Tidal vs Qobuz experience

[abdo123]

It might be a common belief but I'd need to see some evidence, e.g. double blind testing, specific info about the masters that are used by Tidal and Qobuz.

if you have some tracks that you’re interested in i can sign up for a Qobuz trial and ask my partner to help me with a double blind test. (He knows nothing of this argument or what Tidal and Qobuz are). It would make an interesting thread on this forum, just FLAC files nothing else.

 

[Sukie]

You might have to take that up with the records companies

Not the double blind testing part I wouldn't. Could be a simple case of cognitive bias (reinforced by "reviews" in the likes of What HiFi).

if you have some tracks that you’re interested in i can sign up for a Qobuz trial and ask my partner to help me with a double blind test. (He knows nothing of this argument or what Tidal and Qobuz are). It would make an interesting thread on this forum, just FLAC files nothing else.

To be honest I'm not really interested. I'm just not keen on statements that (potentially) lack any grounding in evidence.

EDIT: Sorry, that sounded a bit rude! I'm not really interested in particular tracks, more general principles!

 

[dmac6419]

Not the double blind testing part I wouldn't. Could be a simple case of cognitive bias (reinforced by "reviews" in the likes of What HiFi).

To be honest I'm not really interested. I'm just not keen on statements that (potentially) lack any grounding in evidence.

Y'all probably don't even remember when HDtracks had allegations of upsampling music and blamed it on the record companies, let the buyer beware

 

[abdo123]

EDIT: Sorry, that sounded a bit rude! I'm not really interested in particular tracks, more general principles!

There is no scientifically plausible scenario in which Tidal is generally better than Qobuz. It has to come down to specific tracks and how they’re handled by both services. The popular opinion is that Tidal is more consistent in their quality, my offer still stands if you’re interested for your own listening experience.

 

[Chrispy]

Well I'm sorry that been your experience mine has been different, Tidal is more than JayZ stuff. It recommends music that I listens too,just like Amazon HD and Spotify and Pandora,schitt even Jriver and Roon picked up on my listening habits when I first open Tidal it's going to have recently played next it's going to have mixes for you and then it's going to have Radio stations for you than it's going to have new hifi tracks for you than it's going to have new hifi albums for you all based on the stuff that you listen to.

Well it didn't work and they definitely helped chase a customer away, mqa was the nonsense that made it final, tho. Just not my cup o' tea.

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

I can't comment on the radio /auto suggest next function but once it has an dea of what you listen to and favourite, tidal's new release suggestions and curated suggested playlists are 100% better than qobuz which doesn't even bother. Neither can touch Spotify in that regard.

 

[dmac6419]

Well it didn't work and they definitely helped chase a customer away, mqa was the nonsense that made it final, tho. Just not my cup o' tea.

I respect that

 

[Sukie]

There is no scientifically plausible scenario in which Tidal is generally better than Qobuz. It has to come down to specific tracks and how they’re handled by both services. The popular opinion is that Tidal is more consistent in their quality, my offer still stands if you’re interested for your own listening experience.

I have no interest in popular opinion. This is ASR. I expect the same standards of analysis to applied to all areas of interest. I have no idea what "more consistent in their quality means".

It's not for me to suggest tracks. In the absence of evidence I conclude, at present, that there is no difference between Tidal and Qobuz when it comes to FLAC 16/44.1. Subjectively I've listened to both and can't tell the difference, but that's not really relevant to the general issue of whether one is "better" than the other.

 

[dmac6419]

I can't comment on the radio /auto suggest next function but once it has an dea of what you listen to and favourite, tidal's new release suggestions and curated suggested playlists are 100% better than qobuz which doesn't even bother. Neither can touch Spotify in that regard.

Alot of these folks are stuck on their talking points

 

[Sukie]

tidal's new release suggestions and curated suggested playlists are 100% better than qobuz which doesn't even bother. Neither can touch Spotify in that regard.

Personally that's one of the reasons that I prefer Qobuz to Tidal. I want to stream albums but have no interest in curated playlists (or playlists of any sort, other than the one that contains the tracks of the album that I'm listening to).

