Qobuz vs. Tidal


Greetings to all,

I'm sure this has been asked before. Which do you prefer and why? Qobuz customer service is worse than terrible. Is Tidal CS any better? 

What about selection? 

Thank you!

lovehifi22

I had a very strange experience when comparing Qobuz to Tidal a couple of years ago, when I was trying to decide which service had the best sound quality.  I pulled up "Jack of Speed" from Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" album. 

There is a prominent trombone phrase throughout the song which sits fairly upfront in the mix on the original CD and on Tidal.  When hearing it on Qobuz, it sat much lower in the mix. It was as if someone did a re-mix (not just a re-master), and really lowered that individual track.  I don't think it had been re-released at that time, so it left me scratching my head and thinking WTF.  That made my mind up to go with Tidal.  

Which one of the two has a larger metal / alt rock library ? I can find almost all I want on Spotify but the quality is not that good.

Anyone using QoBuz or Tidal with a Bluesound Node 2i?  

Just curious because that’s what I’m using with an Audio-gd NFS-1C DAC.  I have Spotify Premium, which to my ears, doesn’t sound too bad at all.  Wondering how much better QoBuz will sound?  Thanks 🙏 

I have Spotify Premium, which to my ears, doesn’t sound too bad at all.  Wondering how much better QoBuz will sound?

@lou_setriodes Well, they offer a free trial so why not just give it a try and see what you think?

I have both Qobuz and Tidal and listen primarily via Roon.  When mobile, I use Tidal alone rather than Qobuz or Roon's ARC.  I find the Tidal interface to be easier for mobile. 

There shouldn't be a difference in SQ unless they are different masters.  In general, the only difference to me is the different libraries of music.  Occasionally Qobuz seems to have their servers at capacity.