Qobuz vs Tidal again

This is odd and I can’t explain it but I’m finding Tidal increasingly more enjoyable for streaming, when it was previoulsy Qobuz, things just sound more relaxed. Must be me.

1 Like

:popcorn:

2 Likes

Not sure if popcorn is a ‘meme’ or ‘slang’ just to me it’s a conundrum as I was going to ditch Tidal!

1 Like

Using Innuos and Chord as my source means no MQA. Most of my listening is either local rips; some downloads or Qobuz but I’ve kept Tidal as the boy uses it a lot and there are about 18 albums Qobuz does not have. When I play those albums I wouldn’t say Tidal is more relaxed but there is something about it which satisfies every time whereas Qobuz I find is very hit and miss when it comes to HR.

1 Like

It’s all very odd, was it because I was using Audirvana with a 1st MQA unfold, probably not.

There just seem to be not insignificant differences between the services with different content.

I was lamenting the loss of a live prog album earlier, then I found it was on Spotify, a service I’ve never used.

I’m in the same boat, more or less. I was in the middle of moving over from Tidal to Qobuz, mainly because of Tidal’s MQA policy and Qobuz’ Hi-Res catalogue.

But Qobuz is lacking much more albums than I expected and I have yet to find consistent better SQ from Qobuz over Tidal. Quite a few 16/44 albums on Tidal sound better than the HR versions on Qobuz. Hit and miss indeed but overall I feel it’s a tie between the two.

Next to the better catalogue I also prefer the user experience from Tidal. Especially Tidal Connect but the iOS and OSX apps are better too imo.

So I’ve made up my mind, I’m moving back to Tidal and cancel Qobuz soon.

3 Likes

I’ve found the Tidal integration with Plex quite useful for jumping from visual to audio for background listening. Have not had a complaint sq wise using Tidal, whereas Qobuz I have had a couple of misfires.

Also staying with Tidal coupled with own rips and CD collection.

1 Like

Ha ha… re-motivated by this topic, I finished the mover-over operation this morning and just cancelled my Qobuz subscription. :upside_down_face:

My experience over the past year tells me that which ever is better of the two services on a specific album varies. I cannot explain why King of America sounds better to me at CD quality on Qobuz than my local HR rip and the Tidal CD quality version but Spike sounds better on a Tidal.

What I have learnt is that the above changes all the time. Algorithms change and as they do so does perceived sound quality. Choosing one service definitively over the other, assuming you can afford both, strikes me as short-sighted and a fools errand. What you prefer now could be different again next week.

3 Likes

For the amount of money we all spend on hifi why do you have to choose? I keep both.

8 Likes

Qodal or Tibuz may be alternatives.

3 Likes

Not necessarily. I found myself exploring new music on Tidal via Connect on my laptop. Also from Tidal’s excellent Daily Discovery. Then I looked things up on Qobuz to save them there (if available), comparing SQ between the two etc. Tedious at best.

2 Likes

The subscriptions are still cheaper than a couple of LPs a month, and one of the main reasons for getting Tidal was just to dabble and compare content to Qobuz. I also have Apple Music family subscription. Most but not all content is covered with these but realistically I don’t need them all.

Multiple audio an entertainment subscriptions do add up even if individually they seem fair value.

1 Like

I was paying £30 to £60pcm for music and happily so. A basic Tidal and Qobuz sub comes to comes to £23pcm which Mrs. H. is happy to split with me. There will still be the occasional CD boxed set to go for etc. which I’d then rip but overall the positives way outweigh the negatives.

2 Likes

I received an email 12 days ago from Tidal, offering me 3 month subscription for £2.

First thought was accept the offer and cancel Qobuz for a few months.
Then I remembered, the app for the streamer I use is far better with Qobuz than Tidal plus Qobuz sounds better.
Then I remembered Tidal was a nightmare to connect from my PC, getting it to connect was a pain. Qobuz has never failed to connect.

So, as yet, not accepted the offer and I doubt I ever will.

With regards to content. I’ve found Qobuz have albums Tidal doesn’t, and vice-versa. It’s not enough of a problem to make me consider running both, even at a cost of £2.00.

4 Likes

Qobuz is still sounding better to me by a long shot.

I haven’t made many direct comparisons (if that is even possible) recently, but I have pretty consistently found Qobuz sounds musical in “a Naim way” whereas Tidal often sounds like hifi that has been resampled to non-integer ratio - it just isn’t quite right. I recognize the merit in keeping both services for now.

Charlie

2 Likes

i use qobuz but their website is a nightmare

states 1970 albums as 2009 release date…
also when you order releases by date, they don’t order by original release date

1 Like

Qobuz meta data is awful. Lots of items simply have none. Their app is also awful but they have carved out a niche which will continue to exist until others get their act together.

1 Like

I think you have neatly encapsulated the “Tidal Sound” there.

Initially impressive in my short trial period, I soon found it somewhat wearing, and found no need to replace or augment my Spotify subscription.

Spotify may not be the highest of fi, but as a package it is quite adequate for me.