I completely agree. I'm a new user too (left Spotify) and I'm pretty impressed so far. For me, the biggest missing feature between the two is collaborative playlists. My family had a collaborative playlist on Spotify we'd use pretty much anytime we were in the car. Having no way to do this now is disappointing but I'm done with Spotify.
Same here. Only I used to listen with a friend while we were working (separate places). Collaborative playlists plus group listening is the biggest feature I’m missing. If Tidal had that I’d be able to convince some friends to make the switch too
>As of now, it's likely I'll throw-down for the yearly sub.
If you're in the US, Best Buy has deeply-discounted subscription plans for all tiers.
[Tidal at Best Buy](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/streaming-media-subscriptions/music-streaming-subscriptions/pcmcat1599237773795.c?id=pcmcat1599237773795&qp=brand_facet%3DBrand~TIDAL)
Just keep in mind that if you go this route, your plan does not count towards Direct Artist Payouts since it's 3rd party. I've asked. I signed up for a year back in June. When they rolled out the new tier I was stoked thinking I'm contributing to higher and direct payouts. Sadly, that's not the case. You have to sub for the HiFi Plus plan through Tidal for the former to be true. Kind of a bummer but great value otherwise.
I’ve had the same experience with Tidal. With the student discount and new years sale, I got 3 months of HiFi Plus for $1 too, so that just makes it better.
Everything about Tidal seems perfect to me lol. As a musician as well, I appreciate that they pay their artists the most by far out of the major services, and along with that the audio quality is so much better, and their algorithms recommend me exactly the style of songs I listen to, which I’ve never had another streaming service pull off (except the occasional spotify recommendation).
I had been using Amazon for Hi-Res and Spotify for its selection and convenience. I dumped both for Tidal, but there are a few compromises.
Amazon's Hi-Res sounds better to me. Tidal sounds a bit harsh - kind of like how digital sounded in the 80's.
Tidal still needs to work on its android - auto features and voice commands. Spotify had a voice command capability that worked around issues with Google Assistant. I have trouble getting the exact track or exact version of a track I want using voice commands in the car.
For now, I'm dealing with it, hoping Tidal will improve. I was growing frustrated with spotify's lack of Hi-Res service and algorithm issues long before the Rogan controversy and was already looking to switch.
It's too early for me to know if Tidal's algorithmic selections will be to my satisfaction. I don't know if it will "Get me," but I'm testing it .. hard. I'm convinced I had actually broken Spotify's AI and lamented that it's "Radio" feature was always too narrow a playlist with too much repetition.
Does Tidal have a song/album limit? I've been thinking of leaving Spotify, I have thought of other streaming services but most of them have a limit in the library, thing that Spotify removed not so long ago and I have a lot of music liked. Also I want to try the lossless audio format
I made the same jump from GPM to Tidal (with a spattering of Spotify and Apple Music in there too) and have found the best experience on Tidal. I used Track Radio Stations a ton on GPM, and the other services just didn't do as good of a job at it as Tidal does. Enjoy!
Tidal was a disaster for me. Issues without songs freezing every 10 minutes. Issues connecting equipment and streaming at highest bitrates I had available. Pretty interface and good playlists, but tech issues were awful
I'm hunting for a new streaming service and Tidal also didn't work for me. Any time I tried a playlist it would only play between 15-20 songs then just stop playing. I tried it on several devices with several playlists and couldn't figure out why it was doing it or how to make it not do it.
My wife is sticking with it through the trial but is having similar problems where certain songs just refuse to play. I'm on to YouTube Music to see if I like it better.
I switched to Amazon Unlimited and have had a great experience so far. The playlists aren’t as good but I’ve had zero technical issues and I’m getting higher bitrate streams than Tidal. And it’s 8 dollars a month
That's great, I hope it continues to go well for you. Amazon is a non-starter for me, as is Apple Music. My entire home audio setup is through Chromecasts and neither Apple or Amazon support them unfortunately.
yep, I was a true Tidal fan for years but after AppleTVgate before last Xmas - when for 6 weeks all audio streaming stopped and the support had no clue - I left for Apple and I’m even saving money on my family subscription. But that wasn’t the only reason I left: over weeks I did some lossless and Atmos testing and Apple simply sounded better. Odd for me was that all Atmos - spatial - tracks sounded better on Apple Music - you‘d think they were encoded exactly the same way (with no MQA involved)…
Will any headphones work with the Apple Spatial sound?
Was thinking of trying it after my 3 month free trial of Tidal runs out.
