Qobuz or Tidal?

Evening all
I think my question is pretty much as simple as the title suggests but for a bit more information, should it matter:
282 / 250 with NDX2 (XPS DR) and Focal Scala Utopia III Evo
Mainly Rock & Pop
Price not a consideration as they are both pretty similar.
Tried (and failed) to Rip 2K CDs so now about to join the 21st century.
There are probably other things I could mention but to keep this as simple as possible, I won’t for now.
Your thoughts please.
cg

There are trials available for both. The winner will most likely be the one that better matches your preferred music. Personally I can find everything I need in qobuz and have never needed to look at tidal.

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i initially trialed and signed up to tidal - i was new to streaming and it seemed fine. after i while i trialed qobuz at the time it was higher-res and its catalogue better fitted my interests. i would suggest you trial both and as @robert_h suggests pick the one with the best fit to your preferred music. if you go for a monthly subscription it is easy to switch at any time. i too went for qobuz in the end but i guess tidal prob fits you best

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I have exactly the same experience to report as @robert_h above.
Qobuz has provided greater than 95% of my searched music. I’m sure most of the rest is there somewhere, but not on the odd rare occasion necessarily in the right place :man_shrugging:t2:

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In my opinion the SQ is much better on Qobuz Hi-Res than Tidal Max.

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I’ve used to use Quidal but in the end after switching found Tibuz substantially better in that it displayed a lower noise floor and the energy and effortlessness of its transients are mesmeric.

I have heard others have had quite then opposite response. It’s a great pity neither do trials where one could judge for themselves.

.sjb

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Isn’t there already a thread running on Tidal max vs Qobuz? Just scroll down a bit …

Roger

I went with Qobuz when choosing between the two…I read a fair few similar threads on here and overall feedback re SQ and to me the majority seemed to lean towards Qobuz…
That was a couple of years back…of course, now Tidal Max is finally available on the streamers for those that prefer Tidal and I’ve noticed a bit of uptick of ‘it’s the best’ comments…I guess the old pendulum of opinion never stops swinging.

For me, re Tidal, any potential interest screeched to a halt when I realised they did not offer downloads and is streaming only – with Qobuz Sublime I have access to the Qobuz Download Store and most of the time with substantial discounts, often up to 60%…Last week I got the new Cure album the morning it was released, in 24/96 WAV for AU$8…!
I guess it depends on your use/play habits, but personally I couldn’t be without Downloads…I use Streaming on a slightly ‘casual’ basis, a bit like iRadio, or for a bit of dabbling of things I am not familiar with or new release…but for music I know I will like or grow to like, I will mostly always purchase the files…

I’d encourage you to read around the forum re the choice, there’s lots of existing comments between the two platforms…

SC

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Do a search using Qobuz vs Tidal and you will find multiple threads on the subject.

My response from a 2021 thread: "I used Tidal for 18 months and then did a side by side demo with Qobuz and cancelled my Tidal subscription. I do not have problems with Qobuz regarding stability or dropouts.

“The sound of the music on Qobuz was an improvement to me. My system, my room, ears… The pricing for the Qobuz service was at a significant savings as well. $5.00 less a month if paying monthly an additional savings, 2 months free if paying for a years subscription up front.”

My system is similiar to yours in some regards:

C2960C-8PC-L Cisco Catalyst Switch 8 FE PoE > NAS > XPS DR > English Electric 8Switch > NDX 2 > Hi-Line > SuperCap DR > NAC 282 > NAP 250 DR> NAC A5 > ProAc D30RS — NDX 2 is sitting on Glass Shelf using Herbie’s Audio Tenderfoot Vibration Isolation Feet. The NAC 282, NAP 250 DR, XPS DR and SuperCap DR located on the Quadraspire Q4EVO Bamboo 4 Shelf Rack. NAS: Synology 8TB DS716+II 2-Bay. Also use AV Options SuperWiremold Deep-Cryo Power Strip with AV Options TibiaPlus12 Deep-Cryo AC power cables. Blue Jeans Cable Bonded Pair Cat 6a Ethernet Cable. Grado Statement Series GS1000e Headphones. NAPSC for 282, HeadLine, and NAPSC for HeadLine sitting on Glass Shelving separated from Quadraspire rack. The ProAC D30RS speakers and Quadraspire Q4EVO Bamboo 4 Shelf Rack are standing on Herbie’s Titanium Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders.

I include the system information since the end sound result sound is dependent/impacted by each of our system configurations along with room size/furnishing as well as our own hearing capabilities.

Best to try side by side in your own environment and not depend on the opinion of others.

Good luck with your decision.

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I have had them both for extended periods. I like Tidal, their app is top notch on Android or IOS. Really like Tidal Connect, I use that lots. The Windows client is very good too.
I don’t notice any difference at all regarding SQ between either service.

