Tidal: The Test, Can you really hear a difference?

Vincent Kars said:
You won't find a WAV file on a CD, its format is CD-DA.
Although the content is uncompressed PCM just like WAV or AIFF it won't play on your PC.
If you don't believe this, drag the content from a CD to your HD and check if it plays :)

Tidal doesn't claim it streams WAV. It claims to stream lossless audio.
If they stream e.g. FLAC (lossless compression) their claim is correct.
Click to expand...

Correct. I can record in either format (WAV, CD-DA, FLAC).
 
Zero said:
Here's what originally confuzzled me: Tidal is claiming to offer CD-quality streaming. A big part of their 'shtick' revolves around this selling point. So when I read that, I automatically assume that when you buy into Tidal's premium "Hi-Fi" service, you'll be listening to the same exact .WAV files that are on the retail discs. A straight up mirrored copy of the original file. Sure that approach would soak up lots of bandwidth, but it's the price we pay for quality, right? Well that, and apparently $20 a month.

So you could imagine my surprise when I learn that their A/B test - which is not only designed to help sell their product, but also represents their very credo - fails to utilize either a .WAV file or the mp3/ogg files that their competitors use. I mean, what the actual lump? Am I missing something here?
Click to expand...

When the white "HIFI" is illuminated in a TIDAL interface (Chrome, iOS, Android, Mac OSX, Windows 8), the guarantee from Tidal is the audio bit rate, when played back, is 1,411.2 kbit/s. The files could be previously contained in a FLAC format. Perhaps to save space, remember FLAC is a lossless encoding.

Retail discs do not have .WAV files on them-

In a process called ripping, digital audio extraction software can be used to read CD-DA audio data and store it in files. Common audio file formats for this purpose include WAV and AIFF, which simply preface the LPCM data with a short header; FLAC, ALAC, and Windows Media Audio Lossless, which compress the LPCM data in ways that conserve space yet allow it to be restored without any changes; and various lossy, perceptual coding formats like MP3 and AAC, which modify and compress the audio data in ways that irreversibly change the audio, but that exploit features of human hearing to make the changes difficult to discern.
Click to expand...

Read more Compact Disc Digital Audio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
MusicDirector said:
I personally don't feel the need for an ad supported version in on-demand streaming services, but that's just me.
Well, with most people having busy schedules and not working from home 7 days is clearly not enough. 30 days would be more than sufficient in my book. That way one has at least 2 to 3 weeks to evaluate and can cancel in time if the service doesn't fit their needs or desires without worrying about hassle with card charges and auto-subscriptions.

Well, lots of names here of 4 digit dacs to look into, but none for non-audiophiles like myself. A DAC is something I do need to work on soon though, but that's a whole other show as they say.
Click to expand...

Eric- I am not an Audiophile or any "phile" as it's, in my mind, pejorative. I think we're passionate about music and will spend money in our passion in order to enjoy music even more.

You can start a new thread and I would be happy to comment there about helping you find the DAC that meets your standards and willingness to pay.
 
Welp. Egg. Face. You know that whole deal... That's what happens when you totally sleep through Digital Formats 101. Will gladly accept the dunce cap now. :D
 
Hi Vincent. So your the one behind "the Well-tempered Computer I just found out! I need to start reading your site, I'm going to learn a lot from you. Thanks for popping in.:wave: Looking forward.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top