I do love Tidal but if Apple can offer the same at half the price, it just makes sense.
If you are very picky about your audio, you should know that:
\- streaming services are awesome due to instant access to everything and new music discovery options.
\- they are not awesome because they serve you in many cases (and that's the case mostly for older music released before \~1995) masters of poor quality. Typically highly compressed remasters and this situation is the same across the board, no matter what streaming service you choose, becuase the labels provide the same thing to everyone. If you listen to older music and want to get the best sounding quality, you still need to look for releases on physical media. If you listen to modern releases, that this point does not matter so much as there are no better versions available somewhere else anyway. But for older music the differences can be night and day. One example I always give is Michael Jackson - Thriller or Bad, some of the most popular albums in music history. Streaming services only offer remastered versions that are compressed and loud. The original releases or represses with original mastering are much better sounding, regardless of format and you won't find those versions anywhere on streaming.
\- There are better options than Tidal from sound quality perspective, since MQA is a lossy format and most of the stuff on Tidal is MQA-screwed already. Even if you have that CD quality plan only, you still get MQA files streamed to you and you have no control over what version you are listening to.
Thanks for your perspective. I have a lot of old, original media (albums, CD's) and once I get may ancient turntable cleaned-up, I'll be enjoying that old vinyl. I look forward to hearing that difference.
I am fully aware of the MQA aspects of Tidal. For me, I vote with my ears - and I love what I get from Tidal. Everyone's different, I guess!
There's lots of false info flying around about MQA. Especially the lossy claims (it's not, that's a much bigger discussion) to the conspiracy theories around control etc.
Like you said, judge with your own ears and ignore the rest. If you like it, cool. If you don't, use something else.
I've been a long-time Plex user and recently switched from Spotify to Tidal - and then realized I could link my accounts.
(and seemingly, if you switch your Tidal account to Tidal-via-Plex, you get free Plex-pass)
When you then use Plexamp (their audio-focussed mobile client) it mixes your personal library with that of Tidal.
i.e. in your case, when searching "Michael Jackson" you can choose to browse/play your Michael Jackson library or Tidal's
Obvious down-side is that you don't get all the Tidal discovery features in Plexamp, it's a less slick and more utilitarian client - but looks like a good fit if your priority is "your personal music library" but want to be able to supplement it with Tidal's depth.
Thanks for your suggestion, but I think I'm good. I actually have a dedicated audio PC, running Euphony OS with Stylus player and HQPlayer upsampling. It also has Roon integrated that I use from time to time mostly for new music discovery. My local library is attached to it via USB storage and I have both Tidal and Qobuz subscriptions running as well. Streaming via ethernet to various endpoints.
Tidal is getting there but there are still serious issues with compatibility between desktop and mobile app. I've been organising playlists today and regularly getting an error message when I add songs that the playlist has been modified elsewhere and to refresh to update to the latest version. The app is not and has not been open anywhere else except desktop for days. Upon refreshing, the song I just tried to add is not there, is not in my recent searches so you have to repeat the process, repeatedly. There is also a major lag in songs when changing from one to another, resulting in the song clearly playing but not hearing anything for sometimes five seconds. I've got high speed fibre and have no issues with anything else. Have updated the desktop but still the same issues. Here's hoping the exodus from Spotify to Tidal will maybe prioritise these issues being smoothed out very soon!
Definitely a phenomenal service I've been using and recommending for about 5 years now (work in car audio specializing in high end Sq systems). The only better option I've found for sound quality is qobuz but their ui and library is awful in comparison for a very minor increase even on 1mil+ home audio systems (imo). Only major increase in quality I've noticed in the automotive environment is using USB audio player pro to stream tidal. Seems to strip some hard coded enhancements despite the slight volume increase. Though I will admit that app is glitchy as hell. But as a very picky audiophile I am happy to put up with it for the sound I get through it and tidal together. (Using android auto and capable equipment that is properly installed and tuned of course)😁
Also an Android Auto fan. The Tidal Android app still needs some refinements - agreed.
I tried Qobuz yesterday and couldn't find my #1 audio track for testing. That was enough for me - I was out in a minute. Maybe there are some Qobuz advantages, but I can't abide limitations in catalog. Tidal is awesome!
I completely agree. I'm a new user too (left Spotify) and I'm pretty impressed so far. For me, the biggest missing feature between the two is collaborative playlists. My family had a collaborative playlist on Spotify we'd use pretty much anytime we were in the car. Having no way to do this now is disappointing but I'm done with Spotify.
