Amazon just killed Tidal

Rodrigo y Gabriels’ “Diablo Rojo” on Qobuz in 16/44 sounds waay better than Amazons Hi-Res...  

Not quite sure whats going on here...

I am missing tons of Micro Detail on Amazon.  Amazon is sounding like spotify; maybe not even that good :(

Way to go Amazon. Tidal customer service sucks (there is none). At least with Amazon you can get a live person. 

The way I see it - this kicks up the competition few notches.  God bless capitalism.  I paid $249.99/year @ Qobuz which I think is still too much. It should be ~ $10/month (gut feel, nothing else). I love Amazon for the fact that it equalizes pricing to some extent. 

Way to go Amazon. Tidal customer service sucks (there is none). At least with Amazon you can get a live person.

Not in my experience!

At Amazon you cannot even get a live person any longer, much quicker and simpler to use the chat option to resolve issues.
I must admit that works very well though and resolution to my satisfaction is 100%.

But I am not convinced on their music service, it seems to be no better than when I tried a few months back.
I would say all they are doing right now is out iTuning iTunes.
No serious threat to Qobuz imho right now.

At Amazon you cannot even get a live person any longer.....

@uberwaltz,

That’s incorrect. You have an option for live chat or human interaction 24/7 with Amazon. Heck, they can even call you. I end up calling twice during my Amazon HD setup, nothing but excellent customer service experience. 

Agree with you on ‘no threat to Qobuz or even Tidal. They have long ways to go before they can match their catalog in high resolution. But it’s a work in progress, give them sometime. 

Has anyone figured out how to add Amazon HD to their Bluesound node 2? “Add Service” just results in Amazon music.

Amazon HD resides within the Amazon Music service on the Node, its just not very well implemented yet. Hopefully this will change. Unlike Tidal and Quboz where you get album thumbnails that show what the resolution is, Amazon Music just shows albums as a list, with no way to know what the resolution is until you start playing. Once playing, the album resolution will show in the now playing box. I haven’t found a way to search by resolution. This is with the BlueOS app on iPad. Hopefully, Bluesound will issue an update to address this. I’ve signed up for the 90 day trial of Amazon HD but won’t renew unless there is a change in the Bluesound app. If I’m missing something, hopefully someone will point me in the right direction.

Lalitk.

I stand corrected, not quite sure what I was thinking of there not Amazon but similar.
Call it a big brain fart.........

And what happens when Amazon wipe out the competition as Red Box did with renting movies?

Only one way the pricing will go.......

Well I had to try it now......

Yes big improvement with getting complete albums to play and a lot of genres and choice I see.

Apparently I bought some music on my last sojourn, who knew!
So trying that out for SQ and not horrible, nice the app found both Chromecast Audio units in my network right away and appears to be playing to them flawlessly.

Might be more to this than I first thought.

Lalitk

Well you might be able to get to talk to a live person quickly but getting to talk to a live person who understands your problems?
Different matter altogether!
Maybe better luck tomorrow during " normal hours"

Well Amazon might not have "Killed Tidal" but I am suitably impressed after actually getting it to play on the " big rig".

Streaming to my two vintage rigs was easy as the android app saw the 2 Chromecast units instantly and played to them perfectly and it sounded good.

But my Ayre EX8 did not show up as a source and mconnect does not support Amazon yet.

On the iPad it was at first considered even worse as NOTHING showed up as a source.

However with perseverance and the help of 2 members ( thx Rick and Robert) I got it to work on the big rig.
Out of the iPad, Lightning to female USB adapter, USB audio cable to a powered reclocker, USB audio cable into the EX8.
The EX8 does not have a powered USB audio input so the reclocker is essential to the party to supply good clean 5v USB power.

Ok so with this setup I was able to play same album on Amazon and Qobuz switching between USB audio and Ethernet inputs to compare the SQ.

I have to say I might just give the nod to Amazon atm.
Although a lot of variables, maybe the reclocker is really helping out?
Maybe my Ethernet is hampered by being 75 ft from the router and running through a switch?

Tough call but I now have options.

I get Tidal HiRes @ $9.99 with student discount (no actually my son is a student). I am fortunate to own an Oppo205 with a build in MQA decode. Guess MQA even has a 384khz/24bit MQA recording. I can download to my Pioneer XDP100-R (which also has an MQA decoder) off-line. I can't think Amazon could beat Tidal. I had Qobuz which sounds even better than MQA but cost 2X. I guess I would stay with Tidal until my son graduate from college.

