Quick Tidal review - not so great

[david1111]

@olson_jr
Thanks for the correction. It's been 6-8 months since I was working with Tidal, and must of mixed up my info.
But my sound quality issue stems from something else. Maybe it's jitter as Condorsat is suggesting.
I'll have to tackle it one possible solution at a time, in a process of elimination. And, who knows ... it could be a couple
of issues in my system acting together.
I'll eventually figure it out cuz it's working well for a lot of listeners.

Dave

 

[olson_jr]

Sounded Analytical & Sterile or "matter of fact" to me. This was solved on my system by the use of AQ Jitterbug. Big improvement, jumped to CD quality sounding to me (I stream lossy 90's & up Pop Rock mostly) .. YMMV.

I've read that some people (myself included) have had good results w/ Jitterbug on their systems while others have not. Maybe system dependent .. YMMV.

Had good luck with improving SQ using Jitterbugs, better luck using Uptone Audio USB REGEN's, then just eliminated USB.

Seems to me we are not usually comparing Apples to Apples when talking Tidal here.

 

[GChief]

Had good luck with improving SQ using Jitterbugs, better luck using Uptone Audio USB REGEN's, then just eliminated USB.

And I haven't had to do any of this with my USB. YMMV

 

[olson_jr]

And I haven't had to do any of this with my USB. YMMV

I know, crazy right? I had One DAC I could hear no difference with either USB de-craper. Of course that was also the same Chord DAC that the company quit supplying USB drivers for (as OSX operating system changed) and it became useless to me without a USB to SPDIF converter.

 

[Condorsat]

Had good luck with improving SQ using Jitterbugs, better luck using Uptone Audio USB REGEN's, then just eliminated USB.

Seems to me we are not usually comparing Apples to Apples when talking Tidal here.

I've read about the USB Regen .. still using two AQ Jitterbugs on my Entry level HP Laptop .. upgraded the AQ Forest to Wireworld Starlight 7 USB. The AQ Evergreen RCAs to Morrow Audio MA1.1 .. then MA2 .. thought it sounded really good at that point .. then over the Holidays upgraded the Schiit Audio M2U DAC to a regular Bifrost and that really kicked it up another notch .. BAM!!. More detail, image, depth, left/right pan .. etc.

Have not switched out the AQ Jitterbugs since the addition of the Bifrost. Might try it at some point .. just for curiosity .. but I really like the sound of Tidal (streaming) at this point.

 

[Archguy]

Thanks to Mr Kray I'm auditioning Tidal HiFi now through CCA and my new Harbeth C7s (about which more later) and I definitely notice a step up in SQ on many tracks from the Pandora Plus I'm still using otherwise (am I the last person in Audiodom?).

I also really like the look of their Android interface, although it keeps throwing hip-hop at me. I read somewhere that rap/hiphop and HiFi are the only two reasons to use Tidal. So at least I'm halfway there (most of my listening is jazz and classical).

But there are some basic functional issues for which I'd appreciate advice: First and foremost, though I ported some of my PP stations over via soundiiz and they arrived a bit beaten up but still useful for Tidal playlists, it seems that Tidal will only play what you tell it to. What's the difference between this and listening to your own music collection? I'm used to Pandora Plus where it suggests new music all the time, based upon your previous likes. I'm missing something, right?

Then, how do you delete tracks you don't want to hear? In the translation some things got garbled and it's playing things I really don't want to hear. Tidal says this:
"In order to block a specific song or artist, you will need to log in via our Web Player"
https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003713537-Block-Content

Then you have to search for the offending artist or track, and follow the five steps on that page.

Is that right? No way to 'thumbs down' a track as on Pandora so you don't have to hear it any more? That could be a deal-breaker, unfortunately. But frankly the bigger thing is I use a service to broaden my horizons, within genres at least. Advice welcome.

Been a Tidal user since December of 2015.

I use Tidal via ipad and iphone

Sound quality wise, I think Tidal has an edge

That is a surprise to me, I have never seen a 24/192 file on Tidal and I have been using it since its inception.

Oh, and using it quite happily sound wise, but their search could be better.

 

[GChief]

@Archguy it’s not really a “radio” like Pandora. It’s more a digital “cloud” library same as youR physical collection. I never use there “playlists”. Yes a few of the functions need to be set up in the web player and there is not a thumbs down. I run pretty much everything from my iPhone, CCA and PW-Link.

This is just a snap shot of the 1500 or so albums I have in my collection.

 

[Archguy]

@Archguy it’s not really a “radio” like Pandora. It’s more a digital “cloud” library same as you physical collection. I never use there rolleyes “playlists”. Yes a few of the functions need to be set up in the web player and there is not a thumbs down. I run pretty much everything from my iPhone, CCA and PW-Link.

This is just a snap shot of the 1500 or so albums I have in my collection.

View attachment 1701752

Thanks Chief...yes I did get the impression that it wants to play albums, or at least tracks you pull off of albums. I'll keep working on it. Making my own playlists mainly. Maybe they don't need to add a 'thumbs down' functionality, since most everything you're hearing is stuff you chose in the first place?

Of course, if I put too much time into the platform I'll be invested. Which is the idea of course.

 

[lattiboy]

Thanks Chief...yes I did get the impression that it wants to play albums, or at least tracks you pull off of albums. I'll keep working on it. Making my own playlists mainly. Maybe they don't need to add a 'thumbs down' functionality, since most everything you're hearing is stuff you chose in the first place?