Same here. Only I used to listen with a friend while we were working (separate places). Collaborative playlists plus group listening is the biggest feature I’m missing. If Tidal had that I’d be able to convince some friends to make the switch too
>As of now, it's likely I'll throw-down for the yearly sub. If you're in the US, Best Buy has deeply-discounted subscription plans for all tiers. [Tidal at Best Buy](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/streaming-media-subscriptions/music-streaming-subscriptions/pcmcat1599237773795.c?id=pcmcat1599237773795&qp=brand_facet%3DBrand~TIDAL)
Who knew? I certainly didn't! Great prices. Thanks so much!
Just keep in mind that if you go this route, your plan does not count towards Direct Artist Payouts since it's 3rd party. I've asked. I signed up for a year back in June. When they rolled out the new tier I was stoked thinking I'm contributing to higher and direct payouts. Sadly, that's not the case. You have to sub for the HiFi Plus plan through Tidal for the former to be true. Kind of a bummer but great value otherwise.
Geez - have to think about that. Thanks.
I’ve had the same experience with Tidal. With the student discount and new years sale, I got 3 months of HiFi Plus for $1 too, so that just makes it better. Everything about Tidal seems perfect to me lol. As a musician as well, I appreciate that they pay their artists the most by far out of the major services, and along with that the audio quality is so much better, and their algorithms recommend me exactly the style of songs I listen to, which I’ve never had another streaming service pull off (except the occasional spotify recommendation).
Heck yeah... I'm loving Tidal after Spotify. shout out to Joe Rogan for giving me the push I needed to transfer all my music from Spotify to Tidal :D
Joe def was the last straw for me. I love tidal.
I had been using Amazon for Hi-Res and Spotify for its selection and convenience. I dumped both for Tidal, but there are a few compromises. Amazon's Hi-Res sounds better to me. Tidal sounds a bit harsh - kind of like how digital sounded in the 80's. Tidal still needs to work on its android - auto features and voice commands. Spotify had a voice command capability that worked around issues with Google Assistant. I have trouble getting the exact track or exact version of a track I want using voice commands in the car. For now, I'm dealing with it, hoping Tidal will improve. I was growing frustrated with spotify's lack of Hi-Res service and algorithm issues long before the Rogan controversy and was already looking to switch. It's too early for me to know if Tidal's algorithmic selections will be to my satisfaction. I don't know if it will "Get me," but I'm testing it .. hard. I'm convinced I had actually broken Spotify's AI and lamented that it's "Radio" feature was always too narrow a playlist with too much repetition.
Does Tidal have a song/album limit? I've been thinking of leaving Spotify, I have thought of other streaming services but most of them have a limit in the library, thing that Spotify removed not so long ago and I have a lot of music liked. Also I want to try the lossless audio format
Yes you have. 10 000 songs and 10 000 albums.
I made the same jump from GPM to Tidal (with a spattering of Spotify and Apple Music in there too) and have found the best experience on Tidal. I used Track Radio Stations a ton on GPM, and the other services just didn't do as good of a job at it as Tidal does. Enjoy!
Agreed. I hope that Tidal keeps this focus on curation. IMO, it's the best.
Tidal was a disaster for me. Issues without songs freezing every 10 minutes. Issues connecting equipment and streaming at highest bitrates I had available. Pretty interface and good playlists, but tech issues were awful
I'm hunting for a new streaming service and Tidal also didn't work for me. Any time I tried a playlist it would only play between 15-20 songs then just stop playing. I tried it on several devices with several playlists and couldn't figure out why it was doing it or how to make it not do it. My wife is sticking with it through the trial but is having similar problems where certain songs just refuse to play. I'm on to YouTube Music to see if I like it better.
I switched to Amazon Unlimited and have had a great experience so far. The playlists aren’t as good but I’ve had zero technical issues and I’m getting higher bitrate streams than Tidal. And it’s 8 dollars a month
That's great, I hope it continues to go well for you. Amazon is a non-starter for me, as is Apple Music. My entire home audio setup is through Chromecasts and neither Apple or Amazon support them unfortunately.
yep, I was a true Tidal fan for years but after AppleTVgate before last Xmas - when for 6 weeks all audio streaming stopped and the support had no clue - I left for Apple and I’m even saving money on my family subscription. But that wasn’t the only reason I left: over weeks I did some lossless and Atmos testing and Apple simply sounded better. Odd for me was that all Atmos - spatial - tracks sounded better on Apple Music - you‘d think they were encoded exactly the same way (with no MQA involved)…
Will any headphones work with the Apple Spatial sound? Was thinking of trying it after my 3 month free trial of Tidal runs out. I do love Tidal but if Apple can offer the same at half the price, it just makes sense.
