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Tidal vs Qubuz - Steely Dan "Jack of Speed"

So I should have posted this a year ago, but never got around to it. I had a subscription to both providers about a year ago and was comparing audio quality between them. I queued up "Jack of Speed" on both and noticed a dramatic difference in the mix between them. The reoccurring trombone hook was burried in the Qobuz version to distraction, while the Tidal version sounded as I’ve always heard it. I then put on the original CD release & compared it to Qobuz. Totally different! I let the Qobuz free trial lapse & continued on with Tidal because of this. So, all of you Dan fans with subscriptions to both... Compare these tracks and let me know if you hear the differences. Would love to know your opinions.

stevehardy1

Showing 1 response by mitch2

mitch2
3,706 posts
 

I have had Tidal for a couple of years and Qobuz for the past month.  I signed up for a year of Qobuz after the free trial.  I agree with @jjss49 who said:

i think both services sound very good, though subtly different

However, I would not ascribe a consistent sound to the difference in that I couldn't say Qobuz sounds like this and Tidal sounds like that - just a little different, maybe.  At at this time, after only a month with Qobuz, I would not definitively rank one above the other based on SQ, although I am enjoying having more content to choose from.  I will likely keep both but wanted to give myself the year to decide.

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