Anybody Use Tidal?

[JohnA]

If you do, which package any why?  Is the max package worth the extra cost? 

 

My new Yamaha can access it and it has me wondering.

[avguytx]

I used to and liked it well enough I guess.  An advantage they have is having the Tidal Connect feature, similar to Spotify, which I hope Qobuz does one day.  If HiRes is what you're after, then their HiFi Plus is the only one that can.  The other is CD quality and some may, or may not, hear the differences.  I'm not sure how broad their HiRes catalog is compared to other streaming companies as I know that there are some artists who put their catalogs on one but not another due to how "royalties" are paid out.  I personally use Spotify (have just about inception) and Qobuz.

[Flevoman]

I use Tidal, and I really like it. The reason I prefer Tidal over other, sometimes half-priced, streaming services is due to its offering of high-resolution music and the user-friendly app. Additionally, there are features, like "my daily discovery," where I get around 10 songs tailored to my music taste every day—an enjoyable way to discover new bands. Another great option is a button under the song that you are listening at. It generates a complete playlist of similar songs. Maybe it might be a bit pricier than some other streaming services, but I'm very satisfied with it.

[Shakeydeal]

I've used Tidal but have found that the SQ of Qobuz is better. At one time Tidal had the better library, but I think Qobuz has caught up now.

 

 

[JohnA]

Since Tidal and Qobuz both claim 16/44 how does Qobuz sound better?  Maybe less buffering? 

 

I stream a lot of audio on my Integra Pre/Pro, but it is usually mp3 based. 

 

I abandoned my turntable after I found 24/192 DVD-A.  That makes me tempted to go hi-rez. 

[the real Duke Spinner]

Clothing has never peeked cleaner I recommend the Pods

They ate a hit chewy tho

[KT88]

I used Tidal for five years or more. My Bluesound node may not be high end but the inbuilt MQA decoder was worth it. The difference to "normal" CD quality was huge with my previous Node 2i model. But the biggest improvement of switching to the newer Node was that the "normal" CD quality got much better, and the difference to MQA got smaller.
But then I learnt from the press that many recordings of Tidal's cd quality are less good than real cd quality. They are not flac as it was proclaimed. This made me very curious and I ordered a trial subscription from qobuz. And indeed, I experience the cd quality of qobuz as more honest and better. I experience the sound image as much more stable in contrast to Tidal.
So, in terms of cd quality, qobuz is better in my perception. What is the difference between MQA and qobuz HiRes? i have to say, Tidal is good with MQA. I didn't understand it exactly but supposedly the Bluesound Node doesn't deliver the full capability that MQA can do with very expensive DACs. I don't know. But for me, qobuz sounds better, more stable, more dynamic and more spatial, at least via the Node, than Tidal with MQA.

One point about handling and the catalogue. Tidal has the better catalogue. Because I hate every remastered version of whatever in almost every case, Tidal (apart from the criticism I mentioned above) offers the far better and larger catalogue, whether rock or jazz or classical music. I can find a non-remastered original version of almost every recording. This is clearly labelled as not remastered. In my opinion, remastered is something for bad car radios. In lnly very rare cases, remastered is better, e.g. Easy Sunday Morning by Lionel Richie and the Commodores. 
Qobuz often no longer has any original recordings in its catalogue, sometimes only remastered versions. This would be the main reason for me to cancel qobuz. But it's still ok, and with new releases it doesn't matter anyway
One more point, Tidal has an extremely stupid search function, with a slight typo Tidal finds absolutely nothing, no artist and no song. qobuz searches intelligently, similar to google and delivers plausible results even with a typo.
In conclusion, I would say you have to try them both out for yourself, you can do that with trial subscriptions without risk. I'm still with qobuz for now because of the overall better sound quality, even if I miss some of the original non-remastered recordings.

[SWL]

I use Tidal and Spotify. Spotify is and has always been the most reliable streaming service for me.

 

Tidal has come a long way and isn't far behind as far as reliability but has the edge in sound quality most of the time.

 

'Max' or whatever they're calling it these days always sounds too 'thin' to me.....so I stick with HI-FI. 

 

I don't know what it is but Spotify's sound quality is always consistent. Tidal seems to fluctuate. Sometimes it doesn't sound much better or different than Spotify and sometimes it clearly sounds more refined.

 

Could just be my melon but I dig all of it. Digital with a good DAC and a tube amp floats my boat. Haven't done vinyl or cd's for many moons now.....and really don't miss it. (until I hear it again)

[SWL]

Oh, and I stream through a Bluesound Node 2i. Love it.

[Shakeydeal]

44 minutes ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Clothing has never peeked cleaner I recommend the Pods

They ate a hit chewy tho

Posting under the influence isn’t a good look for you……

[Shakeydeal]

2 hours ago, JohnA said:

Since Tidal and Qobuz both claim 16/44 how does Qobuz sound better?  Maybe less buffering? 

 

I stream a lot of audio on my Integra Pre/Pro, but it is usually mp3 based. 

 

I abandoned my turntable after I found 24/192 DVD-A.  That makes me tempted to go hi-rez. 

Qobuz just sounds fuller and more natural than Tidal. But none of it can replace the goodness of my record spinner.

[KT88]

8 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

Qobuz just sounds fuller and more natural than Tidal. But none of it can replace the goodness of my record spinner.

Many years ago a US hifi reviewer whose name I have forgotten said that digital is very good, but you should avoid listening to vinyl in between.

[SWL]

52 minutes ago, KT88 said:

Many years ago a US hifi reviewer whose name I have forgotten said that digital is very good, but you should avoid listening to vinyl in between.

I can believe that.

[Bubba_Buoy]

I use Tidal, for about 3-4 years now. I love the app interface, the sound quality is always good (&sometimes great), and Tidal Connect, which I use with my streamer and an outboard DAC, is a super convenient way to get good, (sometimes amazing) sound, full-res, thru my good stereo. I pay for the "Max" tier.  It is my only paid music service.

[nickyboy6100]

I’ve used Tidal for the last few years and like it. I haven’t tried any other services except Spotify. It was the free service and didn’t sound near as good as Tidal obviously. I never thought I’d ever stream music, but I’m really happy with the quality and not having to flip records. 

[KT88]

5 minutes ago, nickyboy6100 said:

I’ve used Tidal for the last few years and like it. I haven’t tried any other services except Spotify. It was the free service and didn’t sound near as good as Tidal obviously. I never thought I’d ever stream music, but I’m really happy with the quality and not having to flip records. 

You can try Qobuz at least in my country for 4 weeks for free. I am very happy with Qobuz after five years with Tidal.

[nickyboy6100]

32 minutes ago, KT88 said:

You can try Qobuz at least in my country for 4 weeks for free. I am very happy with Qobuz after five years with Tidal.

I’ll look into that. Thank you.