I've tested my fair share of streaming devices in my time at What Hi-Fi?, including heavy hitters from Amazon, Google and Apple.
But while that trifecta of tech titans comprises the biggest players, it would be remiss of me to neglect the likes of Roku and Nvidia, both of which have loyal fan bases for their respective streamers.
With our latest streaming review, that being the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation), I noticed a pattern that nearly every streaming stick and box seems to follow: they're not that great at streaming music.
Now, it's worth remembering that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a five-star option for movie fans, as we approved of its "detailed and rich picture" and it's got a solid feature set too. But when it comes to testing audio, we always ensure to try music alongside movie dialogue and sound effects.
We do this because you can tell a lot from a product's sound performance using a reference track, and need I remind you that soundtracks are a huge part of the film watching experience.
On a more personal level, I use the streaming device currently hooked up to my TV at home to play music through my soundbar. Not the ideal audio set-up, I'm well aware, but it suits my needs, and space isn't exactly abundant in my modest London abode.
I will upgrade to a full hi-fi arrangement in due course, but it's better than nothing, and I'm willing to bet that a lot of people use their streaming device to play music through their TVs at home too.
So, with that in mind, how did the Fire TV Stick 4K fare? It's not bad, in fact in our review I described it as "solid", complimenting its warmth and cohesion even if timing was notably lacklustre. Most importantly, however, it sounded much better than the Google TV Streamer.
Google's streaming offering didn't excel with music or movie audio, serving up a flat and uninteresting sound, lacking warmth and dynamic prowess in the process. The Amazon, comparatively, had no issue achieving the upper hand during my side-by-side testing, though the bar wasn't exactly high.
So, with Amazon sort of getting it right, but by no means reaching for the stars, and Google missing the mark entirely, is there anyone out there who can deliver a genuinely excellent musical experience via a streamer?
Of course there is, and it should come as no surprise that I'm about to recommend the Apple TV 4K yet again. Yes, I'm well aware that I've banged on about this streamer enough at this point, but it's the truth; Apple just gets sound so right with the TV 4K.
It's a warm, textured, and rich performance with excellent timing and dynamics. It handles the indie, pop, and R&B tracks that I most commonly listen to without breaking a sweat.
It has me wondering this: why can't other manufacturers compete? I suppose it comes down to priorities; Google is all-in on Gemini AI with the Google TV Streamer, while Amazon's goal with the Fire TV Stick range is to balance performance and affordability.
Also, I presume that movies and TV shows outrank music when it comes to developing and tuning their products. The predominant use case for streaming devices is, at the end of the day, to access services like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
That being said, Apple's success with music replay shows that you can strike a balance and get both right.
Ultimately, Apple's streamer is the most expensive of the models mentioned here, so I'd honestly expect nothing less than the best performance possible. But still, it would be nice to see other streaming devices close the gap.
MORE:
Read our full Amazon Fire TV 4K Max (2nd Generation) review
As well as our Apple TV 4K (2022) review
And check out our picks for the best streaming devices for movies and TV
