so what is your streaming preference and why?

[AJSki2fly]

So I thought it would be interesting to discover which is the most popular of the main ones, and why. Also if any of us are using some others.

[Gazjam]

Tidal, because of MQA and Roon integration.
Have Spotify 320K to fill in the blanks Tidal's missing.

[struth]

Tidal. Mqa access from audirvana is great... out to several things

[Tim]

Spotify, never even tried anything else TBH as it does what I need - if it ain't broke I don't need to fix it

Been using it since the days it was 'introduction only', been a Premium subscriber for about 5 years now.

[AJSki2fly]

Spotify, never even tried anything else TBH as it does what I need - if it ain't broke I don't need to fix it

Been using it since the days it was 'introduction only', been a Premium subscriber for about 5 years now.

Yo might find Tidal quite interesting, worth giving it a trial run just to see what you think of the higher res music.

[Yomanze]

TIDAL because it's lossless. Spotify because it's more extensive, and works great for offline playlists on the phone.

[Qwin]

Streaming Services
Which one.....?
Most forum discussions center on the GUI and not on the sound.
Being digital, shouldn't they all sound the same right.....?
My experience, for what ever reason, is that the sound they produce varies considerably.
I've tried a few and found that in every case, their desktop Apps for my laptop (Windows 10), sounded better than their web based players.
I tested the most basic service from each company, not HD, but it was still very listenable and almost CD quality to the ear if not by specification. Streaming MP3 at 320 kbps:

Deezer – Best sound quality, but interface only caries the most basic info about what's playing. No info on who wrote the track if it was a cover, who played on it, or even which version of the album your listening to, eg original 1969 album/2017 remastered version? I contacted them and they said they had no plans to add any of that as you could find all the info on the web.

Spotify – Very easily “spotted” as the worst sounding by a fair margin, so no need to say more. Their HD services might be more competitive.

Qobuz – Almost as good as Deezer in sound quality, but tells you stuff about the Composer/discography/band history etc, without having to leave the App. Also doesn't just concentrate on Pop/Rock, has a good selection of Jazz/Classical/World music.

Qobuz seems to do it for me, there are others, but you will have to try these and make your own mind up.
Integrating your streaming service into your audio player App can have mixed results as well.
I tried Qobuz from within Kodi as an add on, but this did not sound as good as the Qobuz desk top App, which makes me think they are using the inferior web player. Used from within the Audirvana A+ Player it integrates seamlessly and sounds awesome, best digital experience I have had on my set up.

[gninnam]

Spotify - Using it for years
Happy with the GUI, then sound, the choice and the cost.

[AJSki2fly]

Streaming Services
Which one.....?
Most forum discussions center on the GUI and not on the sound.
Being digital, shouldn't they all sound the same right.....?
My experience, for what ever reason, is that the sound they produce varies considerably.
I've tried a few and found that in every case, their desktop Apps for my laptop (Windows 10), sounded better than their web based players.
I tested the most basic service from each company, not HD, but it was still very listenable and almost CD quality to the ear if not by specification. Streaming MP3 at 320 kbps:

Deezer – Best sound quality, but interface only caries the most basic info about what's playing. No info on who wrote the track if it was a cover, who played on it, or even which version of the album your listening to, eg original 1969 album/2017 remastered version? I contacted them and they said they had no plans to add any of that as you could find all the info on the web.

Spotify – Very easily “spotted” as the worst sounding by a fair margin, so no need to say more. Their HD services might be more competitive.

Qobuz – Almost as good as Deezer in sound quality, but tells you stuff about the Composer/discography/band history etc, without having to leave the App. Also doesn't just concentrate on Pop/Rock, has a good selection of Jazz/Classical/World music.

Qobuz seems to do it for me, there are others, but you will have to try these and make your own mind up.
Integrating your streaming service into your audio player App can have mixed results as well.
I tried Qobuz from within Kodi as an add on, but this did not sound as good as the Qobuz desk top App, which makes me think they are using the inferior web player. Used from within the Audirvana A+ Player it integrates seamlessly and sounds awesome, best digital experience I have had on my set up.

Interesting, for me it’s mainly about sound quality, so it has to be at least CD SQ when listening at home. But can accept less when out. IMO Audvirana seems to get the best from what’s streamed, although I haven’t trialed ROON yet which is pricey.

[willbewill]

Spotify because it works on everything I have...TV, Vortexbox, Phone, RPis and I get it free with my phone deal.