I have an iTunes library with about 3,000 albums (ripped myself) and also a Tidal subscription. At home I listen to iTunes/Tidal through Roon.
At work I listen to Tidal.
For portable, I sync a playlist out of iTunes to my Android phone using iSyncr.
2 Likes
When I first started dipping into the audiophile world I started on Tidal. The lack of music on it was one thing, but the load times (my connection isn’t the greatest as I live in the mountains) were abysmal. Top it off, I did an a/b with Spotify and I’d be lying to myself if I said heard a difference. Maybe a small one but it was very negligible.
Personally think tidal is a hilarious rip off, why anyone would pay 20 bucks a month for a far inferior service that uses tons and of memory and has a far smaller library than pretty much every other streaming service is beyond me.
Spotify and my CD collection is what I use.
4 Likes
I have a Plex Media Server that I maintain for my TV/Movie collection. For music, I never really did anything with it after initial setup about 3 years ago as I was content with Spotify. It has completely changed from what I remember, and I’m surprised how good it is now.
After revisiting Plex for my localized FLAC and MP3 file management, I’m definitely going to use it more. I can stream my own FLAC files directly from my home server and play in FLAC quality. Its definitely not a replacement to a Spotify/Tidal/YTP/etc, but when I’m in the mood to listen to what I have I already have in lossless quality, its good to know that I can do it.
1 Like
I have both. Started with spotify then got hifi tidal with military discount so pay the same a month as spotify. Like em both. Tidal at home and spotify android on the go and in car.
2 Likes
That’s a GREAT idea. I have a Plex server running for video but I never about using it to stream music remotely.
I just installed this right now. For a Win/Mac/Linux client, there is PlexAmp (by Plex), which they use “WinAmp” as inspiration for its design. Otherwise on Android, the regular Plex app will stream music just fine.
PlexAmp is different, as its not the typical, open file/directory local player, as it connects to your Plex Music Library. Its kind of a hybrid of a desktop streaming client like (Spotify) but in the tiny window like WinAmp.
1 Like
I am using Audirvana Plus bit perfect player (only for Mac unfortunately) connected with TIDAL subscription. I don’t even use TIDAL interface itself. Connected with this player the sound is much better. Also does MQA. On the go, I use Spotify Premium.
If you have TIDAL and Mac you can try the trial version of Audirvana.
1 Like
Does Audirvana support syncing to a portable device?
If you mean to act as remote, there is an app at the appstore.
I might check out plexamp, that sounds interesting. The normal plex app (which I’ve only ever used for video) works just fine, but it was a bit weird for music.
I’m probably an outlier here, but for casual listening, I use Apple Music. I’ve been fairly all in on Apple stuff for years. I did a series of tests with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal. Apple Music stuck for me because it synced with all my playlists. Spotify came second, but the song limit and the UI both ended up putting me off. Amazon Music was a complete flop. Tidal just didn’t pull its weight on the UI side and I gave up reasonably quickly.
For FLACs, I start with Bandcamp and then move on to 7Digital. I play them using Vox on my iPhone and FooBar on my Windows computer. On my iMac I just use Apple Music. My longer term plan is to buy a Synology and to stream my FLACs off that.
2 Likes
I rip all my Cds to FLAC also. I don’t see any point in paying the sometimes insane prices for zipped flac albums. It’s cheaper to find cds especially the sales that exist for them now in brick and Mortars that still have stock.
Wait, is this true? Do you actually get better dynamics on Spotify by putting it on “Quiet” mode?
1 Like
Depends on the master, really.
Some old CDs are mastered for loudness and modern remasters give them back some of the dynamics they are missing. In fact, some Mastered for iTunes AACs will be more dynamic than the original releases, despite being a lossy format.
But for a lot of stuff which hasn’t had a re-release, then hunting the stacks at music shops will be your best value option. I just can’t be bothered anymore. Spent 3 hours in my local shop and they had everything I wanted on vinyl, but not on CD. So for high quality music, I just pay the premium rather than waste my time. (note, i’m in the UK so your mileage may vary)
Yeah, it doesn’t take me long to find what I’m looking for and actually most remastered are on sale in shops now too out here in the US. No one uses cds anymore for the most part.
Follow up. I did more research and it’s best to completely turn off the volume normalizer on Spotify. It’s basically a compression tool.
2 Likes
I use both. Tidal is what i use when i am at home listening on my good cans on my PC. I use spotify pretty much in every other instance especially since i commonly play music through my smart tv or PS4 and Tidal has apps on neither platform. I also like the social aspect of Spotify like being able to have collaborative playlists with my friends.
2 Likes
I was just about to “pay” for the spotify account. But to tell the truth , the only reason went with Tidal . They gave me a military discount. If spotify had offered one to me , I probably would have went with them.
2 Likes
I was definitely skeptical of Tidal at first but I tried the student price (9.99) and I was pretty blown away by the difference between “Tidal Hifi” and Spotify Premium.
I currently use both - Spotify’s library is huge but Tidal’s quality is unserpassed. If an album I’m looking for is on Tidal, I’m listening to it on there. Tidal’s mobile app does suck cheese, but it works…
Tidal DOES NOT compare to CD quality however. Not saying it’s better or worse, it’s just different. It all depends on the Master/Mix. A good Master will sound good on Spotify, great on Tidal, and amazing from a CD. If the Master is different from Spotify to Tital to a CD, then results will obviously vary.
1 Like
I use Spotify for most everything, but for albums or songs that I really just want to enjoy I’ll actually go out and buy the track or album online and push it through Foobar.
I’d like to get away from Spotify but that’d be way more money than I would want to spent on music. IMO Spotify’s high quality is near identical to CD/Lossless. That’s just me though.
1 Like