Tidal vs Qobuz: I tried both high-resolution streaming services, and they couldn’t be more different

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Music fans who feel that music streaming services from Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and others can’t satisfy their desire for high-fidelity music may want to take a look at Tidal or Qobuz. Both services offer a basic plan at $11/month, curated playlists, high-resolution lossless streaming, offline listening, and easy ways to interact with emerging artists.

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If high-resolution music is your priority, both streaming services offer lossless audio up to 24-bit, 192kHz in FLAC format, with a negligible difference in audio quality that is subjectively undetectable to most ears. Additionally, both services are available on iOS and Android, and can be easily integrated into your Sonos, Denon, or Wiim system.

So, your decision between these two services depends on your preferences and what kind of curated content you prefer in a music service. Let’s explore them both.

features

You should subscribe to Tidal if…

1. You want to listen in Dolby Atmos

Tidal is one of Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited that offers tracks mixed in Dolby Atmos as music streaming services, which is great if you prefer to listen with headphones or speakers that can reproduce Dolby Atmos. Queuing up a Dolby Atmos track on a Sonos system is easy, as you can link your Tidal account in the Sonos app.

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You don’t have to listen to Dolby Atmos on any platform that makes it available; The feature can be turned off. However, if you prefer stereo over everything else and don’t want to deal with any spatial audio mixing, you won’t find any on Qobuz.

2. You want to sing along (or watch)

Sometimes you listen to a song and need to know the lyrics. At least, I do, and very often. So, if you’re like me and like lyrics that easily blend with the song you’re listening to, then Tidal is what you want. Additionally, Tidal offers in-app music videos ranging from the latest releases to 90s classics.

Qobuz, on the other hand, doesn’t offer in-app, synced songs, so you’ll have to do karaoke at home the old-fashioned way: Queue up a song and look up its lyrics online. Qobuz also lacks music videos, so you’ll have to turn to YouTube.

3. You want an extensive music list

This reason is highly subjective and depends on the breadth and diversity of your musical tastes. You’ll find most of the major releases from many mainstream artists on Qobuz and Tidal, but in moving my Apple Music playlists to Tidal, I only had to say goodbye to one or two tracks per playlist.

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In comparison, my Apple Music playlists became smaller when transferred to Qobuz, with many singles, EP tracks, and remixes missing. There’s no point paying for large music catalogs just for the sake of it, especially when you’ll never listen to almost half of it, but it’s worth it when as much of your favorite music as possible is available.

You should subscribe to Qobuz if…

1. Algorithm Recommendations

Qobuz offers limited recommendations in its Discover tab. These recommendations include a daily mix, radio stations, some albums similar to the ones you repeat, some recommended artists, and a selection of your favorite artists.

Instead, Qobuz’s Editor’s Picks tab is much more abundant, offering recommendations chosen by Qobuz staff, critically acclaimed albums, and classic albums that shaped music history. Qobuz editors also put albums forward for in-house awards, including the Qbizissime Award for a particularly exceptional debut or sophomore album from an artist, and the Album of the Week award, in which Qobuz experts crown their favorite new releases across a variety of genres.

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A Qobuz subscription also includes access to the platform’s magazine, where editors take an in-depth look at their top picks for the week. In addition to Qobuz’s high-quality audio streaming, its editorial offerings make it a solid choice for listeners interested in audio quality and the music industry as a whole, especially if they’re curious about critics’ opinions.

Tidal also offers recommendations in its Staff Picks tab, but they seem less personalized and offer more options across genres and decades, similar to Spotify. If you’re looking for music discovery and high-resolution streaming, consider Tidal instead.

2. You consider yourself an audiophile

In addition to enjoying all things music, if you call yourself an audiophile, or someone who enjoys audio reproduction and the ins and outs of audio gadgets, Qobuz is a platform full of like-minded people. Forum’s magazine features artist profiles and key moments in music history, highlights dynamic sound moments in films, provides news and op-eds about the latest albums, and provides reviews of hi-fi audio products.

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Tidal’s magazine, on the other hand, is artist-focused, similar to Apple Music’s additional content. Tidal started as an artist-first music platform, and its editorial content reflects that initial mission. In Tidal Magazine, you can find artist interviews and profiles, as well as the albums and songs that Tidal curators love most.

author’s choice

I love Qobuzwhich highlights critics’ opinions and musical moments across a variety of mediums. The simple interface with few distractions reminds me that on this platform, the music is the most important thing. Additionally, although I can’t say that Qobuz has “better” audio quality than Tidal, Qobuz does have a brighter sound profile which I like.

When listening on the Apple AirPods Max 2 or my Sonos system, I notice a little more separation and sparkle in the high frequencies that my ears find addicting.