# Best subscription service?



## PuerAzaelis (Jul 28, 2021)

Title is self-explanatory.

What in your opinion is the best subscription service out there for classical music?

Primephonic?


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

I posted this on a couple different threads before, it might be of help to you...

As one of the only members here who does not own a single CD and who listens exclusively from streaming, I can help you out a bit. I have extensively tried both Idagio and Primephonic and am currently subscribed to Primephonic. Both services have major pros and cons which I touch on.

*Sound quality*
Both offer standard MP3 for their basic packages and charge something close to $14.99 per month for lossless (which I spring for). Both of them offer gapless playback (a non-compromising must for me) on mobile, but Idagio does not do so on their desktop app.

*Selection*
Idagio, in my experience, has the wider library. They have a lot of older performances which Primephonic does not. However, Primephonic also has some very good recordings from all eras that Idagio does not. I would recommend trying the free trial on both (for the Primephonic free trial they don't even need your credit card info), searching for some specific recordings you're interested in, and seeing which service best provides what you're looking for.

*Search function*
Both services have a dreamy search function if you're used to searching for popular music on other services. Type any shorthand abbreviation for any work and you're likely to find what you're looking for. However, it's a bit tougher to search for the exact recording you want on Primephonic than it is on Idagio, in my experience.

*Interface/Arrangement*
If your eyes are strained with a purely black and white interface, go for Primephonic. But in general I think Idagio's interface is more sleek and handsome. Both services are not ideal for arrangement of your personal album/recording library. On Idagio there is no option at all to arrange your albums alphabetically; it saves in an infernal random order without even a search function to find what you're looking for. Luckily the main search function is so good that you don't really need to save albums. On Primephonic you are given the option to save alphabetically, but have to manually change it every time you open the folder.

*General downfalls of both and nice individual perks*
The main downfall for both is that they heavily push newer recordings and performers to such an extent that the vintage recordings get buried. They're easy to find if you know what to search for, though. Primephonic does some interesting exclusive podcasts and performer interviews that can be intriguing. Both offer "classical radio" which I find is pretty much non-applicable to "serious" classical listeners. I do kind of like the "mood" function on Idagio, though, which lets you spin a wheel and gives you a piece that matches a certain emotion. Primephonic has recordings on Melodiya and a few on Supraphon (many of which I love), while Idagio has Nonesuch and even the token Testament recording.

So it looks like I've given more positives to Idagio. Why do I use Primephonic? Because I only do my "serious" listening on desktop (my audiophile headphones will only work on my computer) and Idagio's desktop app is non-negotiably bad - terribly slow, clunky, and without gapless playback. If they updated that and maybe fixed their alphabetization function, I would switch back to them. But Primephonic meets my needs about as ideally as could be for right now.

General recommendation if you're on mobile - Idagio.


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## PuerAzaelis (Jul 28, 2021)

Thank you VM!!!


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Primephonic has just been bought out by Apple Music, and they will be shutting down within a week. Apparently Apple will launch a new classical service next year. Ugh! I am switching to Idagio, which costs $5 less per month for premium sound anyway - and unless you want to deal with Apple's horrendous classical search function for the next six months, I suggest all Primephonic subscribers do the same.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Primephonic has just been bought out by Apple Music, and they will be shutting down within a week. Apparently Apple will launch a new classical service next year. Ugh! I am switching to Idagio, which costs $5 less per month for premium sound anyway - and unless you want to deal with Apple's horrendous classical search function for the next six months, I suggest all Primephonic subscribers do the same.


Rotten to the core (pun intended).


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## PuerAzaelis (Jul 28, 2021)

Yes just got the email today. Disappointing, but Idagio is just dandy.


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## donnie a (Jan 15, 2015)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> I am switching to Idagio, which costs $5 less per month for premium sound anyway - and unless you want to deal with Apple's horrendous classical search function for the next six months, I suggest all Primephonic subscribers do the same.


I got the email today, too, and have canceled my account and moved over to Idagio.

I'm really disappointed-in the short time I used Primephonic, I had grown to love it (though it wasn't perfect). Yes, Idagio will do fine, as it's really very similar; but the folks at Primephonic seemed to have a real love and enthusiasm for the music, and were always very responsive and appreciative to my questions and suggestions.

I'm not interested at all in Apple Music streaming at this point. I'm glad Apple seems to be taking classical music more seriously, and I'll wait to see what kind of "classical" app they come up with-but I'm skeptical. I do like Apple hardware and operating systems, and use the Music app on my Mac to organize my purchased music; but Apple has never understood or particularly seemed to care about classical listeners in the past.

Are there any Primephonic subscribers here who decided to take them up on the free six months of Apple Music?


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## FrankinUsa (Aug 3, 2021)

There are two threads that basically ask the same question. This one was started in 2021 and the other one was started in 2018. I’m curious as to how there can be such obvious duplication. Maybe it’s the grouping algorithms of this website. I posted the issue of duplication on the other thread as well


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

FrankinUsa said:


> There are two threads that basically ask the same question. This one was started in 2021 and the other one was started in 2018. I'm curious as to how there can be such obvious duplication. Maybe it's the grouping algorithms of this website. I posted the issue of duplication on the other thread as well


There are about a dozen threads on the Goldberg Variations (not including some quirky offshoots). I asked about that once ad was told to accept it. It's the way things work.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I've copied the relevant posts to the older thread. This one is closed.


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