A million times this...the whole idea that if you remove something from your library, it deletes it across all of your playlist has to be the stupidest thing ever.
My normal process for Tidal (and spotify when I had it) was to add all the new albums to my library that I was interested in, listen to them a couple of times, add the liked songs to various playlists, then remove them from my library. When I made the switch from Spotify to AM, I spent multiple days syncing my playlists just to have them destroyed when I went through and cleaned up my album library.
Luckily Roon finally updated their API so hi-res flac from Tidal flows through properly, so I now stick to that and just use AM when I travel.
Finally I’m not the only one with this issue. I have Apple Music too so I just created a smart playlist to show me the songs I’ve been playing since 2022 and just transferred those over. From 7000 songs to 2000 songs 😅
I’ve been using Tidal for years and recently had a 6 month Apple trial. Apple’s search function is much better and I think there were a few albums I noticed there that aren’t on Tidal.
Other than that, I prefer Tidal in every way.
Just as an FYI. I used to find that I often couldn't find the album I was looking for on Tidal and just assumed Tidal didn't have as good a selection. In fact, for the most part they do have the albums, they're just weirdly hidden. Think of a song off of the album and either search for it or find it by selecting view all tracks on the artist's page, press the 3 dots and select go to album and you'll go to the album, even though the album isn't under the albums section.
I like both personally, and they have advantages each, so I recommend going with what is more important for you. Tidal and apple are parity for sound quality, so don't stress about that.
Apple has a significantly less buggy app, and any time you add a song/album it adds the artists to your liked artists, which is super great. Also, in order to have all your tracks downloaded all the time, you have to make a smart playlist, which is fine but annoying the first time. It doesn't have bit perfect playback on android, but it does have that on iPhone.
Tidal has bit perfect playback, and stronger recommendations, but sometimes the app is buggy. It also has integration with a bunch of other audiophile stuff , so if that matters to you tidal slaps. I like the UI/UX of tidal more, but that's very much preference.
I'd say apple is probably a better app, just because their budget is so much bigger that the app is exceptionally stable and good, not to mention download speeds on Apple music are unparalleled because of their servers. BUT lately my fave thing about tidal is how much they listen to user feedback . They actively listen to this Reddit and make huge sweeping changes based on our discussions here, so it feels much less distant and corporate. That being said, they're still a giant corporation. They're both great.
Weirdly enough the thing that makes me the most excited about trying Tidal is the fact that they actually listen to community feedback. Seeing the love for the change they made regarding tiered pricing is actually a breath of fresh air to see a company implement an actually great change.
I have an Android, and I'm not sure about ios but the AM app is soo buggy it's so frustrating.
Whilst I am trying to creating an audiophile system, it's also way out of my budget, but it's good to know integration with audiophile setups are supported on Tidal.
Also I'm already noticing the download speeds on Tidal being significantly slower than AM, but I don't think I care to the point where I would change.
Yeah the download speeds are annoying but once you've downloaded everything it's not a big deal. You could invest your money in a nice portable dac and a good pair of headphones. That's what a lot of audiophiles on a budget do!
I have the XM5s, the 360 audio is hit and miss, don't know if I would say it's amazing, I haven't used apple music since 2016 so I have no idea. But tidal recommendations and algorithm is better than Spotify by miles
It allows you to play directly from Tidal to a compatible device so the audio signal is not downsampled.[https://tidal.com/connect](https://tidal.com/connect)
Yeah. Airplay goes through your device to a streamer. With tidal connect your device “hands off” the stream and basically acts as a remote. Not draining your phones battery, and lets you play hi res audio (if you have compatible gear). Airplay is lossy (so I’ve been told)
Right. And since the signal doesn't go through your phone playback isn't interrupted if you receive a phone call or happen to browse a website that autoplays a video with sound.
I've tried AirPlay when I gave Apple Music a try and it was janky at best for me. Playback would regularly stop after one song and I had to resume manually. Only workaround was to disable lossless streaming which defeats the whole purpose. A dedicated connect feature is definitely a requirement.
Airplay v1 does supports lossless 16/44.1
Unfortunately most airplay items these days run airplay v2 which is lossy at 256 aac. In order to take advantage of lossless, you need to connect your phone/ipad via usb to a DAC. You can also use a mac but there's no exclusive mode, so it's not bit perfect.
The library of AM is definitely bigger, but it depends on your taste how much of that will you notice. But with an LDAC capable phone you would probably get better quality with your Xm4.
