TIDAL has long been the go-to for Hi-Res music streaming and was the first in many territories before Qobuz became available. Both were supplying digital audiophiles long before the likes of Apple and Amazon joined the fray - we're still waiting for more news of the promised Spotify hi-res offering.
MQA was TIDAL's preferred delivery method, but as we reported in April, the incredibly efficient high-res audio format's future became uncertain as it went into administration.
However, good news for TIDAL subscribers and digital audio purists alike, as TIDAL CEO Jesse Dorogusker announced on Reddit that over six million tracks in the high-res FLAC (free lossless audio codec) format are now available for TIDAL users in the service's early access program, with many more to come.
We're told that TIDAL continues to offer high-resolution "Master"-tier tracks in MQA, but FLAC is now the platform's "preferred format for high-resolution audio". We had already heard that TIDAL would start offering FLAC alongside MQA, but this is the first time that FLAC has been declared the preferred format for the audio subscription service. Incidentally, TIDAL already offered FLAC for its step-down HiFi tier, which serves up lossless but not 'hi-res' tracks.
Both Amazon Music and Qobuz deliver their high-resolution tunes in FLAC, while Apple Music's hi-res offerings are delivered in Apple's proprietary ALAC format. TIDAL's choice of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) made sense at the time, almost a decade ago, as the technology can pack hi-res audio into small file sizes. However, with faster data speeds, thanks to most having access to high-speed broadband and 5G, the requirement for smaller file sizes for streaming is less of an issue.
If you are part of the TIDAL early-access program, you can try FLAC by updating your beta apps and selecting "Max" quality from the new Audio & Playback screen. For the rest of us, Dorogusker says that all TIDAL HiFi Plus users should get FLAC access by August.
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Posted in: Hi-Fi | Technology | Music
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