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Tidal vs Quobuz

Yes I realize the Qobuz is misspelled in the title but I can’t figure out how to update it.  Relax.  
I’ve been a die hard advocate of MqA and Tidal for the last few years. All of my source, preamp, and dac purchased had the prerequisite that they must be MqA compatible. Today, I tried Qobuz for the first time and I’m blown away by the selection of 24bit 96khz files compared to Tidal.
Here’s an example: Was very excited that the band Tool FINALLY added their collection to streaming services. All of the albums on Tidal are CD quality. So I was going to purchase them in higher fidelity on HD Tracks, but learned that Qobuz had them at the highest fidelity. Couldn’t believe it. Same with many other artists/albums I love.

Now is there an improvement in sound quality? No not really. Is the Qobux UX any better? No, in fact it’s slower. But do I get the best quality content for the same price? Yes. Will I subscribe to both? Yes.
System:

Lumin D2 -> Parasound P6 -> Elac Navis ARF 51’s. Fully balanced set up (Nordost) with AQ power cables.
helloitsben
geargrinder's avatar
geargrinder
6 posts
 
Neither! With all that money you are throwing away each month, you could be building a physical record and cd collection that you can call your own. JMO

@audioguy85 I have collected albums and maintained a personal Subsonic server for years.

Here is how I justify paying for a streaming service.

  • I simply no longer have the time that it takes to keep a large personal collection organized. Not to mention that server maintenance / cost and network issues are never fun.

  • The cost of a High Res streaming service varies, but in general $15-$25 is a standard monthly rate. Family plans are even lower. To me this is around the equivalent of two new albums. I currently listen to a lot more than two new albums per month. If I were to cancel my music streaming service, my monthly bill would be astronomical if I were to continue enjoying the wide variety of content I currently listen to each month.

  • By listening to curated playlist and the variety of artists radios offered by a streaming service I have discovered more music that I enjoy than I ever imagined was possible. By using a streaming service I have discovered a whole new world of music that otherwise I would have never known existed.

  • Is collecting fun? Yes! Is a large collection of physically owned media awesome? Absolutely!! But if I were to cancel my music streaming service I would spend many more hours slaving away hording and organizing than actually listening. Unless I were to sacrifice the quality and variety of listening that I currently enjoy.

  • Do I plan on shutting down my media server? No! Do I still buy albums? Indeed!! There are a few albums that simply are not available on a streaming service.

  • If portability is not a concern. Or you do not listen to many new albums per month then it might be a better value to not have a streaming service. But if you give it a honest trial, I think you will have a hard time going back.

  • Myself and many others feel like that if you factor in the time and money saved by using a High Res streaming service it is hands down one of the best monthly "investments" you can pay for in this hobby to keep your ears happy and your life simple. :-)


lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,055 posts
 
@geargrinder,

Great post! @audioguy85 reminds me of people that typically resist change. They are perfectly happy with spinning their collection of media over and over instead of exploring new music. They take pride in being ‘collector’ of the physical media. We can educate all we can but we know how they are programmed :-) They feel no need to stream music with thousands of records and hundreds of cd’s to choose from all in the same room within their reach.

Ever since I started streaming, I must have saved thousands of dollars by being very selective in my media purchases. I still buy LP’s and SACD’s that are truly collectible but by being selective it’s much more manageable and equally enjoyable. The streaming quality is now jaw-dropping great and often makes me wonder why buy LP’s or CD’s anymore :-)
dwhess's avatar
dwhess
72 posts
 
I really appreciate this site. I'm a novice but have learned a lot here. I have the Yamaha N803 receiver. It's an excellent receiver as far as receivers go. I'm sure I'll upgrade at some point but for now I'm choosing convenience over quality. It is set up for Spotify, Tidal and Deezer.  I stream Spotify premium.  I may try Tidal to compare sound quality. I have Vandersteen speakers. Any suggestions other than I need a better system?!  Thanks.  Doug Hess
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,055 posts
 
@dwhess,

You have a very nice system. Your N803 receiver is very capable of letting you discern the uptick in SQ between Spotify and Tidal / Deezer. I would encourage you to do trial run with Tidal or Deezer and see if you hear appreciable uptick in SQ. Spotify being the oldest platform has a very vast library so you may give up on some content by choosing Tidal or Deezer.

Personally if my system is this good, I would choose streaming quality over content. There is a appreciable difference in streaming quality as Spotify max out at 320 kbps vs Tidal / Deezer at 1,411 kbps bit rate.
geargrinder's avatar
geargrinder
6 posts
 
@dwhess,

I’m not overly familiar with Yamaha receivers but I assume you are using an app on a phone or tablet to link the streaming service to the receiver? What device / app do you use to control the N803?

If you are using the Yamaha Music Cast app then Amazon Music HD is probably supported. And as stated above I would really recommend giving it a trial vs any of the other options.
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