Spotify vs Tidal streaming quality..

[Audio Excitement]

HI thanks for the Music Streaming Services Compared you tube discussion you guys did recently..

I have been using Spotify since i purchase my system last year (Yamaha RX -V6A receiver & mission Q3 floor standers) in June.
After watching the discussion & seeing that Tidal has better audio quality.., i downloaded Tidal & started to stream it through Yamaha MusicCast as i do with spotify.
These streaming services are integrated into MusicCast .

Wow the loss les quality is amazing on Tidal, like chalk & cheese i would say. More body & detail in the sound. I have also found that the volume is more consistent between tracks on Tidal than on Spotify. The image and accuracy i get now is absolutely fantastic!! The volume level for my enjoyment has improved from -20 to -23db & it gives a full rich sound not experienced before. Lower volume levels also yield more detail. I have only started using Tidal recently, but love the quality. The Tidal app overall seems to work quite well, it is a bit different to Spotify, but i am getting use to it. Shall have to see how they choose tracks for me based on what i listen to, but it looks good so far..

Tidal is one of the higher resolution services & is definitely the way to go if you are more Audio file orientated. The monthly cost of Tidal is exactly the same as Spotify so no problem there either..

I also did not feel like paying for a streaming service, but cd's & vinal are ridiculously expensive.. Streaming music services are very much worth the money, in fact if you start listening to an ocean of music at CD quality or better for almost nothing!! There is just no doubt in my mind , all music eventually shall be enjoyed this way..

 

[TaylerGuerrero]

Hey there! It's good to hear that you enjoyed the recent discussion about music streaming services and decided to give Tidal a try. However, I prefer spotify for many reasons, including promoting m own songs using music promotion tools. It's incredible to have access to such a vast music library at our fingertips. I can only imagine how much technology will advance to enhance our listening experiences.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hey there! It's great to hear that you enjoyed the recent discussion about music streaming services and decided to give Tidal a try. I totally agree with you that the lossless quality of Tidal is amazing and definitely worth the switch from Spotify.

Bot much?

 

[MrBoat]

Tried Tidal, and I couldn't get past the monthly expense. I ended up getting around with youtube (with adblock) for a long time before the others were around, and I also got familiar with Pandora so the AI discovery at least gives me a route to research, if it runs out of suggestions. Amzon works pretty good with the AI as well.

With amzon, I choose a station based on particular artists and some of these can go all day at work before noticing many, if any repeats. I have managed some very lengthy band catalog marathons from Pandora, youtube and amzon. While listening to Pandora, I will load up band accounts on youtube and will have 20 tabs across the top of my screen to surf if I feel like it. As soon as I start to hear more than one song from the same album is good and it hooks me initially, I will immediately load it into a youtube search so I remember to revisit it.

Concerts were $8-$12 back in the '70s. Our biggest hurdle was getting a ride to them and we would fill a car with more than it was designed to hold.

I definitely like collecting the actual CDs. Not so much a fan of new vinyl, comparatively. Love my Tsuyoshi Yamamoto collection from TBM studios and others. For vinyl I still prefer vintage and physically going to the used record store and shopping thru all the records.

When the internet was down for weeks after Irma, and the phone connection was down, or really slow, I was not without plenty of music. It's half of what caused me to revisit and restore all my old media.

Since I have converted to more of a super-desktop setup, I am going to build a side stand for my turntable so that I can access it from my seat.

 

[mono-bloc]

Time will tell the quality of Tidal once MQA is no longer available.

 

[lovinthehd]

Time will tell the quality of Tidal once MQA is no longer available.

How so? MQA never proved to be better in the first place....just a bullshit lossy codec.

 

[justindickens]

Hm... Never used Tidal, but now i want to try. Thanks for info

 

[Bobby Bass]

Started with Spotify when I got a year as a gift. Get Amazon Music included with Prime subscription. Ripped all of my CDs to Apple Music which I use but don’t pay for. Tried Tidal and the sound quality was better but the price was much higher. Then tried Qobuz. Similar in sound quality to Tidal at a better price. Dropped Tidal when the free trial was up. So now have Qobuz, Spotify, Amazon and Apple (just for my downloads). Listen to Qobuz 90% of the time. Tell all of my friends that are into vinyl that they have to try streaming. The trials are free but old guys can be set in their ways. So much music and only so much time to listen.

