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PoliticallyIncorrect ,
@PoliticallyIncorrect@lemmy.world avatar

Anyone in the US can confirm if Tidal it’s free there?

knobbysideup ,
@knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works avatar

As a stand alone service I don’t think it is great, but feeding into Plex + Plexamp makes it awesome.

Tidal integrates with Plex local libraries seamlessly. Itslike having your own collections without having to rip or download anything.

deweydecibel ,

I’ve been using Deezer for a while, but I’ve been looking to move to something else after they absolutely mutilated their UI and actively insulted any paying customer that complained.

Tidal seems like a good choice. I just dread the day they, too, get caught up in current trend chasing and redesign their app to look like a bubbly toy to hook the kids.

ominouslemon OP , (edited )

Qobuz has the most beautiful and serious-looking UI I’ve tried, I really love it. But I had to stop using it because there is no lyrics integration and some of my favorite (admittedly obscure) music was not there. But the UI is spectacular, especially on desktop.

Tidal’s interface is simply good, nothing more and nothing less, and it’s a more mature product overall with more features

accideath ,

Try apple music. Also has lossless audio for the same price and has a great app, even on android and it does have a pretty good lyrics integration.

Only on non Apple Desktops it’s a bit lacking since your choice is either the ancient iTunes or the web app

ardi60 ,
@ardi60@reddthat.com avatar

if you want cross platform from major platforms such windows macos Linux,IOS and Android. Spotify is the best

atx_aquarian ,
@atx_aquarian@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve felt like Tidal has behaved exactly like Spotify in my use so far (which has only been a couple of months). I was doing side-by-side comparison of playing, adding to the queue, inserting next in queue, etc., and it all seemed to behave exactly the same.

edit: Oh, yeah, I only compared Windows, Mac, and Android.

noodlejetski ,

I just ended up installing Deemix and moving my library to offline storage.

astreus ,

Been using tidal ever since Spotify’s Joe Rogan debacle. Main reason? They actually pay the artist. But the sound quality is a nice bonus as well! No regrets…other than people trying to share music with me by sending a spotify link!

aleph , (edited )
@aleph@lemm.ee avatar

They still don’t pay the artists all that much. No streaming services do.

If you genuinely want to support artists financially, you should buy their music outright through online stores like Bandcamp or Qobuz.

astreus ,

It’s true, but at least half the artists I listen to I would never have found if it weren’t for streaming. Something is, after all, better than nothing.

And compared to the competition, Tidal’s payments are good:

~30% more than Apple Music (0.01c)

~300% more than Spotify (0.003 - 0.005c)

~500% more than Soundcloud (0.0025c)

~1000% more than Pandora (0.00133c)

aleph ,
@aleph@lemm.ee avatar

Sure, but even 300% of a tiny amount is still a tiny amount. People shouldn’t be kidding themselves that Tidal pays artists well when the compensation is still significantly less than if you buy an artist’s music directly.

The best approach is to use both - streaming for discovery and online stores for when you find an artists you really like and want to support them financially.

astreus ,

If I had the money to pay for music twice I would 😅

Squizzy ,

Man fuck Joe Rogan, basic boring prick

jetsetdorito ,

I really liked Deezer a few years ago, I thought about trying it again but saw the new UI and was like wtf

wolfruff ,

Deezer is still great because you can upload personal music to your account and I find they have alot more music available than every other service Ive tried.

Not to mention they pay the artists better and hifi is automatically included too so. I went from Spotify > YT Music > Deezer and I am very happy. The UI is not as bad as everyone makes it, imo the icons are just a little uglier in some places thats it.

mellowheat ,

Awesome! I’ve been enjoying Tidal for a few months now, and now that it’s starting to learn what I like, I’m starting to like its recommendations as well.

Here’s hoping they keep staying on the relatively good side.

Muffi ,

Have they added podcast support to Tidal yet?

