Is Tidal Ditching MQA? Tidal Music vs Amazon Music Unlimited

High Res Music Streaming for FREE!!!!

0:00 Start
1:07 Tidal History
2:05 Tidal Controversy
3:45 New Tidal Pricing Structure
6:16 What I like about Tidal
10:48 What I Don't Like about Tidal
12:32 Amazon Music
14:31 What I Don't Like about Amazon Music Unlimited
18:44 Wrapup

#tidal #audiophile #rockandroll

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Satanic Panic Playlist:
Leg Warmers Playlist

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Subs

[AlbaTech]

I ditched Tidal because of MQA. I was a subscriber to the top tier of Tidal for a couple of years and was agnostic towards MQA, having never heard any improvement through my MQA-capable DAC. Until I watched the GoldenSound videos on MQA. I hadn’t realised what a poisonous self defence mechanism MQA have towards anyone asking questions about their processes. I asked Tidal to make their Hi Res audio accessible in a non-MQA encoded format, which they obviously weren’t able to do so I left for Qobuz and to be honest I don’t miss Tidal one bit.

[postjm]

I appreciate that Amazon Music is transparent about the bit rate you're getting. Not just what the track is, but what you're actually getting through your device based on its capability and settings.
Unless there's reason to believe it's not accurate, if course.

[tentontarantula]

I think a couple of metrics often left off of these discussions are: firstly UI – Tidal's rates first for me, whilst Amazon Music I couldn't live with.; secondly, editorial, where again I think Tidal does a very good job; thirdly (though you do touch on it) the quality of the AI in terms of music discovery, which I think Spotify and Tidal both do a pretty good job of (no idea about Amazon). For me a streaming portal is as much about constantly uncovering new music, as well as immersion in the broader cultural context of what you listen to, which these three parameters are all key to. I was a long-term Spotify sub until I got my hifi sorted and couldn't wait any longer for lossless; now it's Tidal all the way.

[scottbaylor]

I was just thinking it was time to sit down, have a cup of coffee and learn more about affordable Hi-Fi.

[bretspangler]

MQA adds cost to anything it touches and there is no proof that it improves music and substantial evidence to indicate it is a scam. When the owners of MQA are asked to explain what MQA does they can not, they are adding equalization and nothing more erasing a lot of the original sound and its acoustic envelope, jacking with music and calling it an improvement. So a service lies about it subscribers and established that they don't care about the truth, then they announce that they are a friend of the artists and pay them "more" with not even a tiny slice of proof.

[smartzoli]

If I set my Windows settings to match the highest output of the DAC, Amazon Music does change the output of each track if I use their exclusive mode - at least according to their interface

[chrismurray]

Holy Schiit! You’ve got some Ascend CBM-170 behind you! I’m excited to hear your review. I used to really like them for the price but my ears have matured since I started watching your channel.

[MSGjk]

Enjoy Tidal daily. The generous Military discount they have is very nice and rare.

[chadlejeune]

I've said this before in the comments on this channel, but I think this should get more attention about Tidal. The one reason I decided to move from Amazon Music to Tidal is their credits. For each album and track they credit the producers, sound and recording engineers, and musicians. And you can see what other albums they have worked on. Spotify or Amazon music recommend me music in the same genre with similar sound, but I rarely like those recommended artists. Instead I've found so many new favorites after going into the credits of albums I love and look at what other albums the sound engineers have worked on. From what I know, this credits feature is only on tidal.

[kylemacarthur]

I originally thought my PC couldn't play Amazon HD audio, but I watched a youtube video on how to change your soundcard's settings.
Basically, you can increase the output needed to a DAC. My topping d10s is currently playing at 192khz.
Amazon Music certainly isn't plug and play, but it is easily remedied...

[dank]

I can tell you this, after reading and listening about all of the secrets and mysticism behind MQA, (also known as B.S.) I dumped the highest tier on my Tidal account and cut my "Family Plan" cost in half and I honestly don't even miss the super high end dog whistle level of listening on my Powernode 2i. I do qualify for the veteran's discount but you don't get the discount if you subscribe to a family plan.

[giovannipepe]

Hiya Randy. I'm a Qobuz subscriber based in France. Small point of info..I recently changed to their Duo plan. My partner lives and works as a teacher 400 miles away, different family names. So although they stipulate "under same roof", the reality is actually less draconian than one might think. BTW absolutely love your vids 👍

[BryanRuby]

The inconsistency of what devices I have that can and can't play MQA is why I don't like Tidal. My preference is Qobuz (with their preference toward FLAC) but their library is somewhat limited for my tastes. I eventually landed with Amazon for lossless music streaming at a good price.

[gmgasser]

You hit the nail on the head about the "My Playlist" and the radio/stations for Amazon Music. They play the same songs all the time...and the stations start on one of the same three songs almost every time. It's infuriating. Thanks for this video!

[miltono.]

I think you're wrong about Amazon's exclusive mode, not only it has it but does the job, bypasses Windows settings to play at the DACs capability. I do have it on my desktop app it shows the songs bit rate and depth, the device maximum playback capability and the setting it is currently playing.

Edit: sad you didn't mention Deezer

[CharlesSeraphDrums]

I think MQA is good but it's not the ultimate technology It does sound much better than say ALAC but it's right up there with other services. I don't swear by it, I still prefer to listen to Tidal than Apple or Amazon. MY main reason for choosing Tidal is exactly artist payouts. For me it's about getting the best quality music and the artists getting the most out of it.

[ramsaybolton]

Fantastic video. I love MQA, it has great dynamics on my system. I won’t complain about the price because it is far less expensive than buying cd’s.

[ajzepp]

I signed up for Tidal last year to play around with MQA, but my favorite overall is still Deezer.

[BrentWatkinsMusic]

I know this video is 8 months old, but I'm pretty sure Amazon Music for Mac Desktop has always had (or at least for the past year) exclusive mode. I'm looking at it right now. My Topping DAC displays the current playback rate and it is changes when the track sample rate changes. I wish I could include a screenshot.

[jalexander]

Amazon Music desktop app DOES have Exclusive Mode (it might not be bit-perfect though) Click on the little Speaker on the lower right in the "now playing" bar.