Guest Sime Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I went from Apple Music running from an iPhone into my DAC to then using tidal with the Node2 into same DAC, Apple Music is a joke.
Guest JohnA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I went from Apple Music running from an iPhone into my DAC to then using tidal with the Node2 into same DAC, Apple Music is a joke. he he, dont even want to listen to apple music, my only interest is spotify vs tidal content and sound quality Tidal with video is also good
Guest Sime Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I don't have the bandwidth for tidal video unfortunately.
Guest JohnA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I don't have the bandwidth for tidal video unfortunately. havent tested it yet, but NBN 100mbps and unlimited = win we stream netfix, hulu, sometime 3 different shows on 3 different devices with no dropouts.
Jventer Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I am using Spotify on my very slow work network. I get dropouts so I am not going to try Tidal Think it depends on what you want to do. For me at work it is not critical listening so Spotify is fine. I also use it at home as background music, meditation etc. I am oldfashioned so would like to own my music, so when I hear things I really like I go and buy it. 3
Happy Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 My work dissed me for downloading so much so Tidal is out now Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Guest JohnA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I am oldfashioned so would like to own my music, so when I hear things I really like I go and buy it. i am the same, prefer to purchase music i really like then can just rip it. but i enjoy good sound also, will continue to test them both for a month and see how i go. No matter which i end up with, will continue to buy cd's
Semillon Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I signed up for a trial Tidal account today and A/B tested against my current streaming service (Google Play Music, 320kb/s mp3). After testing around 20 different artists, I was able to pick the Tidal one blind every time except once where there was no clear difference to my ear. Overall the Tital service is significantly better from a sound quality perspective, especially when it comes to clarity on instruments such as cymbals and on the bass in general. After one day, I cannot imagine going back. Cannot speak for Spotify, never used it. 1
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted May 22, 2016 Volunteer Posted May 22, 2016 I think Tidal's issues are not related to streaming rates. I get tidal dropouts even when I switch to their lowest quality and even when I'm able to stream Netflix without any issues. I'm getting close to dropping it 1
Guest JohnA Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I think Tidal's issues are not related to streaming rates. I get tidal dropouts even when I switch to their lowest quality and even when I'm able to stream Netflix without any issues. I'm getting close to dropping it thanks for that info, i have noticed a few people mention drop outs, will be interesting to see how it goes over the trial period.
Kaynin Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 Yep, when I used Tidal I had drop outs, and my internet speed is 94 kbps all day, every day. Plenty of chatter about it relating to their servers. I also agree with @@JohnA that the quality of Spotify is excellent to the point that it can be didfficult to separate the two. Bear in mind that Tidal has a higher gain, so that can be deceiving. At the end of the day, at $12 odd dollars, Spotify sounds superb through a good DAC, their library is excellent, user interface is friendly and it works every time. 3
Guest Sime Posted May 22, 2016 Posted May 22, 2016 I haven't tried Spotify through my node and DAC yet, so it looks like I should be......
robmid Posted May 23, 2016 Posted May 23, 2016 (edited) I'm a bit confused about streaming 'bits' at the moment and this post is going to get me crucified I expect. Why does it matter how many kbit/sec I am listening to if so much original material is badly recorded? Should I care if the material has been tweaked if it sounds brilliant? I am using the Extreme setting on Spotify and just realised they claim 320 kbit/sec Extreme and 160 kbit/sec for High. I didn't care so I didn't notice. It just sounded great. I have tried Tidal and found it to sound edgy like a digital image that has been sharpened and the edges are becoming pixelated whereas to me, Spotify is much smoother, more 'adult' in it's character and the sound is full and musical with superbly defined highs and lows. After a number of audiophile meets I understand that a large number of audiophiles prefer extremely loud music that is also bordering on harsh, to capture the nth degree of resolution and dynamics. Unfortunately/fortunately my preference is high quality reproduction at realistic listening levels that can be enjoyed over long sessions. I am listening to KEF LS50's running with a 6 inch REL sub through a Holton amp with DIY silver and 30 gauge silver over copper interconnects. There is no detail missing I can assure you. Over the last 6 months I have compiled 350+ Spotify tracks quickly and easily because of Spotify's intuitive interface. I now have an enormous amount of almost free, enjoyable audiophile quality musical material on hand so I can really enjoy the full performance of my system. Nora Jones and Diana Krall are at the bottom of my list despite sounding amazing. There is an enormous amount of incredible unknown (to me) talent out there just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Go for it! By the way my Macbook Pro sounds much better that my iPad through may Auralic streamer. Edited May 23, 2016 by robmid 2
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted May 23, 2016 Volunteer Posted May 23, 2016 Spot on @@robmid I'll take a well recorded and mastered MP3 over a badly done hi Rez recording any day
wolster Posted May 23, 2016 Posted May 23, 2016 There is an enormous amount of incredible unknown (to me) talent out there just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Go for it! That reminds me, if you haven't already discovered this on Spotify, go back to the main menu, click on 'Browse', then select 'Discover Weekly'. The selection is based on the type of music you listen to but excludes all of your existing saved tracks. As the name suggests, the selection changes every Monday. You will get a few tracks that you will fast forward and some weeks are better than others but I have yet to play a weekly list where I haven't saved at least a couple of tracks to playlists and discovered new artists to enjoy. 1
