so having rediscovered music as a result of streaming services ( bought new lyngdorf equipment for same) which would the collect go for or what do you use and why? library, costs ,sound etc
currently i am using Tidal hi fi plus ( obtained via vpn so relative good value ?)
be interested in opinions ?
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I've been using Spotify for a number of years and it's great for me. I tried out Apple Music for a while but didn't like the interface. Spotify feels natural to me and I like the way you can easily create playlists etc. Also, I'm a huge Jazz fan. There's a ton of Jazz on Spotify, even some of the really obscure stuff. Jazz-Geek heaven.
I use Deezer.
Mainly as I like their Flow option.
Rather than choosing a playlist, it plays continually from the genres or music styles you have in your favourites.
Works well for how we listen to music - background vs actually sitting to listen. It’s like a radio show with no presenter or adverts. Perfect.
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I use Spotify as it’s always free with certain Voda contracts.
£20pm 20gb of 5g and Spotify included
If we both want to use it I put my Spotify on offline mode which works for 30 days at a time
Given you’ve bought some decent equipment you should be considering a decent source so should probably just consider lossless/hi res services which I think rules out Spotify and Deezer. I believe Tidal and Qobuz are the go tos.
https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/s...aming-services
yes that's why i went with tidal hi fi plus for the master recordings , which i don't think Spotify has yet ( believe its coming)
to be fair there is nothing i have not found on tidal that 1 searched for , but i do also have the free version of spotify and you tube premium music for back ups
anybody using qobuz?
my next question is anybody using ROON as a player/ storage?
Apple has a lossless option…. I’m used to the interface now…. Reasonably priced and all the kids have an account
I use qobuz through the linn app, it's great in terms of sound quality but Spotify has much better suggestions in my experience.
I tried Tidal but it was never more than 3 clicks from Jay-Z or French jazz/pop.
I started with Deezer which was great. Flac quality sounded fine on a hifi and found some new bands with Flow…. And the kids loved it too.
I’ve been using Roon for a couple of years now and, as it isn’t deezer compatible, I tried Qobuz and tidal
Honestly can’t hear any difference between them…. I don’t use the tidal MQA. I go Roon - hifiberry - Cyrus dac - Cyrus amp.
In the end I dropped Qobuz. Tidal has better suggested playlist and I sometimes use the video playlists via an appletv.
Roon is very nice but expensive. It favours your own music so if you have a lot of CDs on a NAS it is great.
Also simple to choose different outputs.
I should spend some more time working out how to save favourites and play lists….
I would try deezer again if they linked with roon…. I think my ears are the weakest point in the chain
TLDR: roon is very good but pricey. Little difference between tidal and Qobuz but tidal has better play lists.
Interesting take, I found qobuz sounded better to my ears than tidal, and miles better than the hi res Amazon music, though the interface on Amazon with a screen is class.
It's the worst in terms of search and suggestion fuzzy logic though, especially compared to Spotify which I felt could read my mind.
Slight hijack... Does roon offer benefits beyond aggregating your music? The linn app I use searches my Nas and qobuz in one return but I don't need multi device connectivity etc
This is my Tidal experience, and fundamentally why I use Qobuz.
The sound quality with Qobuz is exactly what I need. Their interface is less friendly than others, but I'm ok with that.
What I really love about Qobuz is their editorials and recommended "Qobuzisme" awards. I've discovered so much new music that I perhaps would of otherwise never listened to. It's essentially an award where 4 editors who have a different preference (one rap, one classical, etc...) listen to new releases. They independently put forward an album for the award and if all 4 ( independently of one another) put forward the album, it gets the award. It's only for debut and second albums. But it's a fantastic gateway into new music.
I use Tidal through the Linn app, primarily as I get a decent deal on Tidal. I get what people say in regards to the recommendations aspect, however for me I mainly use pre set playlists or artists radio, so its not an issue for me. I did try Quobuz, however I found the music library to be a little more limited than Tidal, which in the end was my deal breaker.
To the OP, your best course is to trial Quoboz and as you already have Tidal and compare what works for you the best. In terms of getting the most out of your streamer as its a pretty decent one forget the rest and stick to either Tidal or Quoboz.
Last edited by zippy; 23rd March 2023 at 22:27.
I use Qobuz
I can't be arsed to get all my CDs into a server and don't have any digitised music so no need for Roon.