Of course, if I put too much time into the platform I'll be invested. Which is the idea of course.

the first week or two with tidal you don’t get any recommendations for music, but after an indeterminate amount of time you’ll begin to get “MyMix” playlists. They update pretty regularly and I’ve found them to be great! Not at ALL obvious like Spotify, but I feel the quality of their picks is better:

 

[GChief]

the first week or two with tidal you don’t get any recommendations for music, but after an indeterminate amount of time you’ll begin to get “MyMix” playlists. They update pretty regularly and I’ve found them to be great! Not at ALL obvious like Spotify, but I feel the quality of their picks is better:

View attachment 1701787

View attachment 1701788

I have noticed that everything they put in “My Mix” is from my collection

 

[lattiboy]

Thanks to Mr Kray I'm auditioning Tidal HiFi now through CCA and my new Harbeth C7s (about which more later) and I definitely notice a step up in SQ on many tracks from the Pandora Plus I'm still using otherwise (am I the last person in Audiodom?).

I also really like the look of their Android interface, although it keeps throwing hip-hop at me. I read somewhere that rap/hiphop and HiFi are the only two reasons to use Tidal. So at least I'm halfway there (most of my listening is jazz and classical).

But there are some basic functional issues for which I'd appreciate advice: First and foremost, though I ported some of my PP stations over via soundiiz and they arrived a bit beaten up but still useful for Tidal playlists, it seems that Tidal will only play what you tell it to. What's the difference between this and listening to your own music collection? I'm used to Pandora Plus where it suggests new music all the time, based upon your previous likes. I'm missing something, right?

Then, how do you delete tracks you don't want to hear? In the translation some things got garbled and it's playing things I really don't want to hear. Tidal says this:
"In order to block a specific song or artist, you will need to log in via our Web Player"
https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003713537-Block-Content

Then you have to search for the offending artist or track, and follow the five steps on that page.

Is that right? No way to 'thumbs down' a track as on Pandora so you don't have to hear it any more? That could be a deal-breaker, unfortunately. But frankly the bigger thing is I use a service to broaden my horizons, within genres at least. Advice welcome.

you can totally block a song or artist from the now playing screen (on IOS at least) :

 

[lattiboy]

I have noticed that everything they put in “My Mix” is from my collection

That is really weird. I get a ton of tracks I’ve never heard before. Also, when listening to a song, make it full screen and then swipe RIGHT. You’ll get a “more like this” radio station type playlist based on that track.

 

[GChief]

That is really weird. I get a ton of tracks I’ve never heard before. Also, when listening to a song, make it full screen and then swipe RIGHT. You’ll get a “more like this” radio station type playlist based on that track.

Maybe it’s a setting? I usually know what I am after so I just search it. I do play stuff by genres when surfing for random new stuff.

 

[Archguy]

you can totally block a song or artist from the now playing screen (on IOS at least) :

Yeah I saw that but it doesn't appear on my Android screen.
Unfortunately I'm having to use my phone just now b/c my tablet croaked.

That is really weird. I get a ton of tracks I’ve never heard before. Also, when listening to a song, make it full screen and then swipe RIGHT. You’ll get a “more like this” radio station type playlist based on that track.

Thanks for the additional intelligence! I'll look into this further. I'm still liking the sound.
Near-field with the Harbeths for the second night in a row. Swoon....

 

[GChief]

That is really weird. I get a ton of tracks I’ve never heard before. Also, when listening to a song, make it full screen and then swipe RIGHT. You’ll get a “more like this” radio station type playlist based on that track.

I stand corrected, I just looked thru 2 mix’s, a blues and a metal one. Of the 40 in the blues one I do not have 4 in my library, the metal on had 5 that aren’t.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

@Archguy it’s not really a “radio” like Pandora. It’s more a digital “cloud” library same as youR physical collection. I never use there “playlists”. Yes a few of the functions need to be set up in the web player and there is not a thumbs down. I run pretty much everything from my iPhone, CCA and PW-Link.

This is just a snap shot of the 1500 or so albums I have in my collection.

View attachment 1701752

I use some of the playlists. Especially the classic jazz ones. They have some good mixes.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

This is one of my favorites to play at work.

Cool Jazz and Post-War Optimism.

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/5e739343-3b23-44fc-80aa-eb257205d51a

"Following the close of World War II, the United States experienced an intense economic and cultural boom that enlivened the spirits of everyday Americans and showed a palpable positivity in the then-blooming art of modern jazz. This is the sound of post-war America: light and swinging cool jazz, perfect for a cup of fresh coffee and a newspaper - or for the time you spend waiting for dinner guests to arrive."

 

[lattiboy]

I love “Out There”. Tons of experimental music, most of it unlistenable, but some truly extraordinary stuff I would’ve simply never heard:

https://tidal.com/playlist/0bfac8e5-4ff8-44e4-b112-5fb71d39bcc1

 

[Archguy]

I love “Out There”. Tons of experimental music, most of it unlistenable, but some truly extraordinary stuff I would’ve simply never heard:

https://tidal.com/playlist/0bfac8e5-4ff8-44e4-b112-5fb71d39bcc1

Thanks so much for your help. In just a few minutes you have transformed my Tidal experience for the better. I really should have come here first! And yes, T has already set up mixes for me.

 

[lattiboy]

Thanks so much for your help. In just a few minutes you have transformed my Tidal experience for the better. I really should have come here first! And yes, T has already set up mixes for me.

Glad to help! People don’t believe me when I say Tidal is my favorite steaming service regardless of audio quality. The curated playlists just annihilate others for me.

Spotify is boring IMO. Very safe music recommendations and lots of cutesy horseshit I don’t need in my life.