In-home device audio quality

[evolved4]

Hello to all! I've recently added an Autonomic MMS-1e to my system, does Premium offer higher max bitrate over Plus* for that unit? Thank you for any insight.

(*) current Plus subscriber

Moderator Edit: Changing title for clarity

[TannerPandora · Accepted solution]

Hi @evolved4! 👋

Currently, most in-home devices receive 128k MP3 audio - whether the account is free or paid.

Mobile devices receive a variety of different rates depending on the capability of the device and the network they are on, but never more than 64k AAC+.

On our website, Pandora plays 64k AAC+ for free listeners and 192k for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers.

[evolved4]

Thank you for the information, but not what I asked. The MMS-1e is capable of 24bit/192kHz. What I want to know is if the Pandora Premium subscription offers higher bitrate than the Plus subscription. Thank you!

[johnnyboy]

OK,..I've got Pandora Plus (had it for a good while). My signal is coming through a DSL connection to a wireless router. That router is sending the signal to an Amazon Firestick attached to a 10 year old Samsung TV. The audio portion is going out a toslink audio out (and thus avoiding the TV's internal audio processing) to a Cambridge Audio toslink in connection, and thus going through the Cambridge's internal DAC (24/192). I have two questions: 1) what level of audio quality am I actually hearing; and 2) can I improve that quality by subscribing to premium?

[AdamPandora]

@johnnyboy I moved your post over to this existing thread: In-home device audio quality

Currently, most in-home devices receive 128k MP3 audio - whether the account is free or paid (this is what you are currently getting on your devices when streaming Pandora).

So if you were to upgrade to Pandora Premium, the audio quality wouldn't improve - you would still receive 128k MP3 audio.

If you'd like to receive higher audio quality on your devices, I recommend upvoting this existing feature request with a ❤️: Higher Audio Quality

Hope this helps! 

[wurster33]

I currently have the Pandora Free Plan and may upgrade to Plus but have a question first. I listen to Pandora using a 2nd Gen Fire TV Cube. This Cube is connected to a pretty decent home Audio System. The Cube has the Pandora App and works great. Can I expect an increase in audio quality if I upgrade from Free to Plus?

[TannerPandora]

Hi @wurster33! Welcome to community. 👋

I moved your post to an existing thread about audio quality for in-home devices. Most in-home devices will receive 128k MP3 audio with a free or paid subscription.

[pmocabee]

I have an LG C2 TV and I can install the Pandora app on it. However, I was wondering if the streaming quality is the same as if I use another device like an AVR that has streaming. I was thinking of getting the Marantz NR1711 which also has streaming. Any advantages of switching how I stream? 

[TannerPandora]

Hi @pmocabee! Welcome to community.

Most in-home devices (TV, receivers, speakers) will receive 128k MP3 audio - whether the account is free or paid.

While I can't comment on the preference of either device, the streaming quality should be the same.