[Madeupword]

  Anyone having pauses between tracks?

 
 

Yes. Everyone.

 
Well good news, with the apparent server upgrade to Amazon & Akamai, there's no longer pauses between tracks.
 
Streaming is very fluid and the Support is understanding and responsive.
 
If Apple were to join in on such service, it'll be awesome for one working within an Apple eco-system.
 
For now, apart from missing albums, Tidal's in my good books.

 

[volly]

Free for 30 days, then they start charging the card.  But they want the card info up front.  Actually reasonable if you can cancel easily...and you can, I did cancel due to bad streaming problems, took at most 2 min.  I also signed up again once it was clear the streaming issue had been resolved.  

So yes, free for something under 30 days, since you need to cancel or get charged after 30 days.  

Personally speaking, this process is ass-backwards. Never give your banking details unless you are 100% sure on what you want. Thus a 30 day free trial should be just that! I was suspicious about this service before and now they lost me! Also read the FAQ on the site, supposedly you may receive a 2 dollar charge but apparently you get that refunded! Just saying.

 

[elvergun]

Personally speaking, this process is ass-backwards. Never give your banking details unless you are 100% sure on what you want. Thus a 30 day free trial should be just that! I was suspicious about this service before and now they lost me! Also read the FAQ on the site, supposedly you may receive a 2 dollar charge but apparently you get that refunded! Just saying.

 
You could create a new email address every time your 30 days are up and join again...if all it took was an email address (and a fake name and a fake address).  Companies  ask for a credit card so they can verify your identity...so you don't join again and again.  You are right about not giving your banking details unless you are sure though.

 

[pervysage]

Personally speaking, this process is ass-backwards. Never give your banking details unless you are 100% sure on what you want. Thus a 30 day free trial should be just that! I was suspicious about this service before and now they lost me! Also read the FAQ on the site, supposedly you may receive a 2 dollar charge but apparently you get that refunded! Just saying.

 
 

   
You could create a new email address every time your 30 days are up and join again...if all it took was an email address (and a fake name and a fake address).  Companies  ask for a credit card so they can verify your identity...so you don't join again and again.  You are right about not giving your banking details unless you are sure though.

 
Companies have been doing the whole "gimme credit card details" before being able to do a free trial for ages... don't see why it's a shock to anyone, heh. And yes, the reason elvergun mentioned is probably one of the main reasons they do that. Another reason is also making money off those forgetful people who don't realize in time and get their credit card charged.

 

[obsidyen]

What comments in particular?

 
http://www.thefader.com/2015/04/01/the-full-transcript-of-jay-zs-qa-at-the-clive-davis-institute-of-recorded-music
 
Just read this interview. It's full of ********.
 

   
 
Yeah, but nobody knows what the bitrate Apple will offer.   It will be cheaper, but will it be better?   Are you just cutting off your nose to spite your face?

 
I can always subscribe to Qobuz or Deezer Elite if I see the need. That said, I think both Spotify and Apple will have lossless (in flac/alac format) service in the future, it's inevitable. Besides there wasn't enough electronic/dance music on Tidal which was a dealbreaker. All the tracks on their playlists were either hiphop or American indie which are two genres that I can't usually stand.
 
Apple will probably have a much bigger electronic/EDM portfolio. There's already news many record companies and huge artists want to work with them. I only liked Daft Punk among the artists at that stupid marketing event and I can buy their CDs if they decide to release the new tracks solely on Tidal which I assume they won't have the courage to, as it will alienate their fanbase. There's already a lot of hate for "new" Tidal, the kind of hate that doesn't exist for other streaming platforms.

 

[voxie]

+1 on the above, My own thoughts... Have been using Qobuz since it launched and found that it perfectly suites my needs re content and sq. Was interested in Tidal until the marketing sh.t and sales pitches took over! Hey, all i want is bang for my buck without the hype, thats why i am staying with Qobuz. Ok it does has its flaws, nothings perfect, right? it reminds me of a high end set of headphones that just does everything without fuss. 

 

[Zojokkeli]

As long as the marketing and sales pitches aren't negatively affecting the service, I don't get the hate. It's just marketing...

 

[zilch0md]

As long as the marketing and sales pitches aren't negatively affecting the service, I don't get the hate. It's just marketing...

Yes!

The marketing has no impact whatsoever on what's streaming into my ears. Is the experience worth the cost of subscription? That's the only question that concerns me.

 

[voxie]

Agree...Its just marketing. Every product needs to be sold to survive. Just wondering who are they selling it to? Would a madonna fan know what FLAC actually means? Maybe thats been a bit disingenuous but i thought the usp of tidal was hi-res streaming to compete with Spotify. Its not hate, but when i see "celebs" suddenly jump and endorse a product i loose interest. 

 

[jazzfan]

This is an update to my prior post on using the Squeezebox Touch with Tidal.

04/04/15 Update

After using the Squeezebox Touch with Tidal for several days, I've elected to abandon the Squeezebox Touch with Tidal, and use my iPhone to stream to an Apply TV connected to my HT system.  The SBTouch interface is unusable for all but the most basic playback features of Tidal. I found the iPhone/Apple TV combination to be much more versatile, with essentially the same functionality as the Chrome web browser client. The primitive SBTouch interface is very limited. For example, it provides no access to the Artist Radio or Track Radio functions that are available with the iPhone app. What may be obvious to others was a huge revelation for me. The Squeezebox Touch, which I've enjoyed using for years, is severely constrained by its legacy interface.  The interface places the SBTouch at a significant disadvantage when compared directly to the contemporary mobile interface of the iPhone/Apple TV combination. In my view, the primitive interface coupled with the fact that I must run LMS on my PC (at least as of this writing) makes the SBTouch an unacceptable platform for exploring the full functionality of Tidal.

