On June 3rd, music streaming service Tidal updated its Android aop, which in my extensive testing over the weekend resolves a catastrophic bug that skips songs. The previous version jumped tracks before they finished playing on my Nexus 6 or 9. Last week, the lossless listening provider acknowledged the problem. The fix is in, and I am satisfied.
Tidal delivers HiFi streaming—1411kbps Free Lossless Audio Codec—at the premium price of $19.99 per month. For a music streaming charging more, about double other paid service competitors, the glitch was inexcusable. I first reported the erratic behavior nearly a month ago.
I started subscribing on April 1st (please, don’t call me a fool for the date) and really enjoy the listening experience. I concede that not everyone will hear, or even prefer, the Tidal sound. We often like what we are accustomed to.
I most certainly can hear profound subtleties, particularly instruments like cymbals. It’s the highs where I detect the differences—fine details. There is also, at least to my aged ears, a purity—a clarity—that is distinct from lower bitrate AAC- or MPEG-encoded music. However, people demanding and accustomed to mushier, bassier sound may feel Tidal tracks sound flat.
Then there is Apple Music, which debuted earlier today. While not lossless, just about everything else is super exciting. Hey, the naming convention is what I predicted and therefore foreshadowing. The service launches June 30th, which would be my last day with Tidal should I not want to pay for another month. I am tempted to trade the joys of lossless listening for other benefits that another post will identify.