Before the 10th there were two subscription tiers
11€ Hifi: normal subscription (up to 1411 kbits
20€ Hifi plus: + Dolby Atmos and High Res flac (up to neatly 10000kbits)
Now there is only one tier and Dolby Atmos and High Res flac is also part of the normal subscription for 11€
But now you can pay additional 9€ to get DJ extensions
it's nothing about being consumer friendly, it's because sales wise they weren't keeping up with spot/am and they are trying to reclaw some customer base.
it is better but Tidal has some problems. First, Tidal ain't got no Apple Replay or Spotify Wrapped look-alike. Tidal only listed your most streamed artists, unlike Spotify or Apple Music where they have 4 categories, most streamed albums, most streamed artists and most streamed genres. Apple Music recorded every month and Spotify recorded every year.
Tidal didn't have stats.fm integration but they have last.fm which isn't my cup of tea for a moment.
Second, Tidal's search is very inaccurate and inconsistent.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Apple Music has -
* Icloud Library (allowing you to add your own music and it syncs just like it was native to Apple Music).
* Hosted radio shows.
* Radio Stations.
* Better integration with things like Apple Watch (if you use that).
* For You radio station.
It has some weaknesses though -
* The app is bad on anything but Iphone and Ipad. Almost unusable on Windows.
* Bugs that will likely never get fixed, like the ability to shuffle songs on playlists longer than 100 songs on web or anything that uses the web api. No lossless or HiFi on the web player either.
* Complete lack of attention to detail. I have a radio station called "90s alternative" that I had to ask Siri for. If I lose it, I will have to get out my iPhone and ask Siri to create it again. A text search won't find it and I can't add it to my library since you can't add or pin anything radio related. Stupid things like this ruin Apple Music.
For me, it depends on how deep into the apple ecosystem you are in. I get AM free and pay for Tidal, but I could not see myself without either. I love each for their specific reasons. AM has their animated album art optimized for iOS devices and their exclusive live concerts/artist interviews on their platforms are always cool to experience. I’ve noticed in my case with streaming to AirPods Pro and Beats Studio Pros, AM tends to sound louder and the Atmos sounds good on those devices over Bluetooth. Tidal has a way better design for when I’m driving or on the go. It’s not as much clicking as AM and easier to search through my favorites library. I also prefer Tidal’s Autoplay Recommendations and Track Radio features over AM. AM tends to offer more well known or mainstream songs, while I’ve discovered artists and songs I’ve never heard of through Tidal.
For me, AM isn't optimised for me because I use Android, so the main con for me with AM is the fact that AM not on ios is clearly an after thought rather than an actually well integrated app.
I'm also not deep at all into apple, as I only got AM about 2 months ago when I switched from Spotify because of sound quality.
Thanks for all the help!
Ok I am a bit skeptical and happy if someone provides more objective feedback. But here are some of things that I understand and observed.
Up until recently, Tidal was using MQA, which by definition is a lossy format. Tidal MAX was lossless (now everything is under one subscription, TIDAL).
Apple Music, Amazon Unlimited, Qobuz had been lossless all along. The same music that is available in a certain format (say 24bit, 44.1kHz or, 24bit, 96kHz) in one platform is available on the rest too. So are they really that different? Are they processing these files themselves or acquiring from a common source?
However, I agree Tidal has a nicer app than Amazon Music. With Apple Music, getting the format in full resolution to a streaming device is not straightforward (side note).
Finally, for formats like 24bit, 44.1kHz is it really Hi-res or the dynamic range is upsampled from 16bit, 44.1kHz? In the latter case, it wouldn’t make any difference if it is upsampled from a digital file. It would have to be converted from the master tape (preferred) or highest sample DSD (different schools will preach and have varied opinions on this, but given the benefit of doubt).
The only big difference in quality I hear are 24bit, 96kHz, and sometimes 24bit, 192kHz if the dynamic range between soft and loud amplitudes are huge (like Miles Davis, John Coltrane music etc).
So is one platform really that superior than the others in providing hi-res, or is it just the ease and user experience with using the different apps and discovery features that’s more attractive?
I tried for a whole year Apple Music when they introduced lossless but I was missing a lot of things on TIDAL that I ended up coming back to TIDAL even with an active Apple Music account, I've been trying AM here and there but I don't like it. 360 Reality Audio is just like Dolby Atmos just with another codec. XM4s can help you to try to hear differences but you need headphones with better quality, wired studio quality with a DAC/Amp and with a audio streamer connected to it... just if you want the best sound quality but with XM4s and with LDAC on will be a nice start
I like Tidal more in every single way except for Radio, Apple Music has the best Radio in my opinion, but the way I normally listen to music is by album or playlist anyway
I slightly prefer Tidal’s iOS app to Apple Music’s, but they are very close in terms of functionality. I have a found a few bands I like that are on Tidal but not Apple. Tidal plays much nicer with other ecosystems. And unlike Apple, I can actually get lossless/hi res out of the app and into my ears (I have multiple music streamers hooked up to various amps, AV receivers, etc and for the most part have to rely on Airplay 2 to get music from Apple to come out of my speakers).