Deadful ,
@Deadful@lemmy.world avatar

God I hope not!

ripcord ,
@ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

Why not?

Like I don’t see the point of them adding it, either. But why would it be so bad?

hightrix ,

I’m not the OP, but when Spotify added these is made the user experience worse.

I used Spotify for music and only music. So seeing a row or two of podcasts inserted before music was really annoying. Getting podcast recommendations was also annoying. If they would have let me just opt out of seeing podcasts, there would not have been any issues. But they didn’t.

I don’t use Spotify anymore.

ripcord ,
@ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

Thanks, makes sense!

Edit: ha, I got downvoted by a bunch of peolle for asking a question, apparently

hightrix ,

People here are weird. I tend to just ignore the votes.

Deadful ,
@Deadful@lemmy.world avatar

For the record, I wasn’t one of those people. I prefer to have a dialogue over punishing people for having an opinion, unless that opinion is harmful in some way.

Deadful ,
@Deadful@lemmy.world avatar

Of course I’m just speaking for myself, but I personally have several reasons for not wanting podcasts in the app (when I say podcasts I’m mainly talking about the video verity.)

The main reason is because I am on a family plan and my middle school daughter uses the app for music. We used to have Spotify, but when they added podcasts essentially it became a video streaming free for all and I would find my daughter watching “podcasts” that were just people shouting profanity over video game streams and tik tok compilations. On top of being young, she has a neurological disability and Spotify turning the social media faucet on full blast was more than she could handle. She was sneaking to watch these videos instead of doing her school work and sleeping and it was really starting to affect her life. We switched to Tidal because it did not have those features and she went through some withdrawal but she is much healthier now that she’s back to just jamming to music.

That ties into another point which is that nowadays anyone can throw a video together and call it a podcast regardless of the quality or content. Setting aside that I already have 8 different ways to watch this content on various audio and video streaming apps as it is, including podcasts on Tidal feels like a complete diversion from their marketing strategy of being the place to go for the very highest quality music. The small number of in-house music focused shows they feature now fit the brand well and I think they would lose their identity if they change that.

I could go on but this reply is long enough.

DarkNightoftheSoul ,
@DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

This is just an ad read.

ominouslemon OP ,

You don’t know the Verge, perhaps

This is just a good news and they are reporting it as such

DarkNightoftheSoul ,
@DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

I am too familiar with this gaudy website and its concept of journalism.

ominouslemon OP ,

Ok. So journalistically, the key points to get across here are:

  • Tidal is changing its subscriptions plans
  • They are now cheaper
  • That’s pretty unique since literally everyone else on the planet is increasing prices, not lowering them

How would you have reported the news? Would you have done something differently?

conciselyverbose ,

Not.

It’s not news.

cosmic_slate ,
@cosmic_slate@dmv.social avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    conciselyverbose ,

    Nothing can make it news.

    There is no presentation that can turn an article about a price drop into anything but an ad.

    rickyrigatoni ,

    imagine i am hitting you with a newspaper

    aalvare2 ,

    What about a price hike? If Netflix or Spotify increased their prices, would that be news?

    ripcord ,
    @ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

    Yes because things are only allowed to ever be bad.

    qjkxbmwvz , (edited )

    Yes, it is. It may not be interesting to you, but it is (as others said) noteworthy when a company bucks the trend of the industry.

    This type of story is business journalism — it’s not world news or politics, but it’s still news. And the article isn’t as rosy as the headline — they are still upcharging for the HiFi service if you used the DJ Integration feature (no idea what this is, I don’t use Tidal), and they’re axing military and first responder discounts.

