Tidal CEO: We're introducing Hi-Res FLAC for HiFi Plus Subscribers

[leManu]

Side note, slightly OT: Qobuz hits Canada in six days ( get ready up there). Now if they just got a connect feature as they already have the best SQ.

Where did you get that information? I can't find anything about the official launch date.

 

[jhwalker]

Any reference to that number?

Sure - millions of people using easily-accessible / affordable hardware or prevalent software, listening to hundreds of tracks each, over the past decade .

 

[Mnyb]

I only use Tidal HiFi because HiRes isn't important to me. Tidal's positioning is actually really clever. You just basic HiFi for $9.99 a month which is awesome for most folks. If you want "innovative audio formats", you can pay $19.99 a month for those. It's a clear difference in what you get for each plan.

Yes then its not so bad after all then it's the catalog that decides do Tidal have what you care to listen to , or do some other streaming service offer more music you like

 

[Galliardist]

Because Qobuz offers the original masters of albums, which I invariably find sound better than the new 'improved' remasters (usually with dynamic compression jacked up ruining dynamic range) that are often the only version available on other streaming platforms.

Not the case, It depends, from what I can see, on the label. All of the Fish era Marillion albums, for example, are remasters. A couple of them are terrible.

 

[anotherhobby]

Wait a minute so tidal has a CD Quality tier , why would any one opt for a special Hi-rez tier in the first place ? As they don't sound different if you bother to use the same master.

Yeah, that's why I posted that the $9.99 plan has CD quality, but the on-topic police didn't like that I wasn't only talking about the hi-res tier, per the thread title. Anyway, paying 2x for frequencies you can't hear and that also sounds the same sounds silly to me as well, but to each their own.

 

[SKBubba]

This. I do not understand why none of the streaming companies are able to cast to PC except Spotify.

I wondered the same thing. I wondered if spotify has patents. It appears they do:

Google Patents

Search and read the full text of patents from around the world with Google Patents, and find prior art in our index of non-patent literature.

patents.google.com

 

[sarumbear]

Sure - millions of people using easily-accessible / affordable hardware or prevalent software, listening to hundreds of tracks each, over the past decade .

I though we were talking about A/B test not listening?

 

[CDMC]

Reading this thread I feel uneducated.
I have physical media, and I rip it to FLAC.
This has always been my definition of "lossless"

So when we say that qobuz "sounds better" than tidal, are they not both just lossless streams of the album?

If they are both lossless of studio albums how should it be possible that one "sounds better" than the other?

All you are missing is the amazing assortment of music that you get from streaming. I was a long time hold out and wish I jumped in sooner, as I the last 5 years I have discovered more new music I like than in the previous 30. All the major services offer at least CD quality now, so pick the one you like and be a d**k about why it is the best.

 

[CDMC]

Wait a minute so tidal has a CD Quality tier , why would any one opt for a special Hi-rez tier in the first place ? As they don't sound different if you bother to use the same master.

They could bundle both of these options together to a lossles plan at the price of of their current CD quality offering ? One less option for the consumer to be confused over and attractive price

What boggles me with all so called hifi streaming options is that no one seems to actually curate the selection on sound quality basis ie picking the best master of a piece of music regardless of which format it would exist in ? I would pay for that ? Offering a bunch of same sounding format options seem a bit daft to me ?

Because more = better. Where have you been for the last 50 years. Reality has little to do with it. If they came out with a 384khz/32 bit stream for $30 a month, there would be a group that would pay for it.

Personally I would gladly take a 320kb MP3 that is well mastered over a poorly mastered 192/24.

 

[jbattman1016]

All you are missing is the amazing assortment of music that you get from streaming. I was a long time hold out and wish I jumped in sooner, as I the last 5 years I have discovered more new music I like than in the previous 30.

This is how I use streaming, spotify to discover new music and if I like it, I'll purchase the CD or some other things from the artist in an attempt to send that particular artist more money... lol

Stream is great and here to stay.

 

[HappyMetalGuy]

This is how I use streaming, spotify to discover new music and if I like it, I'll purchase the CD or some other things from the artist in an attempt to send that particular artist more money... lol

Stream is great and here to stay.

That's me... Spotify to discover at work or in the car, if I like I'll buy the Vinyl or CD and ripe them. Today I've checked several files from Metallica 72 seasons (song) from Qobuz, Tidal and Flac. You can check here metallica-72-seasons.

 

[jhwalker]

I though we were talking about A/B test not listening?

Fair enough. I overlooked the original reference to "A/B" testing - was just reacting to the ridiculous assertion that people could not afford access to MQA to hear it, given it's been out for a decade and most recent devices (along with a lot of software) already feature the decoder.

 

[mhardy6647]

re: Tidal and FLAC.
A slogan that we used to apply to one of the companies I worked for (early on in my career) seems apt:

Bringing you yesterday's technology tomorrow!

 

[doodlebro]

the ridiculous assertion that people could not afford access to MQA to hear it

I never said "people cannot afford access to MQA." I said that most folks with an opinion against MQA tend to not even own the hardware, and it is more connected to their economic situation than they are willing to admit. There is quite a bit more nuance to what I am saying than what you have picked up.

 

[voodooless]

I said that most folks with an opinion against MQA tend to not even own the hardware, and it is more connected to their economic situation than they are willing to admit.

You can buy an MQA DAC for $€£ 110

 

[anotherhobby]

I never said "people cannot afford access to MQA." I said that most folks with an opinion against MQA tend to not even own the hardware, and it is more connected to their economic situation than they are willing to admit. There is quite a bit more nuance to what I am saying than what you have picked up.

I have Tidal and don't have a good opinion of MQA based on the business model. My miniDSP Flex (Balanced w/Dirac) can't play MQA. So you are asserting based on this that my $770 DAC purchase without MQA was based on my economic hardship and inability to afford a DAC that has MQA?

 

[rentaclaus]

It means, you use your phone or tablet as a control point and you command your PC to play the track. This is especially important if you run an audio PC with no monitor or keyboard. For me, I have a monitor and keyboard attached to my PC, so it is only important for the couch potato aspects. Tidal, Qobuz, and the rest support all manner of strange hardware including garbage like Sonos (as if Sonos users care about high quality!) but not PC.

If you're on Linux/FreeBSD/MacOSX you can try this. As I don't have Tidal I can't tell if and how it works.

GitHub - Mastermindzh/tidal-hifi: The web version of Tidal running in electron with hifi support thanks to widevine.

The web version of Tidal running in electron with hifi support thanks to widevine. - Mastermindzh/tidal-hifi

github.com

 

[doodlebro]

So you are asserting based on this that my $770 DAC purchase was based on my economic hardship and inability to afford MQA?

I think you (and others) are taking a generalization about a niche topic in a niche hobby way too personally. The pattern exists across many hobbies, it's not some crazy revelation.

On the topic of MQA and your $770 DAC purchase, it sounds like you've already let politics bias your perception of innovation that has occurred. That is luddite territory.

 

[jhwalker]

I never said "people cannot afford access to MQA." I said that most folks with an opinion against MQA tend to not even own the hardware, and it is more connected to their economic situation than they are willing to admit. There is quite a bit more nuance to what I am saying than what you have picked up.

 

[Timcognito]

Where did you get that information? I can't find anything about the official launch date.

https://www.reddit.com/r/qobuz/comments/1153etd