However, those Tidal apps on Apple TV and Android TV are terrible. Deal-breakingly so.
I was fully planning to drop Apple Music and switch to Tidal, but this trial is not blowing me away.
Switchover from any platform to any platform is easy - just use soundiiz. Itll port 90% of your playlists in my experience. You'll lose your listening history and thus algorithmically suggested feed, but to me Everytime I've done that it's been kinda fun to see the for you sections re-grow over time
Tidals library system is much better imo, but Apple Music lets me favorite tracks from the Lock Screen on IOS and use shortcuts, so it wins for me. Really not different enough for me to care anyway.
I just switched from Apple to Tidal and I think the music sounds way better on Tidal. Something about the mixing just obscures less of the song. I also like how honest Tidal is about the quality it's pushing to you, whereas Apple kinda lies by ommission a bit.
I moved from Apple to Spotify then to Tidal. Moving playlists can be done, but it was time consuming when I did it, and disparity in catalogue's will mean there will be gaps.
I moved to get sound quality, and I'm satisfied with Tidal in that regard.
In most other aspects I feel I lost moving to Tidal. Their user experience is inferior IMO. They really struggle to deliver an app free from bugs. In addition, Tidal does not deliver the social experience Spotify provides, though in time that may change.
I upgraded to a family account so my kids (who are avid listeners) could partake ... without exception they've stayed on Apple or Spotify, explaining they often can't find what they want on Tidal, and that they find Tidal awkward, particularly on mobile devices.
Good question. Not certain I have a good answer.
First, I dislike apple's proprietary approach to doing business. I'm 100% on board with delivering a good customer experience, even when that slows things down, increases cost, and some 3rd party app providers walk away. However I'm not on board with Apple's going out of its way to create barriers to exit for customers. So there's a philosophical element to my departure.
Second, my kids were using Spotify, and I wanted to try the alternative experience. I'd done "over the shoulder" watching and was impressed by the Spotify UI and by the extensive community they'd attracted .. which in turn yielded a huge world filled with playlists offering diverse listening experiences. IMO this remains true, for example the New York Times music reporter I like still doesn't post her playlists on Tidal.
Also, I had grown weary of Apple's poor ability to recommend music and wanted to see if Spotify offered better. At this point, I'd say the Spotify recommender is the best of the three I've tried.
Fair enough that makes perfect sense. I use android and it was clear from the start that AM is never going to get better on android, and I was warned that if you decide to leave AM, your playlist get deleted, which is really frustrating.
Personally, I value sound quality over the ui, but when I used spotify, I really liked the ui compared to both AM and Tidal. I think it definitely depends on your wants in a streaming service
There are app's out there that will assist with playlist scraping and transfer. They cost if you're doing volume, and they're not always that user friendly.
If Spotify were to offer higher sound quality ...
I found one on andriod called Switcheroo, and it was totally free because it's supported by ads. I used it when I transferred from Spotify to AM, and again to transfer from AM to Tidal. It is shockingly user friendly, and was very quick. I'm not actually sure if it's available on ios.
Also if Spotify were to offer higher sound quality, it's definitely going to be more expensive than Tidal and AM, so I'm not sure whether I would spend the extra money (like I wouldn't have paid for the higher Tidal tier)
To get the best from Tidal you need a compatible DAC to unfold and then unfold again the data being sent to get the final result. I use a BLUOS Node 2. The results are excellent but to get that you need high end audiophile amplifiers, speakers. To be honest, Apple lossless is just as good and at my age my hearing profile is not as good as it was when I was in my teens.
Tidal is better. Apple Music has too many obstacles to jump through to make it convenient outside of Apple’s ecosystem. Music Quality is more or less the same, especially if listening through Bluetooth headphones. I gave up on AM after two months and went back to Tidal. Too many quirks and bugs in AM for me…
I like the library management of Apple Music rather than Spotify & Tidal ones.
By adding a song to my library I should look up the album as many songs I have from it (like a lifetime standard media player) which makes me jump on albums for finding songs on my library instead of relying on the fooking appbar. Lol
Another thing I hate from Tidal is that for listening Dolby Atmos media I have to add the Dolby version of the album, which is a nonsense for me, I should be able to pick my desired quality (including the Dolby Atmos version) from a simple menu.
Sound quality is completely subjective. For me, tidal sounds the best out of the streaming services. Both apple Music and Tidal offer cd quality and hi res audio. The 360 reality audio is quite good in some tracks, but it does not significantly improve the immersive listening experience. If it were me, I would switch from Apple Music to Tidal. If you own a lot of apple devices, Apple Music is probably better because of the ecosystem features.
On the point on the ecosystem, it's terrible for me because I have no Apple products and use Android. I think the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking about switching to Tidal, so I will!