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    business journalism

    for when you want to legitimize your advertising

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    I would not have reported this advertisement as news. The thing I would have done differently is not be a shill.

    ominouslemon OP ,

    So you’re talking out of your ass. Got it

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    Funny, I feel the same way.

    ominouslemon OP ,

    Hey, at least we agree on something lol

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    That’s a start.

    gofsckyourself ,

    You also feel like you’re talking out of your ass?

    blackwateropeth ,

    This guy is fun at parties

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    Do you have anything to add that isn’t merely insulting? Like, a thought. Do you have any thoughts to share? Inside of your head. do you have any

    blackwateropeth ,

    Yea, that you’re fun at parties.

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    next time you have a thought

    let it go

    blackwateropeth ,

    I don’t think I’m going to let mr. ”bad-take—edgy-2006-gamer-tag-name-guy” tell me what to do. So nah.

    cosmic_slate ,
    @cosmic_slate@dmv.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    DarkNightoftheSoul , (edited )
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    I’m not upset at prices changing, don’t put words in my mouth. I’m disappointed to see an ad here. I don’t care about this Subscription Service (With High-Res Audio and Atmos!), I do care about not being advertised to. If I wanted to know about the price of a service I’d go to the service and competitors directly.

    Fuck this person’s paid opinions.

    cosmic_slate ,
    @cosmic_slate@dmv.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    This is the second time you’ve put words in my mouth to derogate my opinion. I never described myself as surprised, and I can imagine you’re struggling to believe that I am because it isn’t true.

    The verge is an advertisment bureau doing what they do, and I’m not surprised to find them shilling, I’m disappointed to find you (and so many others) actively supporting- no, insisting on being advertised to.

    ThickQuiveringTip ,

    Get over yourself mate.

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    cope

    LucidBoi ,

    insane cope

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    I don’t think you know what that word means.

    ripcord ,
    @ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

    To be miserable somewhere else.

    flumph ,
    @flumph@programming.dev avatar

    Seems like you’re asserting that the article is sponsored content without being disclosed, in violation of FTC guidelines. Seems like a pretty serious claim that borders on libel. Do you have any proof of your allegations?

    DarkNightoftheSoul ,
    @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz avatar

    Take me to court, I’d love to see what a well crafted subpoena would do in discovery.

    Edit: Actually, that’s unironically a great point. I should put in a complaint to the FTC.

    the_post_of_tom_joad ,

    Dude. You have an opinion, huh? shut up with this ridiculous arrogance. You don’t deserve it, and neither do they deserve your haughty tone.

    Provide your opinion next time, without whipping your ego out like a hobo on a train

    robotica ,

    Why are people downvoting this? I sense strong sarcasm

    the_post_of_tom_joad ,

    I appreciate you but no, i was burning him

    ripcord ,
    @ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

    You really weren’t, though.

    the_post_of_tom_joad ,

    Who’re you, kid showbiz?

    ripcord ,
    @ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

    good one

    CptEnder ,

    I use Tidal and love it for HiFi playback. They’re kinda like Criterian for music and take the time to capture high bitrate archival masters. It’s pretty cool.

    qjkxbmwvz ,

    Article specifically calls how they’re axing military and first responder discounts, how you still get upcharged for HiFi if you use their DJ Integration feature, and how they’re nixing the free tier.

    The article is not an advertisement; it contains some good news for consumers and some bad news for consumers. The notable bit is the good news, hence it’s the headline. And it’s notable exactly because it’s good news — most everyone else is raising prices across the board.

    TheTetrapod ,

    I initially upvoted this comment, but since every other comment you’ve made is weird and combative, you’ve somehow made me stop agreeing with you. It’s an odd feeling.

    loics2 ,

    I really wanted to like tidal, but honestly it’s not really good. The search sucks, no offline mode on desktop, no official Linux client, an incomplete catalog…

    It’s not worth it, even if they are the least bad for paying artists.

    jul , (edited )

    honestly it’s not really good

    *for you it isn’t

    the search sucks

    what’s wrong with it? works fine for me

    no offline mode on desktop

    why would you need it? it’s supported on phones, just listen via phone?

    no official Linux client

    Neither does apple music. Tidal are open sourcing their SDK though

    an incomplete catalog

    *for you. for me there isn’t

    It’s not worth it, even if they are the least bad for paying artists

    Again, for you. On paper, tidal is the better option and I rather support artists than some questionable monopolistic corporation

    Stamau123 ,

    Why would you waste your own time with a comment like this?

    jul ,

    What do you mean? I’m interested in his opinion and he wrote it like it was an absolute fact. Poor way to start a discussion imo.