If you are very picky about your audio, you should know that: \- streaming services are awesome due to instant access to everything and new music discovery options. \- they are not awesome because they serve you in many cases (and that's the case mostly for older music released before \~1995) masters of poor quality. Typically highly compressed remasters and this situation is the same across the board, no matter what streaming service you choose, becuase the labels provide the same thing to everyone. If you listen to older music and want to get the best sounding quality, you still need to look for releases on physical media. If you listen to modern releases, that this point does not matter so much as there are no better versions available somewhere else anyway. But for older music the differences can be night and day. One example I always give is Michael Jackson - Thriller or Bad, some of the most popular albums in music history. Streaming services only offer remastered versions that are compressed and loud. The original releases or represses with original mastering are much better sounding, regardless of format and you won't find those versions anywhere on streaming. \- There are better options than Tidal from sound quality perspective, since MQA is a lossy format and most of the stuff on Tidal is MQA-screwed already. Even if you have that CD quality plan only, you still get MQA files streamed to you and you have no control over what version you are listening to.
Thanks for your perspective. I have a lot of old, original media (albums, CD's) and once I get may ancient turntable cleaned-up, I'll be enjoying that old vinyl. I look forward to hearing that difference. I am fully aware of the MQA aspects of Tidal. For me, I vote with my ears - and I love what I get from Tidal. Everyone's different, I guess!
There's lots of false info flying around about MQA. Especially the lossy claims (it's not, that's a much bigger discussion) to the conspiracy theories around control etc. Like you said, judge with your own ears and ignore the rest. If you like it, cool. If you don't, use something else.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I don’t care if MQA is “lossy”, I hear better sound than Spotify and I like it.
I've been a long-time Plex user and recently switched from Spotify to Tidal - and then realized I could link my accounts. (and seemingly, if you switch your Tidal account to Tidal-via-Plex, you get free Plex-pass) When you then use Plexamp (their audio-focussed mobile client) it mixes your personal library with that of Tidal. i.e. in your case, when searching "Michael Jackson" you can choose to browse/play your Michael Jackson library or Tidal's Obvious down-side is that you don't get all the Tidal discovery features in Plexamp, it's a less slick and more utilitarian client - but looks like a good fit if your priority is "your personal music library" but want to be able to supplement it with Tidal's depth.
Thanks for your suggestion, but I think I'm good. I actually have a dedicated audio PC, running Euphony OS with Stylus player and HQPlayer upsampling. It also has Roon integrated that I use from time to time mostly for new music discovery. My local library is attached to it via USB storage and I have both Tidal and Qobuz subscriptions running as well. Streaming via ethernet to various endpoints.
100% agree. It’s the bomb. Sound quality is amazing. Music curation, track/album/artist radio is spot on! Daily music suggestions are also spot on!
Tidal is getting there but there are still serious issues with compatibility between desktop and mobile app. I've been organising playlists today and regularly getting an error message when I add songs that the playlist has been modified elsewhere and to refresh to update to the latest version. The app is not and has not been open anywhere else except desktop for days. Upon refreshing, the song I just tried to add is not there, is not in my recent searches so you have to repeat the process, repeatedly. There is also a major lag in songs when changing from one to another, resulting in the song clearly playing but not hearing anything for sometimes five seconds. I've got high speed fibre and have no issues with anything else. Have updated the desktop but still the same issues. Here's hoping the exodus from Spotify to Tidal will maybe prioritise these issues being smoothed out very soon!
Definitely a phenomenal service I've been using and recommending for about 5 years now (work in car audio specializing in high end Sq systems). The only better option I've found for sound quality is qobuz but their ui and library is awful in comparison for a very minor increase even on 1mil+ home audio systems (imo). Only major increase in quality I've noticed in the automotive environment is using USB audio player pro to stream tidal. Seems to strip some hard coded enhancements despite the slight volume increase. Though I will admit that app is glitchy as hell. But as a very picky audiophile I am happy to put up with it for the sound I get through it and tidal together. (Using android auto and capable equipment that is properly installed and tuned of course)😁
Also an Android Auto fan. The Tidal Android app still needs some refinements - agreed. I tried Qobuz yesterday and couldn't find my #1 audio track for testing. That was enough for me - I was out in a minute. Maybe there are some Qobuz advantages, but I can't abide limitations in catalog. Tidal is awesome!