Tidal just made its hi-res music subscription as cheap as Apple Music

How the Tidals have turned

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Music streaming serviceTidalhas launched a new hi-res streaming option at anApple Music-matching price.

For$10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99per month, Tidal will bundle the high-resolution audio option with its lossless audio tier, giving subscribers access to high-quality music streaming for a competitive price.

As such, people with some of thebest headphonesand thebest earbudswill be able to take advantage of a music library with more than 110 million tracks streamed at a lossless quality and supporting hi-res FLAC. People with compatible headphones and ear buds, such as theSony WH-1000XM5, will also be able to listen to music inSony’s 360 Reality Audioformat and tap intoDolby Atmos.

While Tidal pipped the likes ofAppleMusic andSpotifyto the post with hi-res audio streaming, it charged a high price for such access. So this reduction in price and smart bundling of services – HiFi Plus subscribers will be automatically switched to the combined option – not only increases the appeal of Tidal, it makes it arguably more appealing than Spotify and Apple Music.

Get Tidal’s new Individual plan:$10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a monthOffering a library of more than 110 million track all in high-resolution and lossless audio formats, with support for surround sound option such as Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, in addition to smart DJ features, Tidal is one of thebest music streaming servicesyou can sign up for today.

That’s because the former has gone the other way and increased its Premium service by $1/£1 more than Tidal’s new tier without offering lossless or hi-res audio options (all users have is the option to select tracks to stream or download in “very high” quality), and Apple Music has a smaller library.

Changing tides

Now speaking as aSpotify Premiumuser, this move by Tidal has me seriously considering swapping.

Tidal offers a curated listening experience that arguably beats Spotify, with offline listening, a lot of exclusive audio options including radio, podcasts as well as music, and the aforementioned spatial/surround audio compatibility.

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So all of that and a lower price than Spotify is a compelling argument for people to make a jump to Tidal. For me, there’s the question of getting used to a new user interface, the potential for porting over playlists and whether my podcasts of choice are even available on Tidal. But there’sa free trial for Tidal, so I feel compelled to try it out and maybe you should too.

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Roland Moore-Colyer is Managing Editor at TechRadar with a focus on phones and tablets, but a general interest in all things tech, especially those with a good story behind them. He can also be found writing about games, computers, and cars when the occasion arrives, and supports with the day-to-day running of TechRadar. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face and a nose for food markets.

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