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Qobuz for about 5 years now. From time to time I turn on Tidal subscription for a month. Syncing playlists is easy using Soundiiz, so I have a reasonable quick way of comparing.
Haven’t found any reason to switch besides the fact that Tidal is currently cheaper. Reason I don’t switch: SQ is still at a higher level with Qobuz, and the possibility of purchasing digital downloads.

Apart from SQ (personal preference) you might find this vid interesting. It is about a guy trying to determine whether or not all MQA is now gone at Tidal. Because if you want to choose the best option for lossless then this provides some insight in what’s the current status of the Tidal catalogue:
https://youtu.be/48IPHc43M1k?si=FoZO3-kWyX9P7cxm

Trials would probably give you the best indication of what is the best option for you in the end.

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We use both. The offspring prefers Tidal. I prefer Qobuz. Works for me as there’s about 40 things I can find in Tidal which aren’t in Qobuz. Sound wise I doubt there’s any meaningful difference although subjectively I occasionally find Qobuz a tad warmer, which I suspect is really about something else.

I don’t need to use the apps as I use Innuos Sense but neither are great in terms of usability and search. Pays your money and takes your choice.

Incidentally, why did ripping fail?

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Thank you all for your thoughts.
Looks like Qobuz edges it so far but I will try both and see (hear).
I don’t think I can see what Tidal charge for a purchased album (without downloading the trial) but I am impressed with the options available on Qobuz in terms of purchasing - especially the discounts via Sublime.
Can anyone explain to me using a few words and ideally a few syllables, how ‘offline streaming’ works please? How is that different to purchasing?
Grateful for you help so far - could do with a bit more please.
cg

Thanks SC
If there is no download option on Tidal then, as you say, would send me straight to Qobuz.
Just out of interest, re The Cure album, there is a delux CD package that includes a Blu-ray disc which I think is an audio disc, not visual. I am not into TV / AV at all and therefore have no player suitable. The same applies to the Peter Gabriel album earlier this year. Any ideas how you are supposed to play them?
cg

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Thank you very much
cg

Thank you for the video link, very interesting.

Think that I’ll stay with Qobuz for now.

DG…

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Yes, I got SOTLW in the 2CD/BD Deluxe version (well, I got the whole lot actually incl vinyl!)…CD1 is the standard album (16/44.1 obviously), CD2 is Instrumentals of the album tracks (which is excellent and basically worth getting the deluxe CD for alone, plus they’re not currently available anywhere else, from what I’ve seen) and then the BD contains the album in stereo hi-res (24/96) as well as the multi-channel Atmos mix…You will need a Bluray player to play this disc and really a Atmos speaker setup (7.1.2 minimum) (you could play it on a Bluray player and if you don’t have the full multi-channel speaker setup then the player/receiver will downmix)…If you just wanted the stereo hi-def format and don’t have the AV setup, you may as well just get the download from the likes of Qobuz etc…
note–you can getting into ripping the BD disc and creating files from there, but it’s a bit of an endeavour and probably not worth it unless you do have the multi-channel setup…

Hope that helps,
SC

Just prior to the firmware update providing Naim streamer access to Tidal Max, I ran Tidal against a Qobuz trial. Using Soundlitz (free) and a little time I managed to duplicate 99% of my favourite albums. As regards SQ, the hi-res versions on Qobuz were better than the CD quality on Tidal. But I found much of the music I listen to wasn’t available in hi-res on either platform unless released recently, and even then it was patchy.
My Qobuz trial ended just as the new firmware was released. So my comparison is from memory only. But in my view Tidal streaming in both CD and Max quality exceeds what I recall from my Qobuz trial. That said, the sound is different and there are issues with the new firmware, so the jury is still out. So I’d suggest waiting a little while before making your comparison to see if the firmware comes good (it should knowing Naim).

Offline streaming to me means as follows.

You download music in the Tidal or Qobuz app. That file remains in the Tidal or Qobuz surrounding. When a label or artist removes that music, then you won’t be able to play this music anymore, because it is no longer available in the Tidal/Qobuz surrounding.

When you actually purchase music (for example from the Qobuz Download Store, you pay for the actual file and then the actual file belongs to you and you can download it to a place of your choice (for example the HDD of a NAS or a PC). You will always be able to play that music, even if it is removed from the streaming service.

I chose Tidal as at the time I was demoing the Atom a couple years ago as my dealer was using the service, demonstrated it, and on further research Tidal came out with more recommendations and awards than Qobuz. I don’t think this is the case currently (recommendations/awards).

99.9% of the CDs I own are in the Tidal catalogue, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the SQ, so had it in mind to dispose of my CD collection as I now don’t have the room to store them properly.

However, the recent news that Tidal has laid off staff is concerning, so I shall hold on to my CDs for a little longer.

If I was now in the market, given the above, I think Qobuz would get my subscription.