In an exciting development for music enthusiasts, Tidal, the popular music-streaming app, has commenced the rollout of hi-res FLAC streams across its platform. Jesse Dorogusker, the CEO of Tidal, made the announcement in a Reddit post, sending waves of excitement through the audiophile community. FLAC, short for free lossless audio codec, enables the streaming of high-fidelity audio up to an impressive 24-bit/192Hz, delivering an unrivalled listening experience.
The Hi-Fi Plus plan will be priced at a hefty $20 on the first date
While FLAC streams offer superior sound quality, they do come with a tradeoff in terms of file size. These audio files occupy approximately four times the space of a standard MP3, which explains their scarcity on widely-used streaming platforms. However, Tidal has taken a bold step to cater to discerning ears by embracing this format.
The rollout is currently in the early access phase for iOS users, allowing them to indulge in over six million tracks available in hi-res FLAC. The company has also promised to continuously expand its FLAC library with new additions every day. To access these premium streams, users can simply update their beta app, if they have access, and select the “Max” quality in settings. Tidal is keen on gauging user feedback during this phase before making the feature widely available. Android users and those not affiliated with the early access plan can expect to access the hi-res FLAC streams in August.
Tidal’s decision to embrace FLAC streams marks a departure from their previous use of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio, which was more of an upscaling technique than an actual file type. While the CEO, Jesse Dorogusker, has not explicitly addressed the future of MQA, he did mention that Tidal plans to “support multiple formats” of hi-res audio, promising an even more versatile listening experience for users.
Naturally, access to such high-quality audio comes at a price. Users interested in enjoying the FLAC streams will need to subscribe to the HiFi Plus plan, priced at $20 per month. Tidal recently increased the price of their standard subscriptions from $10 to $11 per month, a move that has sparked speculation about industry giant Spotify‘s plans to introduce its own hi-fi tier (which has been in speculations for quite some time now).
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(Via)
