Hardware that is far more likely to realise the audible benefits of stepping up to a lossless service than a Bluetooth box or laptop speakers. If we want to talk to people outside of the audiophile bubble about how they too can realise better sound quality at home or on the go, Spotify (and its lossy compression) is the language we must speak until better hardware is in place. Whatever our personal stance, instantly hitting Spotify-entrenched newcomers with the hi-res message – one that bizarrely leapfrogs CD-quality streams to ignore its nine times more extensive library and asks them to change up the very streaming service that sparked the connection – is a sure-fire way to kill curiosity. However, with musicians pushing back on Spotify’s market dominance and its royalty rates, I find myself conflicted: if Spotify is how the hi-fi industry reaches new people, which must surely be its number one priority, how are we to view its deals with rights holders that have resulted in such poor per-stream compensation? A proper moral dilemma. A recent video from yours truly on Spotify and DACs saw its viewer numbers go far higher than any other, strongly suggesting that Spotify (and Apple Music) is the sugar needed to attract the curious. This question’s asking point moves us beyond the audiophile bubble to somewhere with a greater mainstream reach. A battle into which Jay-Z’s Norwegians are clearly leading the charge with Qobuz, Deezer and Amazon working as rear gunners. Almost 45% of respondents are still doing it lossy, which points to plenty of ears and wallets left for the likes of Tidal and Qobuz to conquer. The results paint an interesting picture. To put that number into a hi-fi world perspective: that’s just under half the number of people attending Munich High-End each year or two-thirds of those making the trip to Poland for Warsaw AV. What streaming service choices have been made by the Darko.Audio YouTube channel’s viewership?ĩ200 people responded to a recent YouTube community poll asking about which lossless streaming service they use the most frequently, should they have made the leap from lossy. I receive the occasional email asking why I don’t cover Amazon HD or Deezer? The answer is two-fold: 1) neither are integrated into Roon (per Tidal and Qobuz) and 2) I don’t have accounts with these services. As of this morning, Qobuz shows 10 of his 30 albums (which is an improvement - not long ago there were only 2 or 3), while Tidal lists 26 of them.Tidal or Qobuz? Qobuz or Tidal? Two streaming services with hi-fi tiers that, through a 9:1 mix of CD-quality and hi-res audio, dominate the lossless conversation inside the audiophile bubble. Bruce Cockburn, one of my all-time favorites is a good example. To give Tidal their due, I have to add that there are some popular artists they have that I can’t find (or can’t find enough of) on Qobuz. I don’t believe that’s the case with Qobuz files. Reviewers have reported that downloads purchased from Tidal require an active Tidal account for offline playback, even though the files reside on your own system. The two services also handle downloads differently, at least according to reports I’ve read. I’m also about to switch over from my Node 2i to an Aurender streamer, and I don’t know what the sonic effect will be in playing MQA files without the final unfolding. I have the evening to myself tonight, so I may be able to dig a little and provide actual examples. From what I can recall, they were primarily classical. Sound quality is one of the factors to consider when choosing Tidal. Now, lets learn more about Qobuz vs Tidal audio quality and output audio format. Tidal vs Qobuz Sound Quality and Output Format. If you want to stream Hi-Res tracks, you can go to Qobuz. I haven’t even opened Tidal in quite a while (like I said, I’ve been meaning to drop it for some time), so it’s difficult for me to remember specific recordings I was unable to find there. So, if you want to listen to more types of songs, then you can choose Tidal.
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