Kaynin Posted May 23, 2016 Posted May 23, 2016 (edited) Great tip @@wolster, that's awesome. I've paid the extra $6 so my wife has her own account so now I don't have to troll through top 40 garbage...Air Supply...Britney...just to get to my good stuff. This means the Discover Weekly won't be tainted either. Hallelujah. Edited May 23, 2016 by Kaynin 1
robmid Posted May 23, 2016 Posted May 23, 2016 That reminds me, if you haven't already discovered this on Spotify, go back to the main menu, click on 'Browse', then select 'Discover Weekly'. The selection is based on the type of music you listen to but excludes all of your existing saved tracks. As the name suggests, the selection changes every Monday. You will get a few tracks that you will fast forward and some weeks are better than others but I have yet to play a weekly list where I haven't saved at least a couple of tracks to playlists and discovered new artists to enjoy. It is surprising how accurately Discover Weekly comes up with new artists. I usually find several keepers each week. The other great feature is checking out the artist's albums while you are listening to a track. So easy and an endless pleasure. 1
Jonny Posted May 28, 2016 Posted May 28, 2016 I'm a bit confused about streaming 'bits' at the moment and this post is going to get me crucified I expect. Why does it matter how many kbit/sec I am listening to if so much original material is badly recorded? Should I care if the material has been tweaked if it sounds brilliant? I am using the Extreme setting on Spotify and just realised they claim 320 kbit/sec Extreme and 160 kbit/sec for High. I didn't care so I didn't notice. It just sounded great. I have tried Tidal and found it to sound edgy like a digital image that has been sharpened and the edges are becoming pixelated whereas to me, Spotify is much smoother, more 'adult' in it's character and the sound is full and musical with superbly defined highs and lows. After a number of audiophile meets I understand that a large number of audiophiles prefer extremely loud music that is also bordering on harsh, to capture the nth degree of resolution and dynamics. Unfortunately/fortunately my preference is high quality reproduction at realistic listening levels that can be enjoyed over long sessions. I am listening to KEF LS50's running with a 6 inch REL sub through a Holton amp with DIY silver and 30 gauge silver over copper interconnects. There is no detail missing I can assure you. Over the last 6 months I have compiled 350+ Spotify tracks quickly and easily because of Spotify's intuitive interface. I now have an enormous amount of almost free, enjoyable audiophile quality musical material on hand so I can really enjoy the full performance of my system. Nora Jones and Diana Krall are at the bottom of my list despite sounding amazing. There is an enormous amount of incredible unknown (to me) talent out there just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Go for it! By the way my Macbook Pro sounds much better that my iPad through may Auralic streamer. I've been comparing Spotify sound quality with Tidal and I do prefer the sound of Spotify. I agree Tidal sounds edgy compared to Spotify. I'm running PMC Twotwo's and source is Antipodes DX. Don't think there's any detail missing either.
Tobes Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 I've been comparing Spotify sound quality with Tidal and I do prefer the sound of Spotify. I agree Tidal sounds edgy compared to Spotify. I'm running PMC Twotwo's and source is Antipodes DX. Don't think there's any detail missing either. Disagree. I have both and hear no (comparative) edginess with Tidal through either my m920 or Yggdrasil dacs (played back through either HE6 headphones or Harbeth 30.1 monitors). In isolation Spotify can sound pretty good - but when I compare to Tidal I hear more tonal, textural and ambient detail with Tidal and, typically, better imaging and instrumental separation etc. Having said that, I probably wouldn't bother with Tidal for portable applications - where environmental and equipment limitations would likely blur differences. Spotify still has the edge for artist/catalog coverage, which is why I still retain my subscription. 1
Happy Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 Agreed with @@Tobes but Tidal needs gapless before they can win my subscription back. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Tobes Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 .......Tidal needs gapless before they can win my subscription back. David, I'm using the Audirvana app (from a Mac Mini) for Tidal streaming and appears to do gapless playback. I'd recommend Audirvana over the Tidal app anyway for better SQ (bit perfect, playback from memory), much snappier track selection and nil dropout issues. Audirvana is also offering a 3 month free Tidal subscription with purchase.........too bad I was already a Tidal subscriber.
perth_artist Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 Steer clear from the amarra tidal app, I find it so frustrating and slow to use. Ive gone back to using the seperate tidal and amarra apps after about 2 hours of use. As far as Tidal streaming goes, Ive been pretty happy, the odd album takes a couple more seconds to load but no drop outs during songs. Find the sound better than spotify premium, but I do miss mog. Mog was simple and easy to use....oh well.
Guest JohnA Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 well for me, tidal is winning for a couple of reasons. 1: full control via bluesounds app 2: yes, SQ is better with most stuff. however, if i get another cd/sacd player, i may drop tidal as i will purchase all the music i want and rip it myself. but if i go standalone high end dac, then i will hang onto tidal for its SQ. I have had no issues at all with dropouts with tidal as others have found
Tobes Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 Steer clear from the amarra tidal app, I find it so frustrating and slow to use. Ive gone back to using the seperate tidal and amarra apps after about 2 hours of use. As far as Tidal streaming goes, Ive been pretty happy, the odd album takes a couple more seconds to load but no drop outs during songs. Find the sound better than spotify premium, but I do miss mog. Mog was simple and easy to use....oh well. Agreed. I tried Tidal with Amarra, but it was very laggy and dropped some of the features I liked - such as the zoom on album art. Audirvana is so much better and has faster track selection than the stock Tidal app - have yet to experience any dropouts with Audirvana. I would prefer a 'skin' with a black background though.
perth_artist Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 Hmmm thanks Tobes, might have to try audirvana. How much does it cost $ ? but you can use as full music server though cant you ?
Recommended Posts