Apple Music vs. TIDAL: Features, Sound Quality, Dolby Atmos Comparison, & More!

[@SoundGuys]

We're curious: Which streaming service are YOU using right now and why? Let us know in the comments!

[@artfartzy]

Im using Tidal, sadly some albums sounds way lower than they should, and albums even have different sound level between the songs, so I have to adjust the volume all the time. Most are fine though but there are some that doesnt have the same quality as the real physical cd I own when I compare it with Tidals upload.

[@phillipsalaises2782]

Qobuz and Tidal are the most used because they are supported ttp there full audio potential through steaming devices like Denon Home , Bluesound which are going to high quality speakers, and through surround sound were Dolby Atmos is in its truest for with at least 6 speakers minimum.

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

Having tried TIDAL and Apple Music there were swings and roundabouts. In the end I went for Apple Music to use on my A&K player with wired IEMs, on android and iOS wired. However, you can’t go wrong with either and both are way better than Spotify!

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

the issue is that spotify has spotify connect and now jam, which is annoying because they're super useful features

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Apple Music is not lossless on Mac or PC

[@TheQuangBang]

The biggest drawback with Apple is, your music library will disappear if you switch your iCloud account to another country, and this is NON REVERSIBLE and IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOVER!

[@georgekwong]

Ever since I switched over to tidal ive been able to find so many new songs. I hope TIDAL works on its UI abit more.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

It also has exclusive mode for lossless on Mac or PC. Many people including the reviewer don't know Apple Music is lossy on Mac or PC.

[@georgekwong]

I agree. Ive noticed that tidals app is so smooth on my pc and mac. Im all for it. Go tidal folks.

[@SaveMeAzathoth]

As an album listener, a little disappointed that "discovery" is taken to mean "playlists". A big part of why Apple Music works well for me is the quality of its album recommendations (which are what dominate the home screen, not playlists).

[@alextechtai]

is this verified? i travel frequently to different countries and have to switch between two territories in order to download local apps.

[@aaronaustrie]

I currently use Amazon Music along with Spotify. Apple Music doesn’t work for me. I can’t seem to understand the app

[@harishprabu5610]

I have s24 ultra and samsung buds 3 pro in which both UHQ(24 bit 96khz) audio and spatial audio are supported. So can I take full advantage of Apple's lossless audio, dolby atmos and spatial audio in my buds3 pro despite not having an apple device?

[@KJP-dv2uj]

Your headphones need a wired connection with a built in DAC to take full advantage of lossless audio on Apple Music. Even if you have an Apple device with Apple AirPods Pro or even Max, you still cannot get full lossless. I use the Focal Bathys and now the new Beoplay H100 and it sounds amazing, but pricey. The Apple Support page confirms no lossless/hi res audio over Bluetooth.

[@harishprabu5610]

@@KJP-dv2uj I get it. Would there be a difference in sound quality compared to spotify, ytmusic?

[@Littlebrownchicken]

@@KJP-dv2ujthe AirPods Pro with usb-c support lossless audio via Bluetooth. Maybe it’s only on apple products idk.

[@KJP-dv2uj]

@@Littlebrownchicken That is only claimed on the Apple Vision Pro. The Apple support page is clear. The reason why the claim it for that product is that they say that because the AirPods Pro are always so close to the device - they are always in your ears as it is always on your head - then Bluetooth supports lossless as the latency survives over that very short distance. Even that claim is contended. But it is clear Apple says it I only works with this device.

[@Littlebrownchicken]

@@KJP-dv2uj ah okay

[@gtuz9919]

2:39 the atmos version is actually there you just have to go to the artist then scan through the popular songs. The atmos mixes are normally found at the bottom of the list of you scroll down

[@redbizredbiz6713]

One thing that most don't mention about Apple is that the subscription also includes a separate classical app which is really good if you're into Classical music. I listen to a very wide variety of music from classical to house to jazz and rock. But deep diving into classical music requires a different format for searching and Apple has built an amazing app which does that.

[@NickVL_2]

TIDAL. One of the Best streaming services with HiFi and HiRes FLAC plus Dolby Atmos.

[@gtrmusic69]

It's Qobuz all the way. Apple music and Tidal don't even compare.

