Which one do you prefer?

I am seeing plenty of mixed opinions about both Spotify and Tidal. Some are saying Spotify is the best, others say it’s bloated, others think it’s annoying it’s also an app for podcasts. Some people really like Tidal, but I have mostly seen negative opinions about it - worse song recommendations, no difference in audio, too expensive.

As someone who doesn’t care very much for song recommendations I can’t decide which one is ideal for me personally. Tidal seems to pay artists better, but the criticism it receives makes me unsure. What do y’all think?

  • @beerclue
    4•1 year ago

    I use YouTube Music. For 18€/month, I get unlimited access to both YouTube Premium and YouTube Music for the whole family (5 accounts). The music selection is better than Spotify, as anything tagged as “music video” on YouTube you can play in YT Music. I can’t tell the difference in sound quality between Spotify and YT Music, but I use Bluetooth headphones anyway…

      • newIdentity
        1•1 year ago

        I actually think that nowadays YouTube music is better than Spotify. It’s just that the sound quality kinda sucks.

        I totally would’ve agreed 1-2 years ago though.

      • @beerclue
        1•1 year ago

        I get what you’re saying and if quality matters to you, go for it. I listen on Bluetooth headphones while commuting, and I really can’t tell the difference… For me, the added benefit of YouTube Premium is better than the potential sound quality increase. It’s great that we have choices :)

        Edit: YT Music has 256kbps AAC & OPUS

      • @[email protected]English
        1•1 year ago

        What is the bitrate for the “High” (Not HiFi/FLAC) quality version? I had heard it was 320, so the same as Spotify. Unfortunately when I tried Tidal a couple of weeks ago, most of the music I listen to only goes up to “High”.

        Though not that I have top of the line headphones to make a difference anyways, I’m sure.

        • @[email protected]
          1•1 year ago

          “High” is Lossless - 16-bit, 44.1 kHz (aka CD Quality). It used to be called “HiFi.”

          “Low” has two options (for me at least): 96 or 320 kbps (AAC).

          “Max” is HiRes and MQA.

          HiRes is anything better than High, up to 24-bit / 192 kHz. Some (many?) HiRes songs are 24-bit / 44.1 kHz.

          MQA is older and worse than HiRes and I don’t recall hearing good things about it.