I remember back in 2004/2005 when I really started to get into iTunes, I had no understanding of quality settings for music till around 2008 I started to backup lossless quality rips/downloads of music to data DVDs. 16 years later and hundreds of DVDs backed up, I am amused by people starting to figure out that music subscriptions are not great. I love the functionality of complete control of my music library of almost 20 years of investment through Apple Match and I can download or stream the thousands upon thousands of songs I have in my catalog on my computer or iPhone. The amazing part is even if Apple shut down, internet shut down, or I just cancel Apple Match, I still have my physical lossless backups! I take care of my discs, so after almost 2 decades, they still look new and no signs of decay. People, please understand and rediscover the value of owning your content. I'm so happy that I still do.
Great video as always! Here is a question for a future video. What are the aspects of sound that are the hardest to get right by manufacturers (rank them if possible) of headphones? You could mention soundstaging/ imaging/ transient response/ distortion/ noise/ linearity/ etc, or whatever aspects you deem fit for this comparison. I think learning this will help us appreciate or better evaluate headphones and the level of sophistication put into them.
Enjoyed Tidal and defended them when I had it. Glad I switched to Qobuz. Still comes down to the recording. Its all good whatever one chooses Enjoy the music!
I’m using my IPhone 15 Pro connected to a DDC and I2S to my DAC. Personally it sounds better than my Mac Mini or IPhone 14 Pro using a camera adaptor. It is clearly discernible. I find Apple Music pretty consistent. I think it’s easy to use and the quality of the masters are fine. Never tried Atmos n never will.
Good morning from Toronto ☕️☕️ I’ve just gotten into streaming music..and I like it ..but you’re absolutely correct. Mastering Matters, what version of the particular song matters ..and then the hardware maters .. I’m looking to do my last headphone amp ..sort of a statement piece. Thinking Woo 23 LUNA …with its associated Woo cable DAC ( minimalist ) Take care ☕️👍🔥🍕🥓
Qobuz is noticeably more transparent with cleaner airier sound than tidal and amazon. If using via usb it's a noticeable increase in sound quality via "usb audio player pro"
With the "offline" use downloads, at least on apple music, those files are encrypted somehow. So, they're there on your device or even on an inserted micro SD card. They just can't be accessed or played by anything other than that app. Basically every file it plays it checks your subscription/usage license. Offline use is great though. I use it pretty much exclusively. Download my favorites and new stuff while at home, then take my daps on the go.
I was comparing tidal & spotify & the biggest difference is, Spotify is LOUDER every time, on every track across genres & sounds more congested. Yes the normalization is off on Spotify. Voices are more upfront in Spotify. Tidal hifi+ sounds calmer, cleaner, open more relaxed but difference on these fronts is not as big in genres like rap & electronic but Spotify does continue to be louder.
Ohhh this is interesting. What audio chain do you use? And during comparison. i had a different experience so I want to experiment with your setup. Spotify for me just sounded same as youtube sound. For detailed and wide sounding headphones, Tidal shone.
Roon is an interesting factor in streaming. I stream local files as well as Qobuz through Roon. Roon's UI is so much more user friendly (IMO). But I do wonder if there are any differences in streaming through Qobuz vs streaming Qobuz through Roon...
For some reason Linkin Park in general sounds best on Spotify, and worst on Tidal. I think the compressed version on Spotify is just a little bit more mid focused and because the master quality is not great, Tidal and Qobuz bring the mastering flaws kinda more forward if that makes sense and in general I like Linkin park to be more in my face rather than an expansive soundstage presentation.
The most important difference between the streaming services to me is how they pay their artists. Spotify pools all the money collected and then distributes it to artists based on play time. This means artists played at coffee shops or other commercial locations wind up taking the vast majority of the profits, whereas the artists I actually listen to make hardly anything. Tidal on the other hand splits it up per subscriber, so my money actually goes to the artists I listen to. The impact this has on artists is huge.
@@mikedergalevHow is it not my concern? If I enjoy their music, they should be well compensated so they can continue to make more music, leading to more enjoyment for me. It's a symbiotic relationship.
