I had parallel subscriptions running for a while - Tidal, Qubuz and Spotify - to enable me to make direct comparisons.
Tidal was the first to be dropped, mainly for its shoddy application of metadata. For classical it also had the worst selection (and almost nothing at higher resolutions).
Qubuz later went too again for the metadata issue.
It actually surprised me that Spotify won but the classical choice is actually very good and the quality good enough for my purposes given it it's not a primary source.
If your music is on Tidal at hi-res then it might well be the best choice but it doesn't suit everyone.
There's a lot of merit in this argument but you could equally argue that one of the reasons music no longer has the hold it has over young people that it used to have is precisely that it's a commodified, low-value experience.
Precisely some of the 'hipster' ethic (ok this is a fashion that may fade as others before it have) is to put some striving - financially and physically - back in the consumption of music, which adds to the pleasure.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Just listening to Vox Cosmica on Spotify - now ordered it on CD! Thanks everyone who found it.
I would suggest that either your musical preferences and searches are very limited. Many of the artists and new music that I listen to will never make it to vinyl, and some probably never make it to cd.
I am not suggesting that anyone should adopt streaming technology or sign up to streaming services. However, I reject arguments that streaming has not come of age or is technically complicated or just for techies.
As to vinyl, I still have my vinyl hardware and a very large record collection and they still sound very good. However, despite the resurgence of vinyl, I do not see that it has a long term future. Clearly, some of the current popularity is from oldies (like myself) nostalgic for the physical experience of vinyl. Ultimately, economic and broader social forces will determine the future of vinyl. As good as vinyl can be, it costs many times more to get a good sound from vinyl than it does from digital. Also, we have to acknowledge that the 2 times 20 minute album format was shaped by the technical limitations of the time. Artists can now release (and sell) a single track or their complete repertoire without any obvious constraint. Additionally, I cannot see a return of vinyl stores to the high street. You only need to see how cds have diminished in terms of store floorspace in the likes of HMV, to see how physical media are on a downward decline.
Streaming is not for everyone: neither is Vox Cosmica Hildegarde von Bingen. However, it is pointless to dismiss subjective preferences as not valid.
Geoff
Metadata is irrelevant to me but TIDAL's blatant Jay Z marketing does annoy me. A quick Google will provide more info than any metadata held in any service.
Quobuz software was pathetic last time I tried it. TIDAL streams actually sounded better than Quobuz. I spent some time looking at the Quobuz USB output I was so sure it wasn't what it said it was. That was too much like hard work to decode to prove the point. I could have been wrong but I really was convinced it wasn't up to par for some reason.
Deezer will have its own issues - they all do but it has to be worth a try for a month I think.
Regards,
Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
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Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".
“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
"You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”
“There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”
***SMILE, BE HAPPY***