Amazon also has student pricing at just $4.99 per month......

I have been subscribed to Tidal for well over 3 years now . I tried spotify and (amazon when it first came out) and was not satisfied with the sound quality . Tidal has gotten better over time although I still dislike it's push on hip hop.. Furthermore I dislike even more it's push on MQA.
It's nice to finally have an alternative. 
 I dislike Amazon's misleading "HD" terminology regarding standard "CD" quality sound . Unfortunately the average dummy will buy into it cause they were also happy with the previous mp3 format.. 
This being said I'm extremely happy that they (Amazon) are not utilizing MQA.  MQA should have been dead on arrival and hopefully this may be a final nail in its coffin. 
More choice is always better for the consumer.. For now Im sticking with Tidal but it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.. 

I have been using Qobuz for over a year, very pleased with sound quality. I decided to take up Amazon on the 90 day free trial of Amazon Music HD.

First realize that Amazon Music HD is crippled compared to Tidal and Qobuz because it cannot use Wasapi exclusive mode. It is using Windows mixer in shared mode. Since your DAC cannot take control you have to set the rate and depth for each song you play in Windows mixer, hardly convenient.

Sound quality is deficient comparing same tracks in Amazon to Qobuz. I am hearing loss of resolution, sound stage depth and imaging. The differences are not subtle. The more resolving your system is the easier it is for you to hear the difference in quality.

I doubt Amazon will ever open their API so there could be integration with Roon and Audirvana. Hopefully they will at least update the desktop app so it can run in Wasapi exclusive mode. Saving ten dollars a month compared to Qobuz is irrelevant when the sound quality is not equal.

My advice? Stay with Tidal or Qobuz for a few months until we see if Amazon is going to listen to customer feedback. If/when exclusive mode is enabled then sign up for the free trial and compare. Don't swallow the audio press kool aid and think Amazon Music HD will put Tidal and Qobuz out of business, no way that happens with sound quality as is today.

Exdmd.
Have you tried Amazon streaming through either mobile app?
I did not even know they had a desktop app .. Lol.
From my iPad direct into the USB audio input of my Ayre sounds pretty good to my ears.
Not Qobuz yet I admit but I will take their 90 days free trial and see how it improves in that time frame.

@uberwaltz sorry I don't listen to music on my phone using mobile apps.

Not really talking listening on your phone but USING your phone and the mobile apps as the control center.
Heck I only use phone to listen while flying for work.

Now that there are so many streaming options, many of them inexpensive, would anyone use a damn computer for this task anymore?

Apparently some still do......
I am quite happy to have my PC upstairs in the office and access its NAS via Wi-Fi network if needed.

I find both droid and iPad apps work more than fine for my streaming needs

I use a Node 2i to stream from a 2 bay synology NAS and Tidal. No need for all that other nonsense. Oh, and ethernet will spoil you over the sound you get from wifi.

Oz

Oz
Sorry my bad explanations.
I meant I use WiFi just for communication between everything mobile wise.
I am direct Ethernet from my modem down to my Ayre EX8.
And the NAS and PC are all on the same wired network for access .

Anyone running this on a ShieldTV ?

Seems like a quick reaction saying Amazon killed Tidal.
i took the 90 day free trial and okay Amazon is decent and cheaper which may be enough to tip the scales for lots of folks,

However when I did an A/B comparison of the same song switching from Tidal to Amazon back and forth, Tidal sounded a bit more even handed on my system, Amazon seem to have a little too much energy in the upper mids and highs (for my taste). Trust me if I can save a buck or two usually you can count me in, so far I’m not convinced this is a good move for me. 
Of course YMMV.

Doug 

Exdmd, that’s my experience to a T.  I also notice that if you don’t adjust the sample rate, it’s upsampling everything which sounds worse than if readjusted to the actual rate.

I’m enjoying Qobuz Hi-Res more thanTidal MQA as well.  It sounds better to me and I like that there is more Hi-Res than MQA for my musical tastes.  Overall, I think Qobuz sounds best. Ymmv

Amazon has their own forum, with a dedicated thread to the Amazon Music HD service. They apparently don't take criticism well, there has been a lot of discussion about poor sound quality of Amazon Music HD compared to Tidal and Qobuz.

