2. pc-audio
  3. 124376-81069

Who has tried "TIDAL" vs other streaming applications?

Hello, I'm new to Audiogon, this is my first posting into Forums.

I enjoy streaming audio from my PC and have been using Spotify for a number of years now (college student discount to premium $5 a month). I just recently stumbled upon a App called TIDAL, that streams Lossless 16/44.1FLAC with their "HI-FI" subscription (Student $10 a month). Since I can queue up Spotify and Tidal at the same time, I was able to do an A/B and used Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. I noticed that TIDAL indeed sounds better to me but am convinced none of my family members could tell a difference. I then did an A/B with TIDAL and the actual Brothers in Arms CD, to my surprise TIDAL sounded scary close, if not just as good as the CD! This is hard for me to believe, I think I'm just trying to justify the extra cost of TIDAL on a crazy tight student budget, maybe its a placebo effect? I need to drop one of the services, but which one? I would appreciate your thoughts please... Thank you!
My system:
PC = Gaming Rig I built myself, using dedicated high quality audio card.
Krell KAV 400xi integrated
Sonus Faber Electa's with Sunfire HRS Sub
Cambridge AZUR 840C CDP/DAC
Luxman T117 Tuner
Sony SCD - C2000ES SACD Player
Kimber Silver Streak throughout  


grm

Showing 2 responses by ejr1953

ejr1953
542 posts
 
I have a Spotify account for my wife (iPad) and a Tidal account for me and my audio system (Windows 10, USB connection to the DAC).

For my Tidal listening, I prefer to download and install their app, instead of using the browser version, one less set of "variables".  I have found the performance and SQ from Tidal to be awesome.

From what I’m reading, it sounds like sometime soon Tidal will be offering MQA, at first thru their app, later thru the browser version. I hope that they will be doing the conversion from MQA to whatever will be accepted by my DAC in the app, and not require that we purchase new "MQA-capable" DACs to enjoy the improvement in SQ. Time will tell.
ejr1953
542 posts
 
The more I think about the "business case" Tidal must have evaluated to decide to stream MQA in the (near) future, the more I suspect that they will do the MQA conversion in their app, maybe give you the option to stream MQA "natively", but to have spent gobs to get their library converted and only be able to offer the MQA option to those with an MQA-capable DAC probably doesn't make sense.  Plus, from what I've read, MQA is delivered to the DAC in a "PCM wrapper", so I suspect that streaming MQA, converting it in the Tidal app to FLAC and outputting that converted format to the DAC would probably give the benefits of MQA.

Fingers crossed.
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