I use Qobuz as UAPP have it built in, and using it through UAPP means you get the full bitrate to my DAC, just have it on an old phone in airplane mode.
Works perfectly .
CDs resigned to spare room and cheapy cd player when I can be arsed.
Tbh I just stream now through a paid service due to convenience.
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Last edited by Daveya.; 23rd March 2023 at 20:07.
IMO the best "audiophile" experience is probably Qobuz integrated into Roon. However I have settled on Apple Music as a compromise. The library is arguably the best, the quality of mastering is very high and reliable (this has more of an impact on sound quality than it being lossless imo), it works with all my Apple stuff and I can integrate my own library into it and listen to it everywhere. The one main downside to Apple Music is there is no feature as good as Spotify Connect, Airplay is getting better but not as good as the Spotify version.
If I could stomach the monthly cost I would have Apple Music for more casual listening and Qobuz/Roon for the Hifi listening sessions.
I have Amazon unlimited which I stream to my amp through an Echo Link (connected via an optical connection so the amp's DAC is used and around 130gbp) and voice control it via an Echo Flex (10gbp) - I can't tell it apart from my CDs (though my 60 odd year old ears aren't what they were!). Overall, accessing music via a streaming service, with suggestions and playlists etc has been amazing.
COSTS !!this is one of the problems before you know it your paying as much in subscriptions each month as the bloody TV licence ,but at least you get something you want to listen to!LOL
. so choices have to be made and i would like roon but you have costs of equipment then the subscription, still working it out.
Apple is releasing Apple Classical end of this month
To be honest, I just use Amazon unlimited. To my, admittedly somewhat abused ears, the ‘HD’ or ‘Ultra HD’ quality, streamed via a decent DAC, is as good as I’ll ever need. I really like the interface too, which is important to me. I don’t get on with the Spotify one.
DBAD
There is a lot of marketing hype in these so called 'hi-res' recordings ( blame Tidal)
And of course whether you can hear the difference
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Totally depends on what you listen to. I subscribe to Apple Music because of the convenience with all my apple products, however a lot of the music I listen to is on Soundcloud and Mixcloud. I was never really a spotify fan but am forced to use it for some of the DJ’s monthly playlists on it.
Youtube Music Premium was good, with the added advantage it got rid of Youtube ads, but it is expensive compared with the rest.
well i have you tube music premium , on a good deal via VPN even better than the tidal subscription, but still not sure on its quality of sound reproduction.
Trying qobuz currently on trial, not getting on with it from features / user experience compared to tidal but i have been on tidal longer!
Last edited by mitch1956; 24th March 2023 at 17:19.
I’m on Amazon UHD. Using a Sonos Connect as a source into my amp’s DAC. Sonos I think is a limiting factor as it appears to be 44KHz output. So I’m going to buy a Wiim Pro and have a play. However, it sounds fantastic to my ears as it is so I’m dubious whether I’ll hear the difference. But we all love new toys don’t we?
You won't hear the difference over a Sonos, really you'd need high end amp DAC headphones blah blah and even then it's recording dependant
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. But we all love new toys don’t we?[/QUOTE]
that's what started all this off LOL,
My default for listening to music is Radio Paradise.
It has introduced me to so many different kinds of music and it's given me limitless hours of enjoyment.
Have a browse.
https://radioparadise.com/home
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Just a heads up if you're a Spotify user. The wife just had an auto update that's completely changed the presentation of Spotify to more like TikTok and she's not happy. Web suggests many are hating it but no facility to undo the changes yourself, so I've unticked the auto update option in the app in the hope I can avoid it.
Generally, you may be surprised that your ears cannot tell the the difference between FLAC and Spotify.
I was surprised having done the test and now use Spotify happily.
This website is a good test of your ears: https://abx.digitalfeed.net/
I also loathe the new update, it's painful.
Last edited by jjjamie; 25th March 2023 at 17:59. Reason: More info
so the latest application preference is qobuz over tidal , why well the questions around MQA and the what seems support from people with better knowledge than me that qobuz is more pure and original sounding recordings.
more important its sounds better on my equipment to me?
and with the application of Bubble UPnP in preference to roon ( certainly costs wise) been able to control both qobuz and tidal seems i have found the system , for now ! :-)
Go with what you prefer. I prefered the sound of qobuz after doing a trial of both.