Spotify has been my music streaming platform of choice for more than five years, four of which I’ve spent as one of its 281 million paying subscribers.
This union started off as a happy one – but, sadly, nothing lasts for ever. It seems my Premium subscription is the next thing set to prove the truth of that old adage.
Spotify costs more
My first sticking point is that Spotify keeps getting more expensive. When I first signed up for Spotify Premium in 2021, I was paying half of a £13.99 monthly Duo subscription (£7). But after Spotify’s third price increase in two years in late 2025, I am now paying nearly double that (£12.99). More than that, it makes it £2 more per month than an individual Tidal subscription (£10.99).
In fairness to Spotify, it’s not the only streaming service to have upped prices in recent years. Netflix increased prices at the beginning of last year and Disney+ did too in late 2025.
Spotify’s higher price, however, is harder to justify when you consider that it lags behind Tidal in a key metric that serious music fans, myself included, care about…
Tidal offers higher resolution audio
Frankly, before I joined What Hi-Fi? I paid little attention to the figures defining the quality of digital music, namely bitrate and sample rate. Now, however, I understand the higher these rates are, the more the sonic detail from suitably good hardware can be.
This became apparent whilst I was reviewing a pair of speakers for What Hi-Fi?. While listening to Kate Bush’s vocals during the opening to Cloudbusting, I found that not only do they sound more natural when heard through Tidal, but you almost feel as if her voice is about to crack as she holds those beautiful notes, such is the level of detail being presented. Comparatively, her vocals sound a little strained when listened to via Spotify Lossless; and they are noticeably less textured to the point where each note seems to cut off a little prematurely.
This is why I’m now on a quest to find the perfect hi-fi system for a cramped listening space. I’ve been looking at the Award-winning Ruark MR1 Mk3 desktop speakers, but as I am currently without my five-star Audio Technica AT-LP3 turntable, my plan for the time being would be to connect my laptop to the Ruark’s USB-C connection, which supports high-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/96kