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Worth it? Tidal HiFi Plus Review: Pros & Cons Explored

by weretj
03/04/2025
in STREAMING
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Alright, let’s talk about this Tidal HiFi Plus thing. I kept hearing about it, folks saying the sound quality was way better than the usual streaming stuff I was using. For years, I was pretty happy with Spotify Premium, maybe dabbled with Apple Music here and there. Sounded okay to me, you know? Played music on my phone, through some decent headphones, sometimes on my home speakers. Nothing too fancy, but it worked.

But the chatter about “lossless” and “master quality” got me curious. Is it really that much better? I’m not exactly an audiophile with golden ears and thousand-dollar equipment, but I do love my music. So, I thought, what the heck, let’s give it a whirl. They usually have free trials, right?

Getting Started

Found their website, signed up for the HiFi Plus trial. Pretty straightforward process, download the app, log in. First thing I noticed was the interface. It felt a bit different, maybe a bit more… serious? Than Spotify’s layout. Took a minute to find my way around, search for my favorite artists and albums.

Then came the moment of truth. I grabbed my best pair of wired headphones – nothing super high-end, but better than basic earbuds. Plugged them into my phone. Went into the Tidal settings and cranked the streaming quality up to the max setting, which they called “Max” or something similar at the time (I think it used to be Master/MQA). Okay, deep breath. What to play first?

The Listening Test

I picked a few tracks I know inside and out. Some classic rock, maybe some detailed electronic stuff, a bit of acoustic. Stuff where I thought I might notice a difference.

  • First reaction: Hmm. Okay. It sounds… good. Really good, actually.
  • But was it life-changing? Honestly? Not immediately. It wasn’t like a blanket was lifted off my speakers, like some people describe.
  • The back-and-forth: Then I did the real test. Played the same track section on Tidal HiFi Plus, then immediately switched to the highest setting on Spotify. Okay, now I started hearing things.

It’s hard to put into words. It wasn’t necessarily louder. It felt… clearer? Like there was more separation between the instruments. The bass seemed a bit tighter, less muddy. Cymbals had a bit more shimmer, maybe? It was subtle. On some tracks, especially simpler acoustic ones or really well-produced albums, the difference was more noticeable. On busy, heavily compressed pop songs? Less so.

I also tried listening through my home stereo setup, connecting my laptop to my receiver. Again, the difference was there, maybe slightly more pronounced than on headphones, but still subtle to my ears.

Exploring the Extras

Tidal HiFi Plus also pushes stuff like Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio. I messed around with that a bit. It requires compatible headphones or sound systems. On my headphones, the Atmos mixes sometimes sounded cool, kind of spacious and immersive. Other times they just sounded… weird. Like instruments were floating in strange places. It felt more like a gimmick for certain tracks, but occasionally impressive on others. Didn’t feel essential to me.

The music catalog seemed pretty good, had most everything I searched for. Music discovery felt okay, maybe not quite as slick as Spotify’s algorithms for finding new stuff I might like, but usable.

The Price Problem

Then you look at the monthly cost. And yeah, Tidal HiFi Plus is definitely pricier than most other standard streaming plans. Considerably so. That was the big sticking point for me. I had to ask myself: Am I consistently hearing enough of an improvement, across enough of my listening, on my equipment, to justify paying that extra chunk of change every single month?

My Final Decision

After the free trial ended, I spent a few days really thinking about it. I enjoyed the slightly improved clarity, I really did. It was nice knowing I was getting the “best” possible stream quality.

But for how I listen to music most of the time – commuting, background music while working, casual listening – the difference often wasn’t dramatic enough to make me feel I needed it. Especially given the price jump.

So, I didn’t stick with HiFi Plus. I went back to my previous service. Maybe if I invested in much higher-end headphones or a dedicated DAC and spent more time doing critical, focused listening, my decision would be different. Maybe if the price was closer to the competition.

Is Tidal HiFi Plus worth it? It’s a tough one. It absolutely delivers higher fidelity audio. If you have quality audio gear and critically listen to well-recorded music, you’ll likely hear a difference and might find it valuable. If you mostly listen casually on standard earbuds or Bluetooth speakers, or if your budget is tight, the extra cost might be harder to justify for the subtle improvements you might perceive. For me, right now, with my setup and listening habits, the value wasn’t quite there for the price. But hey, that’s just my experience.

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