tidal, for cd only streaming, is inferior to streaming cd rips or 16/44 downloads. And the gap is still bigger with hirez streamed downloads vs tidal. ECM hirez are great sounding quality. Tidal is notably inferior to them. Perhaps hirez streaming qobuz closes more the gap.
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Good summary.
But will that change in the next 2 to 4 years?
Will higher res files be easily steam able because of competition in the streaming market?
Or because of new tech?
Because if I knew it was going to be equal SQ or nearly equal in 3 years time I wouldn’t get a nas at all.
SiS says that via Roon his local files sound the same SQ as his internet streamed files already.
Simon has exceptional technical knowledge. But he is a human with ears as everyone. A lot here find tidal inferior to local streaming, and speciality vs hirez locally streamed.
3 or 4 years is a long time. Can’t you borrow a melco or innuos from a dealet and try at home ? you will hear by yourself.
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Roon doesn’t change sound quality. Simon finds that Qobuz hirez sound nearly the same as local streaming. not Tidal. But he needs to run a nas for that, to have Qobuz in bubbleupnp. If i understood well however.
And he uses the new streaming platform too, which closes more the gap between tidal and local, vs old streamers…
Guys, this is the MUSIC room, there are loads of other places to genuflect at the Melco or Innuos altars.
For what it’s worth.
Magico - Haden Garbareck
Guamba - Peacock
Oracle - Peacock Townes
Jimmy Giuffre
Belonging - Jarrett
Solstice Townes
are among my favourite ECM albums.
.sjb
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The very first ECM I heard was of course the legendary Koln Concert. A lovely man sat me down to listen to it hoping to sell me a B&O tangential tracking turntable. He left me in the sound lounge to hear the whole four sides of the LP. Very nice man.
I only had a bicycle for transport then, (had cycled 15km to the shop for the demo), so immediately upon listening to the album through, I raced off to 78 Records, (a local legendary record store, about 10km), here in sunny Perth and bought the LP, and cycled back home, (another 20km), and got home hot and sweaty, to find my LP was warped. It gets to 40 degrees here in Perth in January. I was an impoverished little high school student.
Next day I went back into the city by bus, bought a second hand LP12/Grace G707/Supex SD900, another copy of the record, and bussed it back home. Set it all up and put on the vinyl. A transcendent experience transcended me.
I have about 200 ECM albums, most HiRes. Big part of my life. I got to see Keith Jarrett, was an amazing experience. My favourites, well it’s hard to choose. But Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Eberhard Weber, Jan Garabek are all up there.
I have a couple of Keith Jarret - Charlie Haden albums. “Jasmine” is great, so sparse but so moving. “Last Dance” just brings tears, it’s more than the music, it’s the whole situational thing. Charlie Haden was my Bass god.
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One of my favourites on ECM. There was a nice Radio 3 profile on MM a few months ago.
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Very nice ECM release today for Maciej Obara Quartet - their second ECM release
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Tomasz Stanko ‘Suspended Night’ is a wonderful album.
It’s also mistakenly listed on the Naim app as being by Anders Jorman.
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Thanks–streaming it now on TIDAL Masters.
Listening to this now on Tidal 16/44.1
It sounds amazing.
But Bailyhill has a little blue light on his app so is probably enjoying this music even more than I am! 
My little blue light is lit most all the time. Roon knows I enjoy these and it “Radio’s” nicely to related material. Sure glad I don’t hear any artifacts, just enjoyable music. I am finding new mqa material all the time.
So does the Roon Radio algorithm response uniquely to each user’s listening habits?
There are words similar to that on the Roon Material. I don’t know if they have a dozen templates, and they pick the closest one. But I do know that I was listening to Standup Bass on some Jazz recordings, in prep for tuning my Subwoofer, and I was amazed at the number of tracks with nice standup bass that Roon found and played. I have not previously listened to that much Jazz, and none of the ones it found. I have been impressed with the Roon Radio algorithm.
JimDog Radio suggests GoGo Penguin and Szun Waves and the Brad Mehldau Trio and michel Reis and Terje Rypdal and much of ECM for double bass…
@Lontano Just listening to the rather brilliant Jon Christensen ecm playlist.
One of the tracks is greyed out.
And several that aren’t greyed out aren’t playing because restricted by the publisher.
So your prediction has come true already.
I hope this is not the beginning of a major power struggle with Tidal by ecm…
My horror is that ecm will disappear from Tidal because it’s probably such a small fraction of Tidal tracks played, even though it clearly plays a special role in Tidal’s catalogue, and is worth a very large premium compared to much of the other music that is available.
Just spotted this thread and it prompted me into spending an evening with three of my favourite ECM albums, all with a classical orientation, at least in part.
One of ECM’s big hits, but it still moves me:
I recall hearing the Hilliards in Manchester a few years ago and one of the pieces they performed was Part’s Berliner Messe. I enjoyed the concert so much I looked for a recording and, of course, ECM had recorded it:
This final one’s great fun, particularly if you know some operatic tunes. Quite bonkers at times, but I find it hugely enjoyable:
Many thanks to the OP for, indirectly, providing a most enjoyable evening.
Roger
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Hi Roger
Thanks for these tips.
I have listened to some Arvo Part work recently.
And the first of your three is definitely on my target listening List.
Cheers
Jim
Jim, a lot of this ECM are so far away of Aghartha or Dark Magus. For me this music is too controlled and « léchée « ( french word, don’t know how to translate).
The Door by Eich is a great LP.