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Tidal vs. Others- End of 2021

I've been using Tidal HiFi Plus for a few years and I like the desktop app features and robust content.  Until recently my Mac PC USB interfaces with a Benchmark DAC3 HCG, so only have 2 "unfolds" for MQA content.  

I recently trialed the Apple Music app which I thought inferier regarding features. Apple Music desktop app has no "exclusive mode," so even when trying to match sample rates using "Audio MIDI Setup" it was hard to tell just what I was getting.  Apple/Tidal A/B listening tests didn't yield much sonic difference, so I dropped Apple Music as not mature.

Like John Siau and others I am leery of MQA, but now I am trialing an iFi ZEN DAC Signature V2 for full MQA unfold- using the ZEN fixed output mode analog into a DAC3 analog input.  A/B listening of 2 (PC to DAC3 USB) vs 3 (Zen DAC) unfolds seems mixed, depending on content.  MQA doesn't license a full decoder so you have to buy a DAC with integral MQA.

My conclusion is digital streaming at the end of 2021 is still "teething."  Does anyone have strong opinion of alternatives to Tidal for sonics and features at similar price point?

I'm using B&W Signature 800 speakers driven by Bryson 28B SST2 monoblocks.

 

 

likeanice1903

Showing 1 response by sonic79

sonic79
80 posts
 

Another vote for Qobuz. I've had a Tidal account for almost three years. Happy for the most part. Sound quality is satisfactory to me, and aside from a few rare occasions, I've been able to find all tracks I search for. I am sceptical of MQA, and dislike Tidal's insistence on using it. Recent changes to Tidal's subscription tiers prompted a change, with their HiFi plan now offering 16/44.1 FLAC. Easy choice for me to downgrade my plan as I prefer access to redbook quality over MQA.

The cost saving allowed for the addition of a Qobuz subscription. So far I have encountered only one scenario where Tidal had an album and Qobuz did not. The advantage of Qobuz is the access to Hi-Res files in FLAC. With Tidal anything higher than 16/44.1 is packaged in MQA.

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