Alternative to Pandora One

[cleonjr]

The choices can appear daunting; but it's not like you're leasing a car.

All services offer some form of free trial. Take them all for a spin to see hands on which one appeals to you most. I recommend test driving one service at a time for the full trial period so you have ample time to absorb the features of each.

+1

 

[Condorsat]

I'm strictly a desktop PC user. Someday ... I'll add this capability to the mains ... but w/ cable TV music stations music: sounding) ... I'm in no hurry. My PC in the media room is like my man cave ... so I like to hang out there & chill.

I started out with Pandora add free version. It was good but once the new toy factor wore out ...

Based on reading some posts from this site ... took the plunge on Mog streaming at 320kbps ... sounded good to me :thmbsp: ... so I added a $100 USB Dac & some powered PC speakers ... eventually a Powered Sub as well.

Switched from MOG to Xbox Music ... long story short ... ended up w/ Spotify premium 320Kb. Really like the service sound wise and selection.

When I tried the samples on Tidal web site ... I can't tell the difference between Spotify premium ... :scratch2: ... I'm using Firefox browser & a $100 USB Dac ... maybe if I try a more expensive Dac/speaker combo or hook up my PC rig to the mains I'll be able to tell the difference. Anyway that's where I'm at now.

 

[richamor]

Had Pandora from near the beginning. Upgraded to One when it became available. Subscribed to MOG soon after it came online. Enjoyed both immensely. When MOG went off, I tried everyone else and ended up at Google Play. Kept Pandora One for the SB in the garage.

The other day I signed up for the Tidal and Deezer trials. I've decided to keep Deezer Elite and installed in on the SB and Sonos. Also on my phone so I cam stream to the radio in the truck.

Pandora One was and is convenient and cheap. Nice interface but the songs can get old after a while. Much like Sirius/XM radio. Google Play radio seems to have a limited playlist sometimes, but again I found it easy to use and it was 320Kb so sound quality was there. For ~$10.00/month it ain't bad, especially on Sonos.

We'll see how Deezer works out. I have the 30 day trial. As a bonus, it I sign up for the 2 year plan I can get Deezer Elite for around 10 bucks/month.

 

[wmgwizard]

The hi res music services can be taxing on a PC with other items running. My PC has 8gb DDR3 ram and still "skips" when I change web pages or open other programs. I have found shutting down unused "processes" clears things up.

I have done A/B comparisons of Spotify and Tidal and the difference is readily apparent in the car, in the office and on my main system.