Qobuz or Tidal?


Qobuz or Tidal? And why?

Aurender, good DAC, no MQA. US.
jaybe

Showing 2 responses by rikkipuu

Interesting.  I have both and had never listened carefully to compare.  There is a difference with Redbook.  To me Qobuz is a bit euphonic and heavy sounding.  I like Qobuz at low volumes but Tidal is cleaner at higher spl.
I go back and forth on MQA, my DAC does not do it, Roon does the first unfold.  It adds presence but does not always sound good.  
I would choose Tidal for the content and sound if I had to choose one.
edcyn-
I agree the gear can make the difference.  I just made 3 changes today and that changed my preference of Tidal or Qobuz.  First I added a Chord English Electric 8switch between my Etherregen and the wall.  The 8Switch was a huge change all positive.  Added a lot of weight, focus and richness.  With Qobuz the euphonics were gone just a much more textured sound, Tidal in comparison sounded a bit thin.
Using Roon for comparison the music on my library did not have the same new richness and weight as Tidal or Qobuz.  I moved the 8Switch between my SOtM sNH-10G and Innuos Server and I have the same effect now with my library.  My Roon core is on an Antipodes Core on the SOtM sNH-10G.  I have files on both the Innuos and Antipodes but the Innuos is just a bit better.
The 3rd change was replacing the ethernet connection between the Etherregen and sNH-10G with Optical fiber.  Definitely an uptic in clarity and smoothness.
With the current set up I prefer Qobuz.  The 8switch changed my preference.  If I did not hear the difference I would be happy with Tidal but knowing that Qobuz sounds better it would be my choice if I had to make one.