[@aleksiz15]

Anything is better than Spotify in terms of sound quality,but other than that, it has all the features any “normie” would want. Me personally, I have a Tidal account along with Spotify. That’s along with the hundreds of flac files I have on my DAP.

[@The_One_444]

Dude thanks for this video. I had Apple Music for the longest but a few months ago I switched to title because I just preferred their sound quality and I did not know I could transfer playlists. Thanks again, man.

[@Tyler_ThaTruth]

Song shift is way better than tune my music, I’ve used both and song shift just does a better job and makes this process even easier if moving your library to another streaming service cause of course we don’t own the music so they want it to be difficult

[@rikkidgermano9640]

I was a very happy Apple music user until I tried Tidal but the price shoved me away first. After Tidal went down it was a wrap. Sound wise I am better off with Tidal, especially when it comes to Lossless and Hi-Res Audio. I am far from being an audiophile but after comparing both to my audio setup Tidal is the clear winner!

[@Birmingham_racing]

I stick to Apple it's good enough and part of my phone contract

[@andybeerrx]

The album organization on TIDAL is a huge effing mess. Why is there a need for separate entries for albums based on sound quality when there is already a toggle in the app to control sound quality?

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

so you can search and narrow in on HiRes Audio. If you don't care you may voluntarily just ignore that and be happy.

[@boyseverino528]

Are you testing platforms with a earphone dongle dac?

[@ShaqKhiElvie]

I've used every service for a while. Nothing is beating KZbin music for me. I hope they get dolby

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

usually upsamples to 48KHz so not lossless. While a big step up from Spotify, it struggles against Apple and TIDAL

[@ShaqKhiElvie]

@@Äpple-pie-5k oh yeah when it comes to audio it’s just louder but not better. I just hope the get Dolby & lossless. The software itself, KZbin integration & play listing is superior

[@alfredolagaray]

3:56 that's ado!!!! Great song

[@Littlebrownchicken]

Apple Music gives you the podcasts on the purple podcast app too

[@dixter1652]

For music/movie playback I use the Smyth Realiser A16 that plays all music in Dolby Atmos/DTSX/Auro3D no matter what song/movie is played back... and I get to use any headphone... the A16 converts all sources to 24 channel content over any headphone you plug into it.... don't get any better than that....

[@blackmamba7273]

So does than mean my samsung buds 3 pro isn't using the 24bit audio on tidal?

[@hardyb0074]

You can't get lossless through Bluetooth

[@Shingojikung]

ALAC provides true lossless audio fidelity but isn’t as bandwidth-efficient, while MQA is a near-lossless format designed specifically to balance audio quality and streaming convenience. For the purest high-resolution quality, ALAC (or FLAC) is generally preferred, but MQA provides a practical high-quality option for streaming So i might go with tidal

[@SoundGuys]

Hey there! Just a heads up, TIDAL unfortunately doesn't support MQA anymore, but at least it still supports FLAC for Lossless audio files. :)

[@danmorrissey449]

Deezer does also offer HIFI as well but is often overlooked

[@MarcusMyles-iz7bb]

My take. Apple Music has the best catalog and ease of use. Spotify has the best features, including a playlist and AI features. In my opinion, in the car and through a receiver, Tidal sounds the best by far it’s not even close. However, I hate Tidal’s UI with a passion!

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

TIDAL focuses and allows hassle-free lossless. The others do not (except some not well known services like QoBuz and Deezer also but they are small catalog)

[@truereclaim7341]

I prefer KZbin music as I also get KZbin premium with it

[@d_lydian]

Hi guys, thanks for the great content! Can I ask you which Frontend framework you used to create your website? Thanks!

[@csscott9803]

Apple music has the interviews and the Dolby Atmos

[@santhoshthadishetty]

In India apple music 😍

[@RiqMoran]

its really funny how Tidal fans think their lossless is noticeably better than Apple's when normies arent even willing to accept that lossless sounds better than bluetooth at all. obv the normies are wrong, but there is a limit to what we can perceive and i seriously doubt anyone could point out tidal's lossless in a blindtest over Apple's.

[@RiqMoran]

If you listen to any japanese music, tidal's catalog is severely lacking. Probably is also the case with other genres im not aware of, but theres definitely not a single song that Tidal has that Apple does not.

[@roeescharf104]

I actually struggled to find a lot of my favorite artists on tidal 😢

[@gabrielgian6207]

The search, and the app in general sucks. I'm considering switching to Apple.

[@aisidapatrick2781]

No mention of Qobuz.

[@mikedisalvo6305]

Probably because there is no atmos on qobuz.

[@aisidapatrick2781]

@@mikedisalvo6305 Interesting

[@alextechtai]

@@mikedisalvo6305 is it better to just buy from qobuz?

[@southsouthsouthside]

@@mikedisalvo6305 those mixes are trash tho, why would anyone listen to that

[@Haru_no_ki]

I pay 3€ for Apple Music as a student and have a MacBook and iPhone, so it goes well together. Tidal has no Eq(on mobile at least), has shitty interface, more expensive and no student discount outside US. Both platforms lack in making new playlists aka the radio feature. KZbin music and Spotify win in this category

[@Newportnews98]

Apple does have podcast

[@bukboy1]

Why does anyone listen to atmos. Just sounds like it’s dripping in reverb and none of the sounds sound clean.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

It is usually a fake gimmick. There are a few RARE recordings where the binaural setup was done right and then it's kinda amazing, but we're talking about less than 1% of all recordings. So all the blah blah over choosing this or that service because of ATMOS shows complete inexperience and incompetence in audiophile topics. What he should have focused on is whether you get true LOSSLESS. On Apple Music that is only possible with an external DAC-dongle from a phone. (not PC, not Mac, not with intermediary DDC feeding the stereo, not with HomePod, not with Apple TV, etc.). Even in this case, the line-out quality isn't good enough to service even an entry-level HiFi stereo, however. TIDAL, Deezer, QoBuz are the ONLY choices for connoisseurs.

[@rebornitsybitsy7515]

TIDAL for the win, only paying $4 a month for highest tier, bargain

[@sebastianzurita2741]

What do u mean 4$ for me it says 13$ 😭

[@seyanbryan520]

Maybe he lives in India 🇮🇳 😅​@@sebastianzurita2741

[@rebornitsybitsy7515]

@@sebastianzurita2741 promotion price here in south east asia

[@CrisCheese_]

$4?? where the hell do u find these kinda prices

[@rebornitsybitsy7515]

@CrisCheese_ south east Asia

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Tidal 61 Countries.👎 Apple Music 167 Countries.👍

[@justcornerlurker]

Deezer vs Tidal next

[@needleontherecord]

lol no one uses deezer

[@hardyb0074]

Tidal has 24/192 hz while Deezer only goes to 24/96

[@mateosvfx]

i tried all : apple music , tidal and spotify and if u ask me, apple music is best in sound quality and dolby atmos but as android user i prefer spotify bcs of spotify connect and bcs i can barely hear diffrence between lossless and lossy format but dolby effect is amazing tho

[@phillipsalaises2782]

Is your phone Dolby Atmos? Are the devices you are using Atmos ? If not then NO you are not getting true Atmos.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

If you can't tell the difference between spotify and the others either your audio system is 💩 or maybe hearing damage or something. So please do not review audio quality, leave it to people who can hear the difference. It's 1. TIDAL (cymbals sound like metallic rainbow glitter), 2. Apple (cymbals at least sound shimmery metallic), 3. Spotify (much much worse, cymbals sound like shredding paper)

[@alfredolagaray]

I don't use tidal because it has half of the music of my playlist. There are a LOT of songs that tidal doesn't have.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Name one. I bet I find it. You have to kinda learn how to get through the quirks in its search engine. If you use one of those music transfer services you'd probably see it's there.

[@NoamAsulin]

I don't really understand why everyone ignores deezer .It's out there , available in 192 countries and still no one cares about it . Better sound quality than Spotify , Great contender to Tidal .

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

You're right.

[@WeAreMovieMakers]

I thought they were the same thing.

[@DINU_R]

One important aspect that many reviewers often overlook is the availability of regional classic songs. That's where YTM excels As a South Indian, I’ve found that many of the old hits from my native languages are primarily available on KZbin Music, with limited access on other platforms!