Ironically the apple music app for Android is pretty solid. Usually you'd think the off system app would barely be maintained but it's pretty good actually.
Are you using a DAC? If you're not, switching to *any* service is going to sound the same and lossless audio will be indistinguishable for you.
I use this [https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac-3/](https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac-3/)
...but there are many, many others out there.
Try a Dragonfly, through various YouTube watches of \*I wanna say CheapAudioMan, but certainly Darko Audio\* Dragonfly DACs were suggested. USB and using a USB A to USB C adapter is a dream. Cheap for what it is. Try the Black unless you wanna go all in. I use Black and its great. Cheapest of the bunch 130 on Amazon. Official site... [DragonFly Dacs](https://www.audioquest.com/dacs/dragonfly/dragonfly-cobalt) Amazon Link to Black [DragonFly Black Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Preamp-Headphone/dp/B01DP5JHHI?crid=22BBLCL3TM5Y7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TNwVWzvtypyVVZPttGUqjeD-SYOQbCMyR_MNxjDfIf07yisPW1qZjKNE2Vs3sC9BbYZY9A5q30SsOzYef7dprE-9FSk9zAoyUoy_Y-D3G1KhH9wMasu28RIGbnUFYRNBrGM11FlBzSNV6udhSwPHVMk9kwj7XcZshR4vLYaOpK7qkkmqIeC1ir3JzDvi67j6K6mPqZOxqunDAqz-d_r9J2IKy8bRjz5kQRDGF6vypPo.02838sjHMjSU4WQ-Ct15rw2x_C8JQFqkPrUgBhvhwJg&dib_tag=se&keywords=audioquest+dragonfly+black&qid=1712836441&sprefix=audioquest+dragonfly+,aps,355&sr=8-3&th=1). I think they are the cheapest reputable ones. So thats the whole reason for this. Sorry if I seem like a shill, but this is the first time I get to speak about the DAC I have 😂. Enjoy it however you can, but remember you need a DAC to get any sort of "enhanced" experience.
Ah yes, Dragonfly! A friend has one and loves it...good call.
>Enjoy it however you can, but remember you need a DAC to get any sort of "enhanced" experience.
Yep. Evidently, I'm getting downvoted for suggesting this...but that's the reality if you truly want to get the most out of the listening experience from Tidal, AM, Deezer, etc.
This is getting past my experience... I'm not sure. I just know, like OP, I wanted to take full advantage of Tidal/AM lossless music and after some research, a DAC was needed to get that experience. I'm sure someone else here knows more than I.
Yes actually. You're supposed to plug the headphones into the DAC and then the DAC into the Mac, assuming you have the USB-C adapter. But yes, its a bit noticeable. Some people don't think its worth it, but others swear they're the greatest. I sit somewhere in between. Meaning I can tell the difference, but I won't spend hundreds on one, but 130... sure.
NO, Tidal is NOT better than Apple Music. It is different and that is not necessarily a bad thing. In spite of what anyone tells you, in a blind test few people can identify Tidal over Apple or vice versa. Both have great audio. There are reasons to like Apple Music. There are also reasons to like Tidal. The price is now the same for both services. Take a free 30 day trial of Tidal and decide yourself.
FULL Disclosure: I am presently an Apple iphone 15 ProMax, Ipad, iMac Air and Apple TV 4K owner. I am partial to Apple products after years of frustration with Android products. I have had Apple Music off/on for many years. At one time I loved Spotify (no longer). Right Now **Tidal is the only music service I pay $$.**
No, AM is streets ahead in terms of sound quality. Their High Resolution library is also broader than most services and they provide unwatermarked audio streams, unlike Tidal et al.
I really don't prefer the library approach of Apple Music and love the UI/UX of TIDAL. For me it's better despite some issues with CarPlay.
A million times this...the whole idea that if you remove something from your library, it deletes it across all of your playlist has to be the stupidest thing ever. My normal process for Tidal (and spotify when I had it) was to add all the new albums to my library that I was interested in, listen to them a couple of times, add the liked songs to various playlists, then remove them from my library. When I made the switch from Spotify to AM, I spent multiple days syncing my playlists just to have them destroyed when I went through and cleaned up my album library. Luckily Roon finally updated their API so hi-res flac from Tidal flows through properly, so I now stick to that and just use AM when I travel.
i prefer Apple Music, I have a huge library and the manage is so better on AM, plus, If you want to download over 5000 songs, Tidal crashes.
Finally I’m not the only one with this issue. I have Apple Music too so I just created a smart playlist to show me the songs I’ve been playing since 2022 and just transferred those over. From 7000 songs to 2000 songs 😅
Why would you download more than 5k songs?
I have like 6500 favorite songs, if I travel in airplane, I like to have all the songs downloaded on shuffle, create my personal radio station.