    Railcar8095 ,

    That’s his opinion, that’s the fact for him. How obtuse do you have to be to waste your time like that?

    jul ,

    I’m not arguing against his personal opinions, I’m arguing against his conclusion that tidal is not worth it (for everyone,because that is how it is worded).

    How is it of your concern how I spend my time?

    loics2 ,

    Damn, you’re shilling hard!

    I don’t want to use my phone for basic features like the offline mode, I’m not always connected to the internet on my laptop, that’s it.

    I don’t care about Apple music, and almost every streaming platform provides some kind of SDK. It doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have a Linux client, and probably never will (or at least feature-complete) because they partly use Dolby Atmos, which is a closed-source licensed format.

    And no, even on paper, tidal’s not the better option to support artists. Buy tracks on Bandcamp, buy merch and vinyl directly from artists…

    jul ,

    I’m talking in the context of streaming services here…

    Maybe you’re right with the Linux client part, but I don’t know any other streaming service that does provide one? At least Spotify and Apple Music don’t. Does it make them also not worth it? I would disagree.

    I never said tidal is the best app to support artists. In that regard there is a better option, just give them your money for free. I meant as a streaming service, quality wise and in terms of paying artists, there are no better options.

    What I didn’t like about your OP was the fact that you laid your personal opinions out and then concluded that tidal is not worth it. Doesn’t make me a shill when I answer with counterpoints.

    deweydecibel ,

    Your counterpoints were all basically just “your use case is different than mine therefore you are wrong”.

    jul ,

    No not at all

    Pelicanen ,

    At least Spotify and Apple Music don’t

    Spotify does have an application for Linux, if you’re gonna harp on about facts you should at least stick to them.

    jul ,

    Point taken, guess I remembered it wrong. But if you take a look at the arch wiki, they say that your mentioned client is actually not official.

    This article is mainly about the semi-official, proprietary Spotify for Linux client, which is developed by Spotify’s engineers in their spare time and not actively supported by Spotify.

    deweydecibel ,

    no offline mode on desktop

    why would you need it? it’s supported on phones, just listen via phone?

    So you’re saying this use case works for you??

    jul ,

    Yes!

    bitwolf ,

    You can use Plexamp as a Tidal client. I do this for offline music. Works on desktop too 🙂

    loics2 ,

    Good to know, thanks!

    rbits ,

    Need a Plex server though :/

    Also cost $6.50AUD a month, way too much.

    lud ,

    I don’t think you need a Plex server to use the tidal feature.

    Btw Plexamp seems to be free (with a few restrictions) to everyone now and not just Plex pass subscribers (which admittedly was expensive if you only used Plexamp and didn’t have a life time sub like me)

    Source: www.plex.tv/plex-pass/

    rbits ,

    How do you set it up without a server. I can’t get past this screen

    Plexamp Select a Library screen

    Edit: Also on that web page is says that downloads are locked behind Plex Pass, that’s pretty vital…

    lud ,

    Good question. The website FAQ says that tidal can be used without a webserver but I have never tried it personally.

    rbits ,

    Yeah. The number one reason I won’t subscribe is that if their library is missing a song, you can’t even add it yourself. Both Spotify and Apple Music allow adding your own MP3s, how does Tidal not have that feature?!

    mellowheat ,

    no official Linux client

    github.com/Mastermindzh/tidal-hifi does almost everything well. Unfortunately it cannot stream to other devices via Tidal Connect.

