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Tidal FLAC vs. Qobuz

Does the recent change by Tidal, from MQA to FLAC make Tidal the better choice for streaming?  Or, since Tidal only seems to offer FLAC on its own app and not the BluOS defeat the purpose since you need to transmit by Bluetooth instead of ethernet?  

Currently, I stream from Tidal over direct ethernet cable to a Bluesound Vault streamer, to a McIntosh amp and Revel speakers.  I have a trial membership to  Qobuz but I find Tidal has a much better catalog.  Since Tidal added Flac I thought it would be the obvious choice moving forward, but isn't the point of FLAC defeated since you need to send wirelessly from the Tidal app over Bluetooth?

mojo771
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cleeds
5,951 posts
 

Soundiiz can transfer playlists between services, though it didn't work that well for me. There's a fee for large playlists.

evank's avatar
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evank
305 posts
 

Soundiz is the one that I tried. Doesn't work too well for me either.

cmcaelestis
5 posts
 

Tidal Connect does not "stream wirelessly" to a streamer connected to the network with an Ethernet cable. I could be interpreting OP wrong, but it appears OP is under the impression that Tidal Connect works by wirelessly transmitting to the app on the phone/tablet which then wirelessly streams to the streamer. This is incorrect. I apologize if I am misinterpreting OP.

dxbwineguy's avatar
dxbwineguy
61 posts
 

I use Tidal and Spotify. I used Qobuz on a trial that finished yesterday. I didn't renew it. My accompanying system is Blusound Node streamer with a Gato Audio AMP150 AE and Gato Audio FM15 bookshelf speaker.

You can play high res from your Tidal app (iPhone or PC - maybe others too but I don't use Android/MAC) in high res over wi-fi. You don't need to use Bluetooth. If you use BT then you can just use Spotify.

For Qobuz, the selection was okay but the app sucks. You can not play via WiFi from either the PC or the iPhone app. You have to go to the service in Bluesound or any other streamer you use to play it on WiFi- which honestly sucks. The Bluesound app is not as good as the streaming apps.

speedthrills
160 posts
 

I have a Bluseound Vault too but for the last several years use it as a hardwired backup streaming source to my ARC/Wilson system (when Roon goes down- which it does about once a month for an hour or two) I flip over to the Vault and access Quboz and Tidal. It does a decent job but if you have a nicer system then I suggest a better streamer/DAC - it'll make a big sonic improvement. I default to liking the selections of Quboz - Tidal is still skewed toward explicit lyrics / rap etc but has overall a good mix. Sonically I can't tell them apart by the way. And, with a hardwired system the issue you raise about FLAC is moot. I bougth a Lumin PI for my main streamer/DAC and love it. It also gives access to Spotify, which the PS Audio DirectStream Jr I had previously did not. 

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