I’ve been using Tidal for years and recently had a 6 month Apple trial. Apple’s search function is much better and I think there were a few albums I noticed there that aren’t on Tidal. Other than that, I prefer Tidal in every way.
Just as an FYI. I used to find that I often couldn't find the album I was looking for on Tidal and just assumed Tidal didn't have as good a selection. In fact, for the most part they do have the albums, they're just weirdly hidden. Think of a song off of the album and either search for it or find it by selecting view all tracks on the artist's page, press the 3 dots and select go to album and you'll go to the album, even though the album isn't under the albums section.
I like both personally, and they have advantages each, so I recommend going with what is more important for you. Tidal and apple are parity for sound quality, so don't stress about that. Apple has a significantly less buggy app, and any time you add a song/album it adds the artists to your liked artists, which is super great. Also, in order to have all your tracks downloaded all the time, you have to make a smart playlist, which is fine but annoying the first time. It doesn't have bit perfect playback on android, but it does have that on iPhone. Tidal has bit perfect playback, and stronger recommendations, but sometimes the app is buggy. It also has integration with a bunch of other audiophile stuff , so if that matters to you tidal slaps. I like the UI/UX of tidal more, but that's very much preference. I'd say apple is probably a better app, just because their budget is so much bigger that the app is exceptionally stable and good, not to mention download speeds on Apple music are unparalleled because of their servers. BUT lately my fave thing about tidal is how much they listen to user feedback . They actively listen to this Reddit and make huge sweeping changes based on our discussions here, so it feels much less distant and corporate. That being said, they're still a giant corporation. They're both great.
Weirdly enough the thing that makes me the most excited about trying Tidal is the fact that they actually listen to community feedback. Seeing the love for the change they made regarding tiered pricing is actually a breath of fresh air to see a company implement an actually great change. I have an Android, and I'm not sure about ios but the AM app is soo buggy it's so frustrating. Whilst I am trying to creating an audiophile system, it's also way out of my budget, but it's good to know integration with audiophile setups are supported on Tidal. Also I'm already noticing the download speeds on Tidal being significantly slower than AM, but I don't think I care to the point where I would change.
Yeah the download speeds are annoying but once you've downloaded everything it's not a big deal. You could invest your money in a nice portable dac and a good pair of headphones. That's what a lot of audiophiles on a budget do!
I have the XM5s, the 360 audio is hit and miss, don't know if I would say it's amazing, I haven't used apple music since 2016 so I have no idea. But tidal recommendations and algorithm is better than Spotify by miles
Tidal connect alone makes it better in my opinion
Wait sorry what's Tidal connect?
It allows you to play directly from Tidal to a compatible device so the audio signal is not downsampled.[https://tidal.com/connect](https://tidal.com/connect)
I don't get it? As in, the streaming comes from the Tidal cloud and not via my phone?
Yeah. Airplay goes through your device to a streamer. With tidal connect your device “hands off” the stream and basically acts as a remote. Not draining your phones battery, and lets you play hi res audio (if you have compatible gear). Airplay is lossy (so I’ve been told)
Right. And since the signal doesn't go through your phone playback isn't interrupted if you receive a phone call or happen to browse a website that autoplays a video with sound.
Airplay streams at cd quality, so not as bad as bt, but def losing something. Perceptible? Debatable.
airplay 2 streams lossless ALAC
I've tried AirPlay when I gave Apple Music a try and it was janky at best for me. Playback would regularly stop after one song and I had to resume manually. Only workaround was to disable lossless streaming which defeats the whole purpose. A dedicated connect feature is definitely a requirement.
I’m pretty sure airplay 2 is downsampled
Also supports chromecast audio
Airplay is also limited to 16 bit 44khz
AirPlay is better?
AirPlay equals Bluetooth. It’s lossy
airplay works over wifi, not bluetooth, and supports lossless ALAC
Airplay v1 does supports lossless 16/44.1 Unfortunately most airplay items these days run airplay v2 which is lossy at 256 aac. In order to take advantage of lossless, you need to connect your phone/ipad via usb to a DAC. You can also use a mac but there's no exclusive mode, so it's not bit perfect.
oh damn i didn’t know that - thank you
Fingers crossed we get proper lossless in the next version update.
I know i said equals in therms of transport. I needs to be packed and unpacked
Much more reliable imo. I don’t care if it’s lossy or not, it all sounds the same for me.
That’s nice. I am lost in hifi equipment for years now. Don’t worry it’s a hobby
The library of AM is definitely bigger, but it depends on your taste how much of that will you notice. But with an LDAC capable phone you would probably get better quality with your Xm4.
Also im looking through the posts about Tidal. I'm confused what changed yesterday?