@@mikedergalev Oh, I do! It's just that my boss doesn't like me going to concerts during the work day, so I'm stuck with streaming there 😁 I also buy CDs ( or vinyl, depending) when I really love something & put it on my Roon server as a backup
Streaming turned music consumers, i.e., those who purchased physical media such as vinyl records, CDs or cassette tapes into "subscribers" which in my humble opinion instantly demoted music artists who are (or were) paid royalties based on physical sales and redirected the pay base to a substantial reduction in royalties paid out to artists based on incidental data from listeners based on clicks instead of actual units sold. For the consumer, streaming means you no longer own a piece of music, a physical object, you now just pay for a service.. Which begs the question.. if the streaming service disappeared - what is the replaceable value to the consumer? There isn't any. You own nothing with streaming.. and if it all goes away (or really if you cannot connect to the Internet for any reason), you are left with nothing. With physical media, the consumer owns a physical object that is not subject to some service going away or otherwise disappearing.. MP3 files are not a satisfactory replacement for a physical media such as a vinyl record, CD, or tape.. There is no artwork, lyric sheet, promotional pictures or any of the value-added aspects of the physical media with which to enjoy. MP3s are just files on a computer and in my opinion, that is a poor substitute for the "real thing" which you get with physical media such as vinyl, CDs and tapes. Owning a physical disc means I can enjoy my music when I want and on my terms. I don't need an Internet service ($$$), I don't need a streaming subscription ($$$), I can pop a CD in a personal CD Player or into my car stereo (Yes, my car still has a CD player!) and viola! I can listen and enjoy my music no worries. When I am at home, the same applies.. Streaming services have a roll but it is NOT the only roll i.e., the only way to get music.. There are those of us out here who still actively collect and listen to physical media and hope and pray that I will always be able to do so. Streaming music is okay for those with no interest in actually owning the music they're listening to.
Loudness Wars. Loudnes wars. Loudness Wars. Nearly all rock and pop streaming using remastered dynamically destroyed LOUDALLTHETIME files. Hires. Flac. Dont matter. Only major band with remasters not showing clipping in the wavform? Pink Floyd. Doors to lesser extent. Even Beatles Martin RMs show clipping. Its a cultural crime. Post 1993 digital files...wrecked. 10k rig. 5k headphones. Dont matter. And they are never gonna say now...hear it...quieter... Even recent Decca Solti Wagner Ring cycle remaster....has limited waveform files...with clippimg. At 24/192. Yep. Even orchestral....its getting trashed.
Our original streaming service comparison video this video is based on, th-cam.com/video/3XbAuQl9KtM/w-d-xo.html
I remember back in 2004/2005 when I really started to get into iTunes, I had no understanding of quality settings for music till around 2008 I started to backup lossless quality rips/downloads of music to data DVDs. 16 years later and hundreds of DVDs backed up, I am amused by people starting to figure out that music subscriptions are not great. I love the functionality of complete control of my music library of almost 20 years of investment through Apple Match and I can download or stream the thousands upon thousands of songs I have in my catalog on my computer or iPhone. The amazing part is even if Apple shut down, internet shut down, or I just cancel Apple Match, I still have my physical lossless backups! I take care of my discs, so after almost 2 decades, they still look new and no signs of decay. People, please understand and rediscover the value of owning your content. I'm so happy that I still do.
Great video as always! Here is a question for a future video. What are the aspects of sound that are the hardest to get right by manufacturers (rank them if possible) of headphones? You could mention soundstaging/ imaging/ transient response/ distortion/ noise/ linearity/ etc, or whatever aspects you deem fit for this comparison. I think learning this will help us appreciate or better evaluate headphones and the level of sophistication put into them.
I now use Apple exclusively but I do have music I've ripped from CDs on HD and they sound the best.
Enjoyed Tidal and defended them when I had it. Glad I switched to Qobuz. Still comes down to the recording. Its all good whatever one chooses Enjoy the music!
I like Qobuz as well.
I’m using my IPhone 15 Pro connected to a DDC and I2S to my DAC. Personally it sounds better than my Mac Mini or IPhone 14 Pro using a camera adaptor. It is clearly discernible. I find Apple Music pretty consistent. I think it’s easy to use and the quality of the masters are fine. Never tried Atmos n never will.
Good morning from Toronto ☕️☕️
I’ve just gotten into streaming music..and I like it ..but you’re absolutely correct.
Mastering Matters, what version of the particular song matters ..and then the hardware maters ..
I’m looking to do my last headphone amp ..sort of a statement piece.
Thinking Woo 23 LUNA …with its associated Woo cable DAC ( minimalist )
Take care ☕️👍🔥🍕🥓
Happy Friday to you! WA23 it is! Enjoy the weekend 🌞🍸🥩🍦
Qobuz is noticeably more transparent with cleaner airier sound than tidal and amazon. If using via usb it's a noticeable increase in sound quality via "usb audio player pro"
With the "offline" use downloads, at least on apple music, those files are encrypted somehow. So, they're there on your device or even on an inserted micro SD card. They just can't be accessed or played by anything other than that app. Basically every file it plays it checks your subscription/usage license. Offline use is great though. I use it pretty much exclusively. Download my favorites and new stuff while at home, then take my daps on the go.
Cool, will have to try that.