    Pinecone ,

    The limited library was their biggest problem in my opinion. It’s acceptable if you want mainstream, well known artists centered on appealing to North America but there were so many international and independent groups that weren’t on the service. Higher quality streaming is only worth it if you can listen to what you like.

    bitwolf ,

    Tidal also pays artists significantly more than Spotify/ Apple Music. So they’re good-shittifying in both directions 🙂

    Retrograde ,
    @Retrograde@lemmy.world avatar

    Interesting, what is this “reverse enshittification” you speak of

    maxxxxpower ,

    De-shittification?

    Tlaloc_Temporal ,

    I usually call that flushing

    Retrograde ,
    @Retrograde@lemmy.world avatar

    So tidal essentially flushed it’s toilet

    Tikiporch ,

    Wipe-ification?

    Zink ,
    @Zink@pawb.social avatar

    A rare instance of… unshittification?

    ripcord ,
    @ripcord@lemmy.world avatar

    Yeah, like, when services are actually trying to compete for your business. It’s so nice when it (rarely) happens!

    lepinkainen ,

    Don’t forget that Apple Music also pays significantly more than Spotify. Just not as much as Tidal.

    bitwolf ,

    Oh yeah Spotify is definitely the worst in comparison

    Renorc ,

    Tidal may not be the best streamer. It certainly does have its faults. But so do the others mentioned in these comments. For a subscription service to halve their rate is really unheard of. I appreciate it. This is really the type of pricing movement we need after so many years of out of control inflation. I wish Amazon, Disney, and Netflix would do something similar rather than endless cost increases without any improvement in services.

    Moneo ,

    I worry because like every streaming service they’ve slowly been reducing the amount they pay artists. How can they halve customer fees and not pay artists less?

    ominouslemon OP ,

    My guess is that they’ve realized that nobody subscribed to the highest tier, so they’ve incorporated its features into the normal tier, hoping to make it up in volume (I.e. new people subscribing because it’s cheap and it offers more than Spotify). So perhaps they are going to be able to pay artists the same rates

    Deadful ,
    @Deadful@lemmy.world avatar

    As far as I can tell, I’m actually in the vast minority in that I use the service on a family plan and with my DJ gear. Streaming for DJs is being removed from family plans and it now requires me to pay for an individual plan + $9 a month in addition to what I’m already paying for the wife and kids, so I’m thinking about canning it.

    drivepiler ,

    I read the email from Tidal four times and still didn’t believe they weren’t trying to fuck me over. Well, I’ll be damned.

    Deadful ,
    @Deadful@lemmy.world avatar

    As far as I can tell, I’m actually in the vast minority in that I use the service on a family plan and with my DJ gear. Streaming for DJs is being removed from family plans and it now requires me to pay for an individual plan + $9 a month in addition to what I’m already paying for the wife and kids, so I’m thinking about canning it.

    Furedadmins ,

    Spotify really beats everyone at cricket noises when responding to competitors.

    ipkpjersi ,

    Is there a word for the opposite of enshitification?

    arf ,

    goodshitification

    TimeNaan ,

    Deshitification

    jabathekek ,
    @jabathekek@sopuli.xyz avatar

    Normal and sane.

    lud ,

    It’s not normal though.

    Toribor ,
    @Toribor@corndog.social avatar

    engoodening

    tigerjerusalem ,

    I like Tidal because its interface isn’t downright crap. What Spotify did to playlists and to the heart/cross button is so damn annoying.

    filcuk ,

    I love the change. I have many playlists and it has made my life so much easier organising everything.

    tigerjerusalem , (edited )

    How does it work better for you? To me it’s annoying, I cannot easily move folders around anymore, nor move playlists into folders if I’m not using the desktop app.

    Also, the + (former ♥️ button) is the worst offender to me. I used to use the button to add a music to my big “liked” default list, the one that is more permanent, and the three dots to add it to a playlist, which are more fluid. So playlists come and go, and not every song on a playlist is the one i want on my definitive pool of “always wanted” songs.