As far as the Tidal service, the sound quality has been adequate, and I've really only had a few minor buffering issues. Even though, not all tracks from all artists are available, the subscription cost seems fair based on the vast amount of music that is accessible. Of course, I wish all artist catalogs were 100% complete, but I'm hopeful this deficiency will improve over time.

I've always paid for music because I believe it's important that artists are compensated for their contributions. Although I must admit I've always been a bit envious of others who've been able to amass terabytes of music through other means.  But now, with Tidal, artists can be paid and I have access to more CD quality music than I could ever listen to in a lifetime - all at a reasonable cost... really not a bad deal when you think about it.  My decision to use the Tidal service is, of course, a personal choice.

As with all things on the Internet, the music streaming service landscape will continue to evolve.  As it does, so will my choice of providers which is why, at this time, I'm considering leaving a paid Pandora subscription for Tidal. In the end, I hope a balance can be struck between artists being fairly compensated for their efforts, and consumers having unlimited direct access to personalized music libraries much like it was from an earlier time when we only had shiny black discs.

Addendum
As I'm writing, I'm listening to Tidal via my iPhone. While I understand what I'm using is by no means an "ultimate" portable rig, I'm still in awe of the sound I'm able to hear today from a mere phone based portable rig (iPhone5 w/Anker external battery pack--> Geek Out 450 --> HD800). Good times indeed.

 

[bmichels]

does someone know when TIDAL (or QOBUZ) streaming will be available on LUMIN servers ? 

 

[zilch0md]

Hey jazzfan,
 
I find your comments especially appealing on a couple of points:
 
Quote:

[snip]

I've always paid for music because I believe it's important that artists are compensated for their contributions. Although I must admit I've always been a bit envious of others who've been able to amass terabytes of music through other means.  But now, with Tidal, artists can be paid and I have access to more CD quality music than I could ever listen to in a lifetime - all at a reasonable cost... really not a bad deal when you think about it.  My decision to use the Tidal service is, of course, a personal choice.

[snip]

As I'm writing, I'm listening to Tidal via my iPhone. While I understand what I'm using is by no means an "ultimate" portable rig, I'm still in awe of the sound I'm able to hear today from a mere phone based portable rig (iPhone5 w/Anker external battery pack--> Geek Out 450 --> HD800). Good times indeed.

 
First, I think you've hit on why so many people think $20 a month is expensive.  It's not seen as expensive to people who've been paying for their music all along. Good for you!
 

 
Thanks to Tidal, I'm all but completely done with buying CDs, going through the ritual of ripping them, and then adding them to the huge stack in my closet. Not a month went by when I didn't purchase at least one CD, but that was rare. I averaged more like three CDs a month and there were times when I would get five or six CDs in a single order.  
 
In other words, before Tidal, I was spending a lot more than $20 a month on 44/16 content.
 
My last CD purchase was the Dire Straits "Dire Straits" album, which arrived during my Tidal trial period. I still haven't opened that CD. I should have returned it, but I just added it to my collection in the closet!  
 

 

Spoiler: Somewhat off-topic discussion of jazzfan's portable rig for Tidal streaming

 
Regarding your "portable" rig - I'm also impressed. You've left the plantation in search of good sound - sacrificing convenience for quality - which totally rings my bell.
 

 
I've not heard the Geek Out yet, but it seems everyone thinks they sound great with the HD800.  Are you using a CCK and a USB "Y" cable to supply the GO 450 with only data from the CCK and power from the Anker battery pack?   If so, which USB "Y" cable did you get for this purpose?  And which Anker pack are using?
 
Can you post a picture of this contraption?  I know it won't be pretty (except maybe to my eyes.)  

 
[size=1em]I was a beta tester for the OPPO HA-2, which makes getting even Hi-Res content off of an iPhone very convenient and tidy - smaller package, fewer cables - but its amp section doesn't offer as much power as even the GO 450, much less the GO 1000, and even though the OPPO HA-2 uses the same ES9018KM2 DAC as the Geek Out, I do [/size][size=1em]not [/size][size=1em]like the way it sounds with the HD800 - it's too bright and has that same ESS "glare" and brittle treble that I hear in most other 9023 and 9018 implementations. Add to that the very neutral, Class AB amp section of the HA-2 and it just doesn't work well with the HD800.[/size]
 
Again, having not heard a Geek Out, I suspect it's the warmth of the GO amp section that is responsible for its success with the HD800, but perhaps it's also a matter of LH Labs' implementation of the ES9018MK2.  I would love to hear your comments on this (especially if you've done any Line Out testing with the GO to a known-to-be-neutral amp.)

 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[NoxNoctum]

I'm streaming right now and I notice that sometimes when I click around on a track I get a sharp hiss/click sound -- I'm not risking doing any damage to my gear am I? What's causing this? Never seen it with foobar, spotify or Amazon's player.

 

[Billheiser]

   
http://www.thefader.com/2015/04/01/the-full-transcript-of-jay-zs-qa-at-the-clive-davis-institute-of-recorded-music
 
Just read this interview. It's full of ********.
 

Wow, I read the interview, and am very impressed.  Jay Z and Ms. Schogel are thoughtful, professional, and dedicated.  It's the opposite of ******, they give a very nice perspective and the business model will give artists/performers/writers more involvement and control over their music, and higher royalty rates.  The music "industry" has always tended to step on the musicians, it's good to hear that Tidal is being built differently.
Good to see their rationale for the 2 tiers of service ($10 for lossy, like Spotify and others) and $20 for full resolution/hi fi.  Makes sense, and I also appreciate their stance that music is unfairly devalued when people expect to get it for free.

 

[jazzfan]

...
 
Somewhat off-topic discussion of jazzfan's portable rig for Tidal streaming (Click to show)  

 
I'll send you a PM on this.