Qobuz vs Tidal

Good to know....thanks for the info. 

Qobuz also has an app for your TV. There is a resolution setting of either MP3 or CD quality if your TV is capable of supporting higher resolution.

I find the sound to be very satisfactory on my Samsung.

The TV sends PCM straight down optical cable to the external DAC/ then pre-amp for volume control/ then amp.

To its' credit Qobuz didn't get on the MQA bandwagon, unlike Tidal.

B

Every time I get a new streaming source I compare the two and Qobuz always wins.

Thanks for sharing. My audio dealer had told me to switch to Qobuz a number of years ago. I brushed it aside. So, about four years ago I finally went ahead and got a Qobuz trial... I cancelled my Tidal within a day or two. Then, I found how many high resolution albums Qobuz has and never considered going back.

There is a lot of aspects to high end audio like this. Where a quick comparison will yield similar sounds... but upon listening to the music (as opposed to moving your minds eye (ear) from this to that in a quick comparison) makes a substantial difference.

@gdnrbob I never bought into the whole inferior sound quality band wagon! Tidal always sounded good to me regardless of MQA or not. I've went back and forth with Qobuz and Tidal many times and landed on Tidal! 

Thanks for sharing.  I tried all of the streaming services about a year ago and I ended up going with Qobuz too.  It had the best combination of sound quality, selection, ease of use and cost in my experience.  

I also landed on Tidal, as much for the sound quality as their extensive jazz portfolio…and I prefer the Tidal user interface. Between the two, I could tell no difference in SQ. 

I have both and can not tell a difference between the two.  I’ve compared many times using the same track on the same recording.

Many different experiences here, but I started with Tidal, found MQA intolerable, learned about Qobuz, made the switch; difference was clear immediately and I never looked back. Not that Qobuz is perfect. Often an artist's definitive recording will be missing from the catalog, with only inferior, poorly recorded, loosey-goosey live performances, even ghastly "sing-along" versions, to choose from. Also, Conductor's algorithm doesn't exactly track my personal analog-wired logical process. But then nothing is perfect, and Qobuz boasts the best streaming SQ I have found.

I had both dropped Qobuz got so sick of them promising the connect feature is coming soon and never does .

Have both and haven’t been able to convince myself that there is a consistent quality difference. Some master tracks sound better on Tidal vs Hi-Res on Qobuz and others just the opposite. User interface for both are different but equally intuitive. Seemingly unlimited content on both with the exception of classical where I think Qobuz clearly has a greater offering. Spending more time trying to discover new music/artists and so far I think Tidal has an advantage with their recommendations based on users listening patterns. Haven’t pulled the trigger but considering a HiFi Rose 130 to access the video offerings on Tidal which I don’t believe are available on Qobuz. Just another excuse to feed my wine habit! Bottom line, both services are great and fortunately not crazy expensive relative to the endless black holes in this hobby.

I use Roon and stream both Tidal and Qobuz. Back when Tidal used MQA the difference was fairly apparent. After Tidal stopped using MQA that difference decreased.  I find there are more 24 bit/192 kHz files on Qobuz but the higher def does not always mean better sound.  I routinely compare the two and generally do not hear a difference. On those recordings where I do notice a difference I tend to favor the Qobuz file. I’m not sure why given both are supposed to be unadulterated FLAC files. Perhaps someone who understands the two systems far better than me can explain that. Qobuz probably has a slight edge in sound, but I prefer Tidal’s architecture. 

I have both so I don’t care about the never ending SQ comparison. That being said I do a lot of driving and use an IPhone connected with an Audioquest cable. Siri is not supported by Qbuzz, so that limits what I use outside of the house. 

+1 Qobuz for SQ. However I get occasional drops and spinning circle of death w Qobuz.  Never on Amazon HiRes, but Qobuz superior SQ. Amazon has better algorithm suggestions. Never tried Tidal.

@kennymacc 

What did you use to convert your tidal library over to Qobuz ? Thanks 

Qobuz as a platform is stuck in the 1990's  Does anyone have any intel on when the long promised Qobuz connect may be launched?

Thanks for a straight forward comparison of the two top products. I tend to agree with everything. However some tracks on Tidal and the some of the Videos have an otherworldly sound. Objectively I can’t say better or worse. But the experience is amazing. Unfortunately there are more ‘poor’ files on T. Nearly everything on Q is solid. So I need both. And right now it’s affordable. Especially compared to buying vinyl. We all know there are a thousand variables that make your system different from mine. There are much fewer when we speak of a streaming file. If you listen to a Ahmad Jamal’s Awakenings file on Q or T it’s the same one I listen to. GDP can fill everyone in on the best way to achieve this. Thanks again for the review, good to know others hear similar things.

