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Qobuz vs Tidal

First off in the last 3 weeks, I have lost 90% of my vision so if there are mistakes please understand.  I am building my last house and will be moving in in late August.  I have ordered a fantastic two channel system, and I have a separate theater room.   The 2 channel system consists of Canary Audio Grand Reference Two Mono Amps, Canary C1800 Pre-amp, Lumin X1 Dac/Streamer, and an Inakustic 3500P power conditioner and Viking Accoustic Grande Voix horn speakers.  My theater room will include a 5.2.2 set up of Tekton Double impact in wall speakers.   My music source is a Lumin X-1 with a 4tb Synology NAS filled with over 10,000 titles.  In my last system I used Tidal to complement my digital library.  I am looking for either Qobuz or Tidal  for my new system.  I am looking for people who have both or have used both.  Which do you prefer and why?   If you have only used one please don't reply.  I need your help as I can no longer research the way I would like.  All your replies will be voice activated so that is how I am getting your information.  Ease of use will be critical due to my sight restrictions.  Thanks for your help.
willgolf

Showing 2 responses by david_ten

david_ten
5,480 posts
 
I have both Tidal and Qobuz. I subscribe to both, concurrently. And I enjoy both.

My recommendation: Go with Both, for a full Year.

The services are not much (in terms of cost) when you factor in your current systems spends.

As you approach the one year point, if you feel one service is sufficient for your needs, don't reup the other service. 

For me, having both offers flexibility and opens up the range of recommendations (via Roon Radio, in my case).  As others have already pointed out, the catalogs differ. 

I'm specifying a year versus a few months because a longer time period will help you develop a deeper and wider feel for the pros and cons and issues related to both and which service you connect with more and use more. 

I've experienced more hiccups with Qobuz. As one example, saved albums being unavailable for playback (though they exist in the Qobuz catalog). This usually self corrects. If it doesn't, I've found a workaround. [Note: my usage is via Roon and it may not be an issue if Qobuz is directly streamed]

Usage wise, I'm close to a 50/50 split between the two. 
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@willgolf Your Lumin X1 provides full MQA functionality, which means you will get higher resolution output via Tidal (with many more albums) over Qobuz.

Tidal offers (in many cases) higher bit rate recordings than the equivalent recording from Qobuz.

"LUMIN network music players can automatically perform Core Decoding and Hardware Rendering of MQA-encoded streams to get the maximum available Hi-Res music data (up to 24-bit 384kHz)."

To make a point, regarding catalog differences...just now, Roon - in their Recommendations Section - listed an album I was previously unaware of.

Blue Incantation with Special Guest Jerry Garcia. This was one of Jerry’s last performances.

It is a Tidal only offering.

Go with both services.
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