I was comparing tidal & spotify & the biggest difference is, Spotify is LOUDER every time, on every track across genres & sounds more congested. Yes the normalization is off on Spotify. Voices are more upfront in Spotify. Tidal hifi+ sounds calmer, cleaner, open more relaxed but difference on these fronts is not as big in genres like rap & electronic but Spotify does continue to be louder.
Ohhh this is interesting. What audio chain do you use? And during comparison. i had a different experience so I want to experiment with your setup. Spotify for me just sounded same as youtube sound. For detailed and wide sounding headphones, Tidal shone.
Roon is an interesting factor in streaming. I stream local files as well as Qobuz through Roon. Roon's UI is so much more user friendly (IMO). But I do wonder if there are any differences in streaming through Qobuz vs streaming Qobuz through Roon...
There is. But i use audirvana instead. The difference is not huge though.
Where do you get your files from if you use Roon/Qobuz. The difficulty in collecting part and verifying is why I don’t delve into it
For some reason Linkin Park in general sounds best on Spotify, and worst on Tidal. I think the compressed version on Spotify is just a little bit more mid focused and because the master quality is not great, Tidal and Qobuz bring the mastering flaws kinda more forward if that makes sense and in general I like Linkin park to be more in my face rather than an expansive soundstage presentation.
The most important difference between the streaming services to me is how they pay their artists. Spotify pools all the money collected and then distributes it to artists based on play time. This means artists played at coffee shops or other commercial locations wind up taking the vast majority of the profits, whereas the artists I actually listen to make hardly anything. Tidal on the other hand splits it up per subscriber, so my money actually goes to the artists I listen to. The impact this has on artists is huge.
Let the artists defend themselves. One's profits is not your concern.
@@mikedergalevHow is it not my concern? If I enjoy their music, they should be well compensated so they can continue to make more music, leading to more enjoyment for me. It's a symbiotic relationship.
@@eruilluvitar concerts is what makes the most income. Streaming is like a pocket money. If you so willing to help buy a ticket, or a vinyl🤗
@@mikedergalev Oh, I do! It's just that my boss doesn't like me going to concerts during the work day, so I'm stuck with streaming there 😁 I also buy CDs ( or vinyl, depending) when I really love something & put it on my Roon server as a backup
Streaming turned music consumers, i.e., those who purchased physical media such as vinyl records, CDs or cassette tapes into "subscribers" which in my humble opinion instantly demoted music artists who are (or were) paid royalties based on physical sales and redirected the pay base to a substantial reduction in royalties paid out to artists based on incidental data from listeners based on clicks instead of actual units sold. For the consumer, streaming means you no longer own a piece of music, a physical object, you now just pay for a service.. Which begs the question.. if the streaming service disappeared - what is the replaceable value to the consumer? There isn't any. You own nothing with streaming.. and if it all goes away (or really if you cannot connect to the Internet for any reason), you are left with nothing. With physical media, the consumer owns a physical object that is not subject to some service going away or otherwise disappearing.. MP3 files are not a satisfactory replacement for a physical media such as a vinyl record, CD, or tape.. There is no artwork, lyric sheet, promotional pictures or any of the value-added aspects of the physical media with which to enjoy. MP3s are just files on a computer and in my opinion, that is a poor substitute for the "real thing" which you get with physical media such as vinyl, CDs and tapes.
Owning a physical disc means I can enjoy my music when I want and on my terms. I don't need an Internet service ($$$), I don't need a streaming subscription ($$$), I can pop a CD in a personal CD Player or into my car stereo (Yes, my car still has a CD player!) and viola! I can listen and enjoy my music no worries. When I am at home, the same applies..
Streaming services have a roll but it is NOT the only roll i.e., the only way to get music.. There are those of us out here who still actively collect and listen to physical media and hope and pray that I will always be able to do so.
Streaming music is okay for those with no interest in actually owning the music they're listening to.
*Promo SM*
Loudness Wars. Loudnes wars. Loudness Wars. Nearly all rock and pop streaming using remastered dynamically destroyed LOUDALLTHETIME files. Hires. Flac. Dont matter. Only major band with remasters not showing clipping in the wavform? Pink Floyd. Doors to lesser extent. Even Beatles Martin RMs show clipping. Its a cultural crime. Post 1993 digital files...wrecked. 10k rig. 5k headphones. Dont matter. And they are never gonna say now...hear it...quieter...
Even recent Decca Solti Wagner Ring cycle remaster....has limited waveform files...with clippimg. At 24/192. Yep. Even orchestral....its getting trashed.
Spotify used to offer remaster & non remastered versions but they stopped doing it I guess sometime at the start of 2023 or late last year.
gossip Chanel
Only Apple fans will say Apple Music.
That is 100% not true having both IOS and Android , Qobuz and Apple Music,immature folk make such statements.