz (apparently, the digital inputs on the Lexicon back in 2003 were only capable of that resolution). But it’s better than CD quality at least. The WM is by far the best (and cheapest) bit of audio gear I’ve purchased in the last decade, if not longer.

 

[Burnside]

I have to say, though, I’ve been enjoying listening to this WM and Amazon Music Unlimited through my Lexicon MC-8 processor. It sounds great, even if all I can wring out of the Mini is 24bit/96kHz (apparently, the digital inputs on the Lexicon back in 2003 were only capable of that resolution). But it’s better than CD quality at least. The WM is by far the best (and cheapest) bit of audio gear I’ve purchased in the last decade, if not longer.

It’s been estimated that around 90% of the major streaming services’ catalogs are CD quality, and of the remaining 10%, only around 3-4% are at the highest 24/192 resolution. Plus I doubt if there are many, if any, who could reliably tell the difference between a 24/192 and a 24/96 (or even 24/48) track. As has often been said, the quality of the source master is what really matters, not the resolution.

 

[N2AUDIO]

It’s been estimated that around 90% of the major streaming services’ catalogs are CD quality, and of the remaining 10%, only around 3-4% are at the highest 24/192 resolution. Plus I doubt if there are many, if any, who could reliably tell the difference between a 24/192 and a 24/96 (or even 24/48) track. As has often been said, the quality of the source master is what really matters, not the resolution.

I totally agree with you on that point. Blind-folded test, I doubt I could tell the difference between 96kHz vs 192kHz. BUT, it’s always nice to know that you’re getting the most out of a signal that you can, even if you can’t hear the difference!

Right now, I’m listening to a Scott Hamilton Classics “The Lamp is Low” jazz cut at 24/96, and it sounds simply fantastic. And mind you, I only have a modest set of DefTech SM45 speakers for my mains. But the WiiM/Lexicon combo is getting every inch out of them!