Tidal music stream

[BWguy]

Has anyone tried Tidal? This service streams CD quality, compared to Spotify at 320 Kbps. I have tried to compare them but it is a mixed bag for me. If you think Tidal is better, what equipment are you using?

 

[fuzz092888]

I haven't tried streaming to my system, but from the computer to a presonus audiobox 22VSL to Sennheiser HD650's, I think Tidal might sound a smidge better, but certainly not enough or definitively enough to make an extra $120 a year worth it.

After a little more experimenting it's hard to say that Tidal sounds better at all since it sounds like Tidal is just plain louder (by a little bit, but noticeably so) given identical volume settings. After level matching by ear, I'm not sure I hear any differences at all through the headphones.

I don't know, maybe my ears just aren't discerning enough or I'm picking the wrong songs, but I'm not seeing where Tidal is worth the extra money per month over spotify, even on the main system.

 

[BWguy]

Yeah mixed bag for me. I can hear subtle differences on some songs but not much difference on others.

 

[shkumar4963]

Spotify also cost 120 per year for me. Am i paying too much?

 

[Ponzio]

Playing the devil's advocate here. Why would u pay for streaming music when u can stream ur own high bit quality mp3's/Flac/WAV files, via DNLA on ur PC/MAC, with better signal quality?

 

[shkumar4963]

Well. For me it is because I don't have my own music collection. I stopped buying cd sometime back.

 

[Ponzio]

Well. For me it is because I don't have my own music collection. I stopped buying cd sometime back.

wouldn't ur local radio station provide the same function, albeit without the personalized nature? pardon my arrogance, I have a pretty vast library of album's/cd's/mp3's/flac and wav files and I just can't imagine waiting for a song I want to hear; I'm an instant gratification kind-a-guy. but to each his own, right?

 

[macddmac]

With premium services, there is no wait- you can search and play instantly or build playlists that are available even when offline.
Downside is that with Spotify, some artists aren't available. This is mostly due to the compensation structure. You pay more to Tidal ( and they pay more to the artists)but get the artists that aren't on Spotify.
Cheers, Mac

 

[shkumar4963]

Thanks Macddmac. I had also heard that Tidal also had music video and concert videos in hd. Is that true? What is that selection like.

 

[macddmac]

I only had Tidal for a weeks trial, so I'm not sure about video. I had some streaming dropouts which could have been my wifi or their server.
Spotify, at half the cost, is my choice as I can't tell a difference in sq and the few titles I couldn't find are in my collection already.
Cheers, Mac

 

[witchdoctor]

I find the streams on Tidal to have more air than Rhapsody in my system. They make recommendations for you based on what you listen to which are pretty good. The videos are great but much more limited selection than music. As for streaming services in general I like that they list new music that comes out which I would not have time to find on my own. I find it much less expensive than buying all of the music I have listened to via streaming. As for the extra $10 a month in my system its worth it.

 

[Alexandrum]

I've tried it, listened to the same album uncompressed and compressed. I couldn't tell the difference. But this is nothing new. I don't believe anyone can tell the difference between a well ripped MP3@320 and a CD. Like macddmac, I've experienced streaming dropouts too. The app is nice, although it could use some imporvments. If spotify has a larger catalogue then spotify is the winner in my opinion. IMHO, as is today, Tidal isn't worth the money. I'm sticking to my local collection in the meantime.

 

[witchdoctor]

I agree that a lot of recordings are so bad you can't tell the difference. You must have an awesome local collection