    Then someone at Spotify decided to say “fuck you users”, and merged the + and three dots, making it harder to know if a song is already in my main “liked” list.

    Say I have a playlist I created, the + button is now a ✅ button. It tells me the song is saved somewhere. I have to tap it to see where, which 1. is completely unintuitive, because tapping a check button would create me the expectation of uncheking it, but it instead shows me a list of playlists! What in the freaking hell? This is decades of UI convention thrown out the windows for a really bad concept.

    And 2, being checked doesn’t mean it’s my favorite song, just that it is saved on some playlist. It’s a mistery, which is only solved by tapping the schizophrenic +/✅ button, instead of simply saying to me “yep, you liked this song”.

    So… Yeah. I hate Spotify.

    rbits ,

    I love it because I never use liked songs (I don’t understand how people do, using the same playlist forever. Do your tastes never change? Idk each to their own).

    So it means 1: I can easily add songs to multiple playlists at once. I have 4 different playlists that I listen to, and sometimes a song fits all 4, and it used to take 12 taps to add it to all 4 (tap dots, tap add, tap playlist, 4 times). Now it only takes 6.

    2: I can now see if the song is already in a playlist. Before the only way was to try adding it to the playlist and see if it warned me of a duplicate.

    3: Now I can see at a glance if it’s added to a playlist. If it’s added to 1 playlist then it’s probably added to all the playlists it needs to be.

    And you can still add songs to your liked songs in 1 tap. I feel like the reason most people dont like it is because it’s a change that they aren’t used to.

    But really, the ideal solution would’ve been if Spotify just added a settings option to change it back to the old way. But Spotify seems to be vehemently opposed to options.

    Also, what’s way worse than the new like button is the stupid “smart shuffle”. I just want to turn off shuffle, but now I have to press it again. And it’s also really buggy, it will often display shuffle as off when it’s really on smart shuffle, so I get unpleasantly surprised with some random song I’ve never heard. I really wish there were third party apps for Spotify, cause the Spotify app kinda sucks

    tigerjerusalem ,

    Funny how it is, the smart shuffle is something I actually like because, when I’m in the mood, it brings something new to the table.

    rbits ,

    Yeah I just wish there was a toggle.

    Also didn’t they have a thing like smart shuffle before, it was just called radio. But they seem to have removed it and replaced it with smart shuffle for playlists. I can only see the radio option for albums. That was better, because then it only did it when I wanted it.

    lud ,

    I use liked songs exclusively. I mostly use shuffle but I also unlike and like songs that I rediscover in my enormous (≈5000 songs) liked list so the songs end up at the top.

    So the songs at the top are the songs that I am listening to currently. If I want something I haven’t heard in a while I just scroll down or use (the suboptimal) shuffle.

    Unliking and liking used to be two clicks but now It’s 4 or 6 depending on the song and if it’s in another playlist or not.

    I can’t understand why they couldn’t just add two buttons. Modern devices have plenty of screen real estate.

    When they tried this last time people got outraged any they rolled back the change. Now Spotify is going ahead anyways.

    rbits ,

    Also what is the change to playlists? I wasn’t aware Spotify had folders. Did they remove them?

    Edit: Nevermind they’re still there. What did they change?

    resetbypeer ,

    Actually this is a good deal. Curation on tidal is good, meaning they have cool playlists handpicked by people. In the past when I used it it was with questionable MQA encoding, which had a lot of controversy. But 24/192khz flac, If you care about audio quality is a better offer than Qobuz.