I know that this places me in the minority, but I prefer to gather my suggestions from magazines (Uncut & Mojo here in the UK) and the likes of Pitchfork. As I say, it all sounds terribly old fashioned, but for me an album is an album and often tells a story from beginning to end.

 

[martin900]

it’s a common belief that Tidal masters are better than Qobuz masters on average. No body knows why.

Will Tidal really remove all their FLAC files for MQA? That kinda sucks.

Since there are already a few opinions - my experience is exactly the opposite when listening to plain 16/44.1 redbook on both. Qobuz sounds more natural, CD-like and comparable to my own FLAC files on the HDD while Tidal sounds...processed - more treble, more attack in the bottom end but the lows can still sound hollow compared to Qobuz. It's not a night and day experience or something that makes you feel "Wow, this sounds great/awful!" but it's audible when doing A-B comparisons of the same fragments.
Some tracks might sound better on Tidal (Yello or JM Jarre, for example) but overall Qobuz is more enjoyable but can sound too mellow at times, or could be me being used to Tidal for the past 2 years.
I don't care for MQA since none of my DAC's can do anything with it and will probably switch to Qobuz.

 

[dmac6419]

Since there are already a few opinions - my experience is exactly the opposite when listening to plain 16/44.1 redbook on both. Qobuz sounds more natural, CD-like and comparable to my own FLAC files on the HDD while Tidal sounds...processed - more treble, more attack in the bottom end but the lows can still sound hollow compared to Qobuz. It's not a night and day experience or something that makes you feel "Wow, this sounds great/awful!" but it's audible when doing A-B comparisons of the same fragments.
Some tracks might sound better on Tidal (Yello or JM Jarre, for example) but overall Qobuz is more enjoyable but can sound too mellow at times, or could be me being used to Tidal for the past 2 years.
I don't care for MQA since none of my DAC's can do anything withing and will probably switch to Qobuz.

You do know that you don't need a MQA dac or a Dac to listen to any streaming services

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

Personally that's one of the reasons that I prefer Qobuz to Tidal. I want to stream albums but have no interest in curated playlists (or playlists of any sort, other than the one that contains the tracks of the album that I'm listening to).

I know that this places me in the minority, but I prefer to gather my suggestions from magazines (Uncut & Mojo here in the UK) and the likes of Pitchfork. As I say, it all sounds terribly old fashioned, but for me an album is an album and often tells a story from beginning to end.

Ahh- I have found the happy medium. I have a listen on Friday/ Saturday to the "new release" suggested list from Spotify when I am out and about.Found quite a lot of good stuff through that. Qobuz via Roon for an endless shuffle of my own music when sat down. Oh, and Tidal for IEM listening via UAPP on the phone when working at the kitchen table as Qobuz playlist (of my own music) function is woeful and Spotify doesnt work with UAPP.

Oh, and Soundiiz to sync my collections between all 3

 

[martin900]

You do know that you don't need a MQA dac or a Dac to listen to any streaming services

I do, of course but I don't want any forced MQA stuff or partial unfolding on the server. I want to have the choice of unmolested 16Bit FLAC or MQA.

 

[dmac6419]

I do, of course but I don't want any forced MQA stuff or partial unfolding on the server. I want to have the choice of unmolested 16Bit FLAC or MQA.

Who's forcing you, just change the settings in the app to hifi

 

[vavan]

It can definitely tell when it’s FLAC or FLAC with MQA header. It depends on your player

bubble can show it as well

 

[abdo123]

bubble can show it as well

why are people saying otherwise then?

 

[vavan]

why are people saying otherwise then?

no idea other than using of older version or lack of knowledge

 

[awdeeoh]

even undecoded, I'm lovin the molested 16/44.1 pink floyd albums compared to plain 16/44.1 CDs.

it must be the mqa kool-aid!

 

[dmac6419]

even undecoded, I'm lovin the molested 16/44.1 pink floyd albums compared to plain 16/44.1 CDs.

it must be the mqa kool-aid!

Purple drank ay ingredients purple sugar and water,how sweet it must be.