…And the Showdown rolls on with the Rhapsody iPhone app.

Website: http://www.amazon.com
Developer: RealNetworks
App Type: Music store/audio streaming
The Test: On today’s Showdown, we will be comparing the quality of the Rhapsody audio steams with that of another popular music service, Slacker. Each song was chosen at random by the Slacker player. With that said, here we go:

Song #1: “If Looks Could Kill” by Camera Obscura

Song Style: An upbeat, albeit extremely sarcastic, 60’s-style pop song, complete with a “Phil Spector“-like “layered sound” and a string section.

Slacker: A nice balance, albeit a tad soft at points. The vocals did sort of “blend” into the background, but that has more to do with the song than with the service.

Rhapsody: The surrounding music seems  to “overpower” the vocals. This is most notable at the end of the track, where the vocals are completely overtaken by both the backing band and the trumpet solo.

Winner: Slacker. So what if it gets a tad “soft” at points? That’s what the volume control is made for.

Song #2: “Don’t Let’s Start” by They Might Be Giants

Song Style: A low budget “geek rock” song recorded in an apartment in Brooklyn … on a four-track … in 1986.

Slacker: This as close to “CD quality” as a streaming service can get. Sure, that isn’t hard considering the song’s production values, but still.

Rhapsody: Identical to the Slacker stream, only with a tad more “volume” backing it up.

Winner: Rhapsody. Sometimes, louder really is better.

Song #3: “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty

Song Style: It’s a Tom Petty song. If you have heard one, you have heard them all.

Slacker: Not bad overall. While the song itself isn’t necessarily “bass heavy,” a little extra push from the lower end of the spectrum would have be nice. On the plus side, Tom Petty’s vocals are nice and nasal clear, which really does add to things.

Rhapsody: In a strange way, this stream is the “Bizarro” to Slacker’s Superman. The backing track, background vocals, and bass are near perfect, but the vocals are muddled and soft.

Winner: Push. While I prefer the Slacker stream, I can’t in good conscience say that it’s “better.”

Song #4: “P.O.V. Waltz” by Harry Nilsson

Song Style: A lush, densely layered waltz. You will never quite hear the same thing twice.

Slacker: Absolutely no complaints. Everything came through perfectly … or so I thought.

Rhapsody: The layered vocal track is much, much clearer. That alone makes the entire song more enjoyable.

Winner: Rhapsody.

Song #5: “World Shut Your Mouth” by Death Cab for Cutie

Song Style: A cover of the Julian Cope new wave classic. The Death Cab version is noticeably faster than the original.

Note: Since I couldn’t find the cover on either YouTube or Daily Motion, I have decided to link the original version.

Slacker: Muddled and loud. For a straight-ahead rock track such as this one, that is a very good thing. The vocals do blend in to the rest of the track, but it works with the song.

Rhapsody: It’s missing something. I don’t know what that “something” is exactly, but it clearly isn’t there.

Winner: Slacker.

Tie Breaker: “Chasin’ Girls” by The Clarks

Song Style: “Americana rock” in the style of Bruce Springsteen. This particular track is bit more “aggressive” (and sarcastic) than normal.

Slacker: Again, no complaints here.

Rhapsody: The band is a bit louder than the vocals. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however.

Winner: Push. It all comes down to personal preference.

Tie Breaker #2: “Say It All” by Sondre Lerche

Song Style: This song lies somewhere between jazz-inspired pop and new wave. Think Steely Dan, only not boring. Special attention should also be paid to the unique guitar work found on the track. If a technically proficient metal guitarist took up the acoustic guitar, he would be Sondre Lerche.

Slacker: I wish the bass was a bit louder. Other than that, I really can’t find fault here.

Rhapsody: Virtually identical to the Slacker stream.

Winner: Push. Again.

Tie Breaker #3: “We Gotta Get You a Woman” by Todd Rundgren

Song Style: Layers, distortion, key changes, tempo changes, a general “lo-fi” feel … this track quite literally has everything. If any song will break our stalemate, it will be this one.

Slacker: No complaints. This song is actually perfect for live streaming due to the reasons mentioned above.

Rhapsody: This has a much fuller sound than the Slacker stream.

Winner: Rhapsody.

Overall Winner: Rhapsody, by a nose. In all honesty, to call Rhapsody the clear “winner” in this situation would be a tad disingenuous. If we would have gone through a hundred separate songs, it would have been a fifty-fifty split. We just happened to stop testing while Rhapsody was ahead.

…And there you have it. Come back Monday to see a full, in-depth review of the app itself. Until then, we bid thee a fond adieu. Have a great weekend.