![]() ![]() In my opinion, Tidal’s extensive catalogue, CD-quality streams, and growing library of high-res Masters tracks makes it an easy sell for music fans. While HDtracks does offer the larger library of high-res files, Tidal has a significantly larger music catalogue - all of it available to stream in lossless CD-quality with a HIFi-level subscription. I wouldn’t define quality strictly in terms of resolution, however. So, to answer your question, Tidal and HDtracks currently offer similar quality levels - if you listen to Tidal Masters tracks using the company’s desktop app, that is. ![]() If your computer is connected to an MQA-certified DAC, however, you’ll get the option to hear select albums with even higher resolution. When played with the desktop app, resolution for Masters tracks tops out at 24-bit/96kHz. To hear these in high-res, you’ll need a Tidal HIFI account and also use the company’s desktop app for playback. Tidal, too, provides a limited library of tracks with better-than-CD resolution, which are streamed using MQA technology and can be found under the Masters tab in the Tidal app. It allows you to stream lossless CD quality (16-bit/44. Tidal HiFi Plus may be the most expensive of all the services, and while it offers hi-res and Dolby Atmos mixes, it recently had another. ![]() The resolution for HDtracks downloads generally ranges from 24-bit/44.1kHz up to 24-bit/192kHz. Hi-Fi: 10, £10, AU15 HiFi Plus: 20, £20, AU24. The extra stuff is in bits above 16 at least. No, only the supersonic frequencies are lossy in MQA, the base 16/44, the 'HiFi', is in there losslessly. To access the lossless, 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD-quality) streams that the service also provides, you’ll need to double-down on a $19.99/month Tidal HIFI sub. Well, 'Master' is lossy, while Hifi is lossless. While you’d think that a subscription labeled as “Premium” would offer the best quality, Tidal’s $9.99/month Premium sub only lets you stream music in a compressed format (320kbps AAC). Timothy HatfieldĪ First, let’s review the various subscription tiers offered by Tidal. (HDtracks downloads had slightly better clarity, perhaps?) I’m also wondering if one service offers higher resolution than the other. Here’s my question: Which has better sound quality, music downloaded from HDtracks or streamed from Tidal? I did listening comparisons using the same songs from each service but couldn’t tell a difference. Tidal is just a platform or app which audio is being streamed from. More recently, I took the plunge on a Premium subscription from music streaming service Tidal. Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at In the early days of high-res audio, I downloaded loads of music from HDtracks and played it on my laptop with JRiver Media Center. ![]()
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