    Can’t go wrong for the price. But I think the main driver should be audio quality. Because FLAC files (esp 24/192khz) can be very data hungry, for those who use it mobile only. So you need to be careful with that. You can use lower sample rates and higher bitrate mp3 as well if my memory serves well. But that defeats a bit the purpose of what Tidal stands for

    aleph ,
    @aleph@lemm.ee avatar

    But 24-bit audio is useless for playback. The difference is literally inaudible. In fact, the application of dynamic range compression during the mixing/mastering process has a far greater impact on perceptible audio quality than sample rate or bitrate does (the placebo effect notwithstanding).

    If you care about audio quality, seek out album masters and music that is well-recorded and not dynamically crushed to oblivion. The bitrate isn’t really all that important, in the greater scheme of things.

    resetbypeer ,

    I partially agree with you. Yes mixing and mastering is far more important than bitrate. However if I let my gf listen to a identical song both in normal 16/44khz and 24 bit version, she can hear difference. Now is it night and day ? Not always, but subtle Improvement can matter when enjoying music.

    aleph , (edited )
    @aleph@lemm.ee avatar

    Literally the only difference between 16 bit and 24 bit is that the latter has a lower noise floor, which is really only useful for sound production - It doesn’t translate to any increase in meaningful detail or dynamic range when dealing with playback.

    16-bit was chosen as the defacto standard for CDs and digital music precisely because it contains more than enough dynamic range for human hearing.

    Any difference your gf hears is due to the placebo effect rather than any inherent difference in the actual audio.

    prole ,

    Anyone who has ever heard a 128kbps mp3 side-by-side with a 320kbps (or really anything above 192kbps in my experience) version can tell you that bitrate definitely matters. The better audio equipment you play it through, the more noticeable it is.

    It definitely becomes inaudible at a certain point, but back in my CD ripping days, I’d scoff at anything below 192kbps

    aleph ,
    @aleph@lemm.ee avatar

    Have you ever done an actual double blind listening test? You’d be surprised. Even with good listening equipment it can be very challenging.

    Have a go on the 128 kbps AAC test on this page and see how you do:

    abx.digitalfeed.net/spotify.html

    prole ,

    I have, yes.

    aleph ,
    @aleph@lemm.ee avatar

    Presumably it was using an older/outdated codec then. With modern encoders, especially with codecs like Opus, Ogg, and Apple’s AAC, the vast majority of listeners find 128kbps to be transparent, and certainly nowhere near night-and-day when compared to lossless.

    Check out the results of this public listening test here:

    listening-test.coresv.net/results.htm

    datendefekt ,
    @datendefekt@lemmy.ml avatar

    That writeup from Xiph is excellent. The comparison with adding ultraviolet and infrared to video makes so much sense. But you’re dealing with audiophiles who seriously consider getting hi-end power and ethernet cables. I read somewhere that there was a listening test with speakers connected with hanger wire - and audiophiles couldn’t tell.

    In the end, it’s all physics. I could never hear a quality improvement beyond normal 16bit, 320kbps, no matter how demanding the music.

    aleph ,
    @aleph@lemm.ee avatar

    As a recovering audiophile, I can safely say the hobby is heavily based around FOMO (the nagging doubt that something, somewhere, in your audio chain is causing a loss of audio quality), and digital audio is no exception. Not only is 320kbps more than enough, even with $1000s worth of equipment, but with codecs more efficient than MP3 (especially Opus), even 128kbps can be good enough to sound identical to lossless.

    If you have plenty of local storage then 16-bit FLAC is ideal, but if you are just streaming then you really don’t need a lossless service except to keep the FOMO at bay.

    EndHD ,

    The headline sounded good but the article lists a lot of negatives too. They’re removing discounts for veterans/first responders, they recently laid off 10% of staff, and their price now matches Amazon and Apple. So don’t mistake this for good intention; this is just a business’ survival instincts taking over.

    deweydecibel ,

    their price now matches Amazon and Apple

    That’s a negative?

    So don’t mistake this for good intention; this is just a business’ survival instincts taking over.

    A business made a business decision, yes. Your point?

    jacktherippah ,

    Still not available in my country. Sadge.

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