Is Tidal going to be a thing of the past?
treitz3
Posts: 19,477
Spotted out in the internet wilderness...FYI.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
Comments
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https://musically.com/2024/11/08/block-confirms-we-are-scaling-back-our-investment-in-tidal/
https://ra.co/news/81629
With that said, there is still time to sell it. It has already changed hands a number of times. The founding artists already have bowed out from Tidal, this is just an investment funding loss. 10% of the workforce were dismissed last year around this time, and it looks like more layoffs are coming.
IMO, it was MQA that was the beginning of what is happening now. There are still rumors that even though Tidal supposedly claims that it has dropped MQA, it is still using MQA. It has only been removed from their UI. Those with Roon apparently have a way to verify whether or not the stream is in MQA or full lossless.
I don't have that ability (don't use Roon) but just by using these ears, Qobuz does sound better than Tidal. Not on everything but most things. This makes my listening habits 95% Qobuz, 5% Tidal. Usually only for those recordings that Qobuz doesn't offer or for a different version of said recording.
Both Tidal and Qobuz equally suck because neither of them offer Millage Gilbert's "Three Faces" album.
Many times, physical music still beats streaming but for the most part, some selections on streaming can and do have the ability to sound better than physical. Case in point - Nina Samone's version of "Strange Fruit". The physical music I have sounds like a K-Mart blue light special offered on an 8 track player pulled out of some old junkyard Oldsmobile. The streaming version is 100% audiophile quality and is worthy of any great system.
My hope is that Tidal survives, as I am not a fan of monopolies. Competition is always good for keeping prices down....or at least reasonable.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I hope not. It's my primary ( only) platform for music streaming. I tried Qobuz in the past Found the interface user unfriendly. That was a long time ago. Perhaps I should reevaluate.
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It hasn't improved 😅- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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I hope not, because I ordered a new streaming device that doesn't have its own app, it uses only the connect feature, that Qobuz doesn't seem to have working last time I checked.
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Here is the latest article about Tidal. It sheds a little bit of light on their current situation. Admittedly, the article's headline is somewhat misleading, as you will read toward the end of the article.
https://www.soundguys.com/the-end-of-tidal-132265/
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
That article didn't even mention Qobuz and if the market share numbers were correct, Qobuz has less then Tidal (0.5%) at 0.3%.George / NJ
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What other bit perfect, uncompressed streaming services are there. I use Qobuz, the interphase is meh, but I am going to start running Roon. I hope that will enhance the user friendliness.
What about people's experiences with Deezer?
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node3 - Tubes add soul! -
While I have no first hand knowledge of Roon myself, there have been a plethora of comments I have read over the years, that were made by many folks, on multiple forums that say Roon denigrates the sound. As to how much....since I don't have any first hand knowledge? I can't say. That said, I have read nothing but praise about the user experience/friendliness.
As far as Deezer goes, my only comment is that my mind immediately goes to the gutter and what comes to mind is Deez Nuts. Other than that, I got nuthin'.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
EDIT: ne'er mind
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What other bit perfect, uncompressed streaming services are there. I use Qobuz, the interphase is meh, but I am going to start running Roon. I hope that will enhance the user friendliness.
What about people's experiences with Deezer?
H9
And more generally, Qobuz 🆚 Deezer opinions?
Alea jacta est! -
Tidal will never die. As long as I'm supporting it anyway.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
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