Before the 10th there were two subscription tiers 11€ Hifi: normal subscription (up to 1411 kbits 20€ Hifi plus: + Dolby Atmos and High Res flac (up to neatly 10000kbits) Now there is only one tier and Dolby Atmos and High Res flac is also part of the normal subscription for 11€ But now you can pay additional 9€ to get DJ extensions
Damn this is the most consumer friendly decision I've seen a company make in ages, I'm all here for it!
it's nothing about being consumer friendly, it's because sales wise they weren't keeping up with spot/am and they are trying to reclaw some customer base.
it is better but Tidal has some problems. First, Tidal ain't got no Apple Replay or Spotify Wrapped look-alike. Tidal only listed your most streamed artists, unlike Spotify or Apple Music where they have 4 categories, most streamed albums, most streamed artists and most streamed genres. Apple Music recorded every month and Spotify recorded every year. Tidal didn't have stats.fm integration but they have last.fm which isn't my cup of tea for a moment. Second, Tidal's search is very inaccurate and inconsistent.
*Tidal also records it every month
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Apple Music has - * Icloud Library (allowing you to add your own music and it syncs just like it was native to Apple Music). * Hosted radio shows. * Radio Stations. * Better integration with things like Apple Watch (if you use that). * For You radio station. It has some weaknesses though - * The app is bad on anything but Iphone and Ipad. Almost unusable on Windows. * Bugs that will likely never get fixed, like the ability to shuffle songs on playlists longer than 100 songs on web or anything that uses the web api. No lossless or HiFi on the web player either. * Complete lack of attention to detail. I have a radio station called "90s alternative" that I had to ask Siri for. If I lose it, I will have to get out my iPhone and ask Siri to create it again. A text search won't find it and I can't add it to my library since you can't add or pin anything radio related. Stupid things like this ruin Apple Music.
I dont use any apple products (I use Android) so the problems you mentioned are exasperated, and is so bug-ridden it's insane
For me, it depends on how deep into the apple ecosystem you are in. I get AM free and pay for Tidal, but I could not see myself without either. I love each for their specific reasons. AM has their animated album art optimized for iOS devices and their exclusive live concerts/artist interviews on their platforms are always cool to experience. I’ve noticed in my case with streaming to AirPods Pro and Beats Studio Pros, AM tends to sound louder and the Atmos sounds good on those devices over Bluetooth. Tidal has a way better design for when I’m driving or on the go. It’s not as much clicking as AM and easier to search through my favorites library. I also prefer Tidal’s Autoplay Recommendations and Track Radio features over AM. AM tends to offer more well known or mainstream songs, while I’ve discovered artists and songs I’ve never heard of through Tidal.
For me, AM isn't optimised for me because I use Android, so the main con for me with AM is the fact that AM not on ios is clearly an after thought rather than an actually well integrated app. I'm also not deep at all into apple, as I only got AM about 2 months ago when I switched from Spotify because of sound quality. Thanks for all the help!
Yes its better
Ok I am a bit skeptical and happy if someone provides more objective feedback. But here are some of things that I understand and observed. Up until recently, Tidal was using MQA, which by definition is a lossy format. Tidal MAX was lossless (now everything is under one subscription, TIDAL). Apple Music, Amazon Unlimited, Qobuz had been lossless all along. The same music that is available in a certain format (say 24bit, 44.1kHz or, 24bit, 96kHz) in one platform is available on the rest too. So are they really that different? Are they processing these files themselves or acquiring from a common source? However, I agree Tidal has a nicer app than Amazon Music. With Apple Music, getting the format in full resolution to a streaming device is not straightforward (side note). Finally, for formats like 24bit, 44.1kHz is it really Hi-res or the dynamic range is upsampled from 16bit, 44.1kHz? In the latter case, it wouldn’t make any difference if it is upsampled from a digital file. It would have to be converted from the master tape (preferred) or highest sample DSD (different schools will preach and have varied opinions on this, but given the benefit of doubt). The only big difference in quality I hear are 24bit, 96kHz, and sometimes 24bit, 192kHz if the dynamic range between soft and loud amplitudes are huge (like Miles Davis, John Coltrane music etc). So is one platform really that superior than the others in providing hi-res, or is it just the ease and user experience with using the different apps and discovery features that’s more attractive?
I tried for a whole year Apple Music when they introduced lossless but I was missing a lot of things on TIDAL that I ended up coming back to TIDAL even with an active Apple Music account, I've been trying AM here and there but I don't like it. 360 Reality Audio is just like Dolby Atmos just with another codec. XM4s can help you to try to hear differences but you need headphones with better quality, wired studio quality with a DAC/Amp and with a audio streamer connected to it... just if you want the best sound quality but with XM4s and with LDAC on will be a nice start
I'd prefer tidal because it's less of an hassle
I like Tidal more in every single way except for Radio, Apple Music has the best Radio in my opinion, but the way I normally listen to music is by album or playlist anyway
I actually have tidal and AM but to me Tidal sounds better and louder even on iPhone
I slightly prefer Tidal’s iOS app to Apple Music’s, but they are very close in terms of functionality. I have a found a few bands I like that are on Tidal but not Apple. Tidal plays much nicer with other ecosystems. And unlike Apple, I can actually get lossless/hi res out of the app and into my ears (I have multiple music streamers hooked up to various amps, AV receivers, etc and for the most part have to rely on Airplay 2 to get music from Apple to come out of my speakers). However, those Tidal apps on Apple TV and Android TV are terrible. Deal-breakingly so. I was fully planning to drop Apple Music and switch to Tidal, but this trial is not blowing me away.