The moderators pruned the negative posts last night, cutting the thread from 16 pages to 8. A company who censors constructive criticism probably won't improve the service by even implementing Wasapi exclusive mode.

I have both Tidal and Amazon music an been using them on an iPad, MacBook Pro and Apple TV for the last few weeks.

They both sound good although I give Amazon the edge on sound quality.

I do not understand the complaints on Amazon sound quality. Some complainers must have sound system and DAC issues IMO.

The Amazon interface is much better than Tidal, which does not alphabetically list album and song lists. Big lists on Tidal are a mess to find a particular album or song.

I cancelled Tidal and started a yearly subscription to Amazon for much cheaper.

$240 a year is way too much for Tidal.

Few years from you will have no choice in the matter .

I just dropped Tidal for Qobuz.... the sound quality is excellent.  Pretty good selection of music.   Tracks are rendered in 44k, 24/96k,  88.2k, and even 24/192k.... sounds great through my DAC.  

I like the user interface better on qobuz....  I think for $14.99 is a good deal.

I tried Quobuz and dropped it after a week. Yes, it sounds pretty good. But for my tastes, there were many holes in their catalog. Some I could live without, but others I am not willing to sacrifice.

And if you are using the Bluos app, you cannot index your music. All albums are in the order that you save them. No alphabetizing by artist or album. 

Now if they can resolve these two issues, I will come back.

Oz

Has anyone seen this offer from Tidal? Five months for only $5. 
https://www.androidcentral.com/choose-any-tidal-music-streaming-plan-and-score-five-months-only-5

In  10-15 years 4-5 corporations  will control your every aspect of your life .

I started last year with Qobuz HiRez. Great quality but cost is not proportional to the gap with competition. Then I moved to Tidal HiFi as my Dac can manage MQA. Great quality and GREAT App: to me and my needs this is the best interface on the market. I recently moved to Amazon HD and... this will be my choice. Library is huge. Many HR albums and songs up to 24/192. No need to pass through MQA decoding. The QUALITY of what you listen is, to my years, slightly better than Tidal (More detailed) and on par with Qobuz. CHESKY RECORDS library at CD quality !!! This is something I was missing both on Tidal and Qobuz. The cost of 12.99 for all this makes it an interesting solution. And I’m sure Amazon wants to increase its market share and will continue to offer more at less with respect to the competition considering its financial strength as a company. Weak point? The interface! Very "basic" and far from the great functionalities found in the Tidal App. Example? I can’t save MY preferred Artists or Albums so that I have my selected list to choose from. In Amazon IOs App everything is melted together: your favorite Artist with tons of others just because for even a single song they are part of a Playlist. I really hope this will be fixed in future releases. In a summary: Amazon HD offers a huge library, even at HI Rez quality, with great sound quality, making available the Chesky Records library at 16/44, at a competitive price but... with an interface that needs improvements.
I listen to music in streaming with:
Bluesound Node 2i (streamer only with ethernet cable connection and BlueOS app)
Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro Mqa (Dac)
McIntosh MA7900 (Amp)
Martin Logan Ethos (electrostatic speakers)

I have Qobuz Premier, Tidal Hifi and Amazon HD.

My primary system has a Parasound A21 amp feeding Focal Electra 1038Be (reasonably revealing speakers).

I have done many hours of quality comparisons. In my room, on my system, here are the rankings:

Amazon Music HD (HEOS) >>  Qobuz (native app) > Tidal (HEOS) > Tidal (native app) > Amazon Music HD (native app).

Amazon Music HD (iOS or Android app) sounds quite crappy. Streamed from HEOS, it is amazing. Sad, as the HEOS streaming app does not work that well with Amazon (though it does fine with Tidal).

I shall experiment with other streamers too (getting a Bluesound one).

Tidal song converter ?

Tidal already has a method of downloading songs, albums etc. so you can listen while offline. 

Unfortunately, the  Amazon HD desk top app does not let the user open a WASAPI or ASIO session. They wrote me saying they have no plans to do so, even after all this time.  That puts it far behind Qobuz which does.  Many (most?) people without a good work-around will not hear the Ultra HD that Amazon promises.