I have a subscription to both Deezer and Qobuz.  I've never had a subscription to Tidal.

With that said, Deezer hands-down!  I find Deezer is so, so much more user friendly!  Qobuz is cumbersome.  The only reason I have it is my streamer doesn't support Deezer.  Too bad.

@kennymacc 

I used Soundiiz Premium to sync my Deezer and Qobuz accounts.  Worked like a charm.

I have Qobuz and Amazon and depending on your musical preferences, they cover pretty much everything. I will say that Qobuz has a better software, they sound pretty close to my ears.

Your Ears Might Very.😀

According to PS Audio, Qobuz Connect is in Beta testing now, they’re hopeful for April release...most of my friends seem to agree Tidal or Qobuz preference depends on the album...

Have both, on my system, they are about the same. As said, some sound better on Tidal, some sound better on Qobuz. 

This IMHO is a tie

App, Tidal is so much better here, but lacking compared to Spotify.

Winner Tidal

Catalog, Tidal

TV apps, Tidal canceled it's TV app.

Winner Qobuz

Monthly rate

Tidal gives me a veteran discount I pay $5 a month 

Winner Tidal

On the move, Qobuz drops less then Tidal, also buffers better on my iPhone.

In the house, they are the same

Winner Qobuz

Tidal 4 Qobuz 3

Winner Tidal!

@ronboco 

 Roon manages all my music albums/files/library under one roof, including Tidal, Qobuz, and all my ripped CDs.  When I choose a particular album to play, I can also look to see a list of all the "versions" of that album that are available to choose from, which will  include all of the above.  My Roon default is Tidal, which means, until I change that, every time I add an album to my library, it is automatically added as a Tidal album.  All I had to do to convert all my Tidal albums to Qobuz was to simply: choose an album, go down the list of "versions" options,  choose the Qobuz version as my  primary album, and it will automatically replace the Tidal version in my library.  I can switch back and forth anytime I please.  I hope this helps.  Happy listening      

@kennymacc 

Sounds like a great way to handle that! I don’t have roon so I wasn’t sure what the best way to go about it is. I have tidal and Qobuz but only use Qobuz now so I was wondering if there is an easier way than writing all the songs in tidal down then pulling them up on Qobuz one at a time to find the version I like. 

@ronboco i was able to export/import my Tidal playlists, artists, and songs into Qobuz using Soundiiz.  At least I think that was the software.  It was really easy to do.

@jastralfu 

thank you. I will try that 

Had Amazon 5 yrs.  Good suggestions.  Problems with sorting, etc. Too much Atmospheric or 3D.  Sometimes it work

Qobuz sound is very good. I use the Bluetooth app and the web app for Innuous Sense.  I can navigate around much better than Amazon.  Majority is now higher res.

I definitely do not hear a consistent difference between the two services. Some songs sound A LITTLE better on Tidal and some sound A LITTLE better on Qobuz. But the functionality and ai are way better on Tidal. If I was going to cut one it would be Qobuz- and lately I've been close to pulling the trigger. 

Thank you everyone for all your insightful responses to this post.  I knew from the outset that this post would be somewhat controversial.   However, in my room, played back through my audio system, to my ears, I can hear a noticeable difference in the sound characteristics between Tidal and Qobuz.  Both Tidal and Qobuz both sound fabulous.  And I can perfectly understand how a person could prefer one over the other, both equally, or go back and forth between the two.  Still, to my ears, it's as if the two streaming services seem to have their own signature sounds (similar but slightly different).  I can very easily tell the difference between the two in my room.  To my ears, and to my own personal preference, Qobuz seems to have a quieter, blacker, background than Tidal, allowing for a deeper and a more dimensional soundstage, and greater separation of the instruments within the soundstage.  That's why I hear a slightly more refined stream presentation coming from Qobuz over Tidal.   I've noticed this difference across the board on every album I play.  I'm just lovin it!!!.   Happy listening.                   

I've preferred Qobuz for years but have kept Tidal for diversity. Recently, while trying out a new dac/streamer I decided to check out other services: Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer. I am surprised to find that I'm preferring Deezer. This is after a week of listening.. I'll see how this shakes out over time.

I used to have both services. I found Qobuz to consistently sound better than Tidal so I only have Qobuz today.  i was also using these services through a streamer with it’s own app (in my case at the time Auralic Lightning DS). Using either service is seamless through the streamer app - meaning that the software deficiencies mentioned above were not an issue for me. 