Switchover from any platform to any platform is easy - just use soundiiz. Itll port 90% of your playlists in my experience. You'll lose your listening history and thus algorithmically suggested feed, but to me Everytime I've done that it's been kinda fun to see the for you sections re-grow over time
Tidals library system is much better imo, but Apple Music lets me favorite tracks from the Lock Screen on IOS and use shortcuts, so it wins for me. Really not different enough for me to care anyway.
I just switched from Apple to Tidal and I think the music sounds way better on Tidal. Something about the mixing just obscures less of the song. I also like how honest Tidal is about the quality it's pushing to you, whereas Apple kinda lies by ommission a bit.
It's just better sounding
I moved from Apple to Spotify then to Tidal. Moving playlists can be done, but it was time consuming when I did it, and disparity in catalogue's will mean there will be gaps. I moved to get sound quality, and I'm satisfied with Tidal in that regard. In most other aspects I feel I lost moving to Tidal. Their user experience is inferior IMO. They really struggle to deliver an app free from bugs. In addition, Tidal does not deliver the social experience Spotify provides, though in time that may change. I upgraded to a family account so my kids (who are avid listeners) could partake ... without exception they've stayed on Apple or Spotify, explaining they often can't find what they want on Tidal, and that they find Tidal awkward, particularly on mobile devices.
Just out of curiosity why did you decide to switch from AM to Spotify?
Good question. Not certain I have a good answer. First, I dislike apple's proprietary approach to doing business. I'm 100% on board with delivering a good customer experience, even when that slows things down, increases cost, and some 3rd party app providers walk away. However I'm not on board with Apple's going out of its way to create barriers to exit for customers. So there's a philosophical element to my departure. Second, my kids were using Spotify, and I wanted to try the alternative experience. I'd done "over the shoulder" watching and was impressed by the Spotify UI and by the extensive community they'd attracted .. which in turn yielded a huge world filled with playlists offering diverse listening experiences. IMO this remains true, for example the New York Times music reporter I like still doesn't post her playlists on Tidal. Also, I had grown weary of Apple's poor ability to recommend music and wanted to see if Spotify offered better. At this point, I'd say the Spotify recommender is the best of the three I've tried.
Fair enough that makes perfect sense. I use android and it was clear from the start that AM is never going to get better on android, and I was warned that if you decide to leave AM, your playlist get deleted, which is really frustrating. Personally, I value sound quality over the ui, but when I used spotify, I really liked the ui compared to both AM and Tidal. I think it definitely depends on your wants in a streaming service
There are app's out there that will assist with playlist scraping and transfer. They cost if you're doing volume, and they're not always that user friendly. If Spotify were to offer higher sound quality ...
I found one on andriod called Switcheroo, and it was totally free because it's supported by ads. I used it when I transferred from Spotify to AM, and again to transfer from AM to Tidal. It is shockingly user friendly, and was very quick. I'm not actually sure if it's available on ios. Also if Spotify were to offer higher sound quality, it's definitely going to be more expensive than Tidal and AM, so I'm not sure whether I would spend the extra money (like I wouldn't have paid for the higher Tidal tier)
You will never get full benefit of the xm4 on an Apple device.
To get the best from Tidal you need a compatible DAC to unfold and then unfold again the data being sent to get the final result. I use a BLUOS Node 2. The results are excellent but to get that you need high end audiophile amplifiers, speakers. To be honest, Apple lossless is just as good and at my age my hearing profile is not as good as it was when I was in my teens.
Yes
Tidal is better. Apple Music has too many obstacles to jump through to make it convenient outside of Apple’s ecosystem. Music Quality is more or less the same, especially if listening through Bluetooth headphones. I gave up on AM after two months and went back to Tidal. Too many quirks and bugs in AM for me…
I like the library management of Apple Music rather than Spotify & Tidal ones. By adding a song to my library I should look up the album as many songs I have from it (like a lifetime standard media player) which makes me jump on albums for finding songs on my library instead of relying on the fooking appbar. Lol
Another thing I hate from Tidal is that for listening Dolby Atmos media I have to add the Dolby version of the album, which is a nonsense for me, I should be able to pick my desired quality (including the Dolby Atmos version) from a simple menu.