[@bmuenter]

You're streaming from an iPhone, nothing that comes out of that phone no matter what headphones you use are going to give you hi-res output 🤣😂

[@SoundGuys]

Hi there! You can stream Lossless audio with an iPhone as long as you’re using a wired connection. We make sure to use headphones that support USB-C audio when testing the max audio quality provided by music streaming services. Hope this clears things up. Happy listening!

[@phillipsalaises2782]

Does your phone have Atmos surround? Do your headphones/ ear buds have Atmos surround? If not then the Atmos is useless.. the stream and devices need to be Atmos certified otherwise you're not getting it so you're being fooled.

[@chriseggleston260]

I guess he didn't see that popup at start lol

[@phillipsalaises2782]

Ive been doing high end audio for 20 years , in my business were people ate using real audio a equipment apple music is not used at all . Real audio people use Tidal , Qobuz, , physical media, . We dont use Sonos either as our streaming device. We use Bluesound, Denon home

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

You are correct. This is because the only way to get lossless out of Apple is via an external DAC dongle from the phone. IN ALL OTHER CASES, APPLE MUSIC IS LOSSY.

[@RiqMoran]

Apple is the best and is also now cheaper than every other service. Thats a weird thing to say and not what you would expect.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

"X is best" without any factual backup, is a public disservice. Apple does not even provide lossless when playing from a computer. On any entry level high-end stereo with a DDC, the DDC becomes useless as a result. For those playing lossy bluetooth from a phone, Apple is arguably the best since that's lossy for everyone. Similarly, if you have a dongle-DAC from phone, which is the one and only case where you can ACTUALLY get lossless from Apple. (That's right all other cases get resampled and thus are lossy.) For best lossless quality it's a tie for all platforms that deliver it, since lossless digital music gives you the EXACT clone copy of the music. This then leads us to pick lossless streaming based on catalog size. TIDAL wins over QoBuz and Deezer in this respect. Have a nice day. Sorry the reviewer missed all these most important points.

[@RiqMoran]

@@Äpple-pie-5k you are literally just wrong lmao. you dont know what youre talking about.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

@@RiqMoran This statement assumes you know enough to tell others about their correctness. So give something specifically factual to reveal your erudition. Explain how to hook a non-iPhone up to a DDC as the entry point as digital source for an audiophile stereo system, without it being lossy. For example, a PC, Mac, old Apple TV, or other such box or device. GOOD LUCK!! Assuming you won't do that, you're staring in the face of the ignorant talking down to the wise. I'm so shocked that could ever happen in YT comments, LOL

[@RiqMoran]

@@Äpple-pie-5k its really funny you act like apple lossless is not real and doesnt work. it's as if youre arguing that you only listen to music in 24/192 and 24/48 is unlistenable. i seriously doubt you can tell the difference. youre just making stuff up.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

@@RiqMoran NO, what's happening is you are avoiding answers to questions. Because you can't answer them. If you COULD answer them you would know I'm correct and would stop making false statements. If you are ignorant, do not put words in the mouths of the wise. Apple Music is lossless FROM A PHONE when it has an EXTERNAL DONGLE DAC. In all other situations it is lossy EXCEPT if you opt-out of HiRes and fix the bit/sample rate/depth to 16/44.1 because Apple has a 16/44.1 version of over 99% of its music. For all other bit/sample rate/depth, Apple will upsampe/downsample it into the rate your DAC is set to. Obviously if you down sample 24/192 to 16/44.1 you won't hear the difference BECAUSE YOU LITERALLY LOST THE DIFFERENCE, which is why it's called lossy. Hopefully now you understand.

[@bukboy1]

Atmos. Ugh!

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Ugh x 2

[@amitsamra1937]

Tidal has the WORST app developers!!! Every time they make a change, something breaks. Their Apple Watch app looks like it was designed by a child. Their AppleTV app keeps asking me to re-sign in.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

admittedly they need to step up their game here BUT: lossless, lossless, lossless. It's the only one that makes it easy to get lossless guaranteed on any device. As an Apple fan I'd switch to Apple in a heartbeat but lossy audio is so 2010's

[@amitsamra1937]

@@Äpple-pie-5k And that is the ONLY reason why I still use it. The only thing keeping Tidal relevant is even worse execution by Qobuz and Apple.

[@prouddaddyofdos]

Who cares about atmos dude…really?!

[@blackmamba7273]

I do😒