I would also note that Roon is not particularly transparent. I used to be a subscriber but dropped it when I compared streams from Roon with the same using the native app Lightning DS. It wasn’t close. So, it’s possible that  the differences between Tidal and Qobuz for some are being masked by Roon for those using that platform. Of course, Roon’s  interface is the best out there, but it may be negatively impacting the sound for some. 

But there’s another issue - and that’s what artists actually receive from various platforms. Tidal and Qobuz are vastly better than the others. But in this case, Qobuz wins again. A quick search will show that Qobuz treats artists the best of all the major platforms. 

@mgrif104 

I've been using the magnificent Room Nucleus Plus in my audio system for about four years now, and I get superb detail and transparency.  I know, there's always something better.  However, the Roon Nucleus Plus won me over for it's combination of superb sound quality, and it's simply phenomenal user interface.  Happy listening.        

I have both and I generally prefer Qobuz, but I suspect in a properly conducted blind test I wouldn’t be able to consistently tell a difference and I suspect that’s true for most, but each to their own

As someone noted, I’ve read that Q treats the artist better and that’s a big plus. I also saw that Qobuz recently released a video indicating that it’s connect feature is in beta testing so hopefully that’s finally coming.
 

I think both offer an incredible service for the money and most folks would be happy with either

@kennymacc +!

Great point on Roon Nucleus plus which i never tried and which certainly should be optimized to run Roon without any loss in transparency. 

While my gear was Roon certified, it certainly had a deleterious effect on the sound vs the native app. I likened it to how MSFT Windows must run on all PCs regardless of hardware configuration and companion software. It works, but the performance isn’t always equivalent. The native operating system and music management system could address the memory cache and buffers of that machine whereas Roon was not so optimized.

I’ve heard great things about the Roon Nucleus system and assume it’s fully competitive with other streamers anywhere near its price range. For those using something other than a nucleus, an audition may be warranted to see if there’s a negative impact.  I do miss that interface.

To that point, Auralic’s Lightning DS (LDS) is very good and I enjoy using it quite a bit in system 2, but it’s not Roon. And my T+A in system 1 has a streaming client built along with a network audio adapter (NAA) so I use their native app.  Its UI is rudimentary in comparison but sounds fabulous. 

And to that point, I find that Qobuz streams sound the same as files I ripped from a CD as FLAC and stored on a NAS, assuming they’re the same provenance (i.e. not a remaster). In sum, I can’t believe how good streaming from Qobuz can be. It’s been a while since I’ve done a comparison with Tidal - I’m guessing the same would be true there.

As audiophiles, who of us would have imagined twenty years ago how good we’d have it today? 

Best,

Hello all,

I think that one factor we have to include in our analysis is how much the streaming services pay back in royalties to the artists. From what I have read, Qobuz ranks on top of most analysis about this, but things seem to change and hopefully improve in this regard with many streaming services. 

Yes, music quality is very important, but supporting the artists that produce it (I am not one of those) should also be among our selection criteria. 

All the best to all of your… ears !

@mgrif104

Thank you. My Roon Nucleus Plus has been replaced by a newer model. I don’t know how much more improved the new model is over the old one. I’m sure they’ve further refined the interface to a certain degree. I know the new model offers more features than the old one. Nonetheless, I so enjoy the Nucleus Plus, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.   Also, I’ll continue using Tidal, as it offers a larger catalog of music in it’s library than Qobuz.  I just feel that when it comes to audiophile caliber music streaming, Qobuz is the ultimate.  All in all, I haven’t been this thrilled with, or had this much fun with my high end audio listening experience in over 30 years in the hobby. Happy listening.

@kerrbh

Although my preference between the two would be Qobuz, as I believe it more consistently digs just a little bit deeper into the music than Tidal does, I still use and thoroughly enjoy Tidal when a particular album isn’t available on Qobuz. Also, I’ve never done a bling listening test, as I do about 95% of my music listening with my eyes open, which I prefer to do when evaluating and comparing. But I get where you’re coming from. Happy listening.

i've using both since last year and i totally disagree about user friendly of tidal.

The thing I hate the most is the dark looking theme and the search engine. Dark theme, ok, no big deal. But, hey, try search ''say you say me'' by Lionel Richie, withoutcoma, you won't get the right one.

That just a simple example. I am a classical music lover, try imagine how i suffering serching the songs, if you want the specific player, that's even worse

And yes, i'll just stay with qobuz

@mswale

$5/month?

as a disabled veteran myself, on that point alone I’m going with TIDAL for now.

Thanks.

********* edit

or not. Been all over the site and can’t find a WORD about “veteran” or any discount other than “student.” and the ‘bot /chat has no such reference.

I have both but prefer Qobuz

Numerous news articles state that last spring Tidal lowered their high tier price but eliminated the military discount...