 

[drummertime]

A good trick is to wait for Bestbuy to offer 3 months of Tidal for $1, top tier. Then when the 3-months are up, drop the service. Then pick it back up once Bestbuy puts the sale on again. From my experience they don't keep track of how many times you use the sales offer. Also you can always purchase the deal and then activate it down the road. Bestbuy doesn't track that either.

Also even if you keep the subscription after the 3-months its $15 a month for the top tier Dolby Atmos, versus $20 a month through Tidal. The only kicker is you pay through Bestbuy not Tidal. So when you cancel everything has to done on the Bestbuy web page. So a little cumbersome, but I have to say you could get music for a year pretty cheap just by playing the game!!

 

[Cos]

I will be crucified probably for saying this, but I have been using Amazon HD and Ultra HD music tracks because the bitrate is better with My Marantz than Spotify. No complaints on sound quality.

 

[lovinthehd]

I will be crucified probably for saying this, but I have been using Amazon HD and Ultra HD music tracks because the bitrate is better with My Marantz than Spotify. No complaints on sound quality.

Is that because it was particularly audible or you just wanted a lossless stream?

 

[shadyJ]

I like Qobuz's interface and search engine much better than Tidal. Their classical music collection is massive as well. And they can stream in extremely high sampling rates and bit depth for those who think they can hear the difference.

 

[cpp]

Had Tidal but as soon as Qobuz hit the states, dropped Tidal.

 

[Bobby Bass]

A good trick is to wait for Bestbuy to offer 3 months of Tidal for $1, top tier. Then when the 3-months are up, drop the service. Then pick it back up once Bestbuy puts the sale on again. From my experience they don't keep track of how many times you use the sales offer. Also you can always purchase the deal and then activate it down the road. Bestbuy doesn't track that either.

Also even if you keep the subscription after the 3-months its $15 a month for the top tier Dolby Atmos, versus $20 a month through Tidal. The only kicker is you pay through Bestbuy not Tidal. So when you cancel everything has to done on the Bestbuy web page. So a little cumbersome, but I have to say you could get music for a year pretty cheap just by playing the game!!

That’s a great deal. Please post when Best Buy puts it on sale again thanks

 

[Cos]

Is that because it was particularly audible or you just wanted a lossless stream?

Sound Quality, higher bitrate seems to work best with HEOS, until I finish my roon server NAS.

 

[justindickens]

Hm... Never used Tidal, but now i want to try. Thanks for info

I find the comparison between Spotify and Tidal streaming quality quite intriguing. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately it boils down to personal preference. For those interested in developing a music application, I came across this informative article on how to develop a music application https://howly.com/article/wa-how-to-develop-a-music-application . It provides valuable insights and guidance on the development process. Happy reading!

 

[Bobby Bass]

I’ve tried all the steaming services. Using Spotify for its ease of use in my Bluetooth speakers but it not doesn't cut it for critical listening. Stream Qobuz in my 2 channel system. tried Tidal but found Qobuz sounded as good, was easier to use and less expensive.

 

[cerwinmad]

Remember to turn off the normalize volume setting in spotify. It kills quality. I didn't realise for months. The setting says it doesn't affect quality but try it yourself.

 

[Meticulous G]

That’s a great deal. Please post when Best Buy puts it on sale again thanks

I tried tidal & liked it, then had a tight month where I couldn't justify the cost of the top tier family plan ($30) along with the many other subscriptions I have, so dropped it temporarily

I just went back to it, and noticed they're offering an extended "free trial" (to 60 days)...$2 for the hi-fi, and $4 for the hifi plus

 

[Bobby Bass]

Remember to turn off the normalize volume setting in spotify. It kills quality. I didn't realise for months. The setting says it doesn't affect quality but try it yourself.

I just changed my settings. Will test it out. Thanks for the tip.