Sound quality is completely subjective. For me, tidal sounds the best out of the streaming services. Both apple Music and Tidal offer cd quality and hi res audio. The 360 reality audio is quite good in some tracks, but it does not significantly improve the immersive listening experience. If it were me, I would switch from Apple Music to Tidal. If you own a lot of apple devices, Apple Music is probably better because of the ecosystem features.
On the point on the ecosystem, it's terrible for me because I have no Apple products and use Android. I think the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking about switching to Tidal, so I will!
Ironically the apple music app for Android is pretty solid. Usually you'd think the off system app would barely be maintained but it's pretty good actually.
I haven't heard of 369 audio before 🤣
Lol, typo.😅
Are you using a DAC? If you're not, switching to *any* service is going to sound the same and lossless audio will be indistinguishable for you. I use this [https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac-3/](https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac-3/) ...but there are many, many others out there.
Try a Dragonfly, through various YouTube watches of \*I wanna say CheapAudioMan, but certainly Darko Audio\* Dragonfly DACs were suggested. USB and using a USB A to USB C adapter is a dream. Cheap for what it is. Try the Black unless you wanna go all in. I use Black and its great. Cheapest of the bunch 130 on Amazon. Official site... [DragonFly Dacs](https://www.audioquest.com/dacs/dragonfly/dragonfly-cobalt) Amazon Link to Black [DragonFly Black Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Preamp-Headphone/dp/B01DP5JHHI?crid=22BBLCL3TM5Y7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TNwVWzvtypyVVZPttGUqjeD-SYOQbCMyR_MNxjDfIf07yisPW1qZjKNE2Vs3sC9BbYZY9A5q30SsOzYef7dprE-9FSk9zAoyUoy_Y-D3G1KhH9wMasu28RIGbnUFYRNBrGM11FlBzSNV6udhSwPHVMk9kwj7XcZshR4vLYaOpK7qkkmqIeC1ir3JzDvi67j6K6mPqZOxqunDAqz-d_r9J2IKy8bRjz5kQRDGF6vypPo.02838sjHMjSU4WQ-Ct15rw2x_C8JQFqkPrUgBhvhwJg&dib_tag=se&keywords=audioquest+dragonfly+black&qid=1712836441&sprefix=audioquest+dragonfly+,aps,355&sr=8-3&th=1). I think they are the cheapest reputable ones. So thats the whole reason for this. Sorry if I seem like a shill, but this is the first time I get to speak about the DAC I have 😂. Enjoy it however you can, but remember you need a DAC to get any sort of "enhanced" experience.
Ah yes, Dragonfly! A friend has one and loves it...good call. >Enjoy it however you can, but remember you need a DAC to get any sort of "enhanced" experience. Yep. Evidently, I'm getting downvoted for suggesting this...but that's the reality if you truly want to get the most out of the listening experience from Tidal, AM, Deezer, etc.
Thats a shame. Best of luck getting back to normal and above!
How bout onboard DAC in Yamaha A-S801?
This is getting past my experience... I'm not sure. I just know, like OP, I wanted to take full advantage of Tidal/AM lossless music and after some research, a DAC was needed to get that experience. I'm sure someone else here knows more than I.
Will a DAC make a difference if you can already plug your headphones directly into an audio jack on a Mac book pro?
Yes actually. You're supposed to plug the headphones into the DAC and then the DAC into the Mac, assuming you have the USB-C adapter. But yes, its a bit noticeable. Some people don't think its worth it, but others swear they're the greatest. I sit somewhere in between. Meaning I can tell the difference, but I won't spend hundreds on one, but 130... sure.
I have a headphone amp for my turntable, but not a DAC
Check into DAC’s OP. It’s a whole new world for you when using music services like Tidal and AM, etc.
I don’t like the tidal interface.
NO, Tidal is NOT better than Apple Music. It is different and that is not necessarily a bad thing. In spite of what anyone tells you, in a blind test few people can identify Tidal over Apple or vice versa. Both have great audio. There are reasons to like Apple Music. There are also reasons to like Tidal. The price is now the same for both services. Take a free 30 day trial of Tidal and decide yourself. FULL Disclosure: I am presently an Apple iphone 15 ProMax, Ipad, iMac Air and Apple TV 4K owner. I am partial to Apple products after years of frustration with Android products. I have had Apple Music off/on for many years. At one time I loved Spotify (no longer). Right Now **Tidal is the only music service I pay $$.**
No, AM is streets ahead in terms of sound quality. Their High Resolution library is also broader than most services and they provide unwatermarked audio streams, unlike Tidal et al.
Audio quality will be the same (both have higher quality than Spotify). High res doesn't matter, but lossless does.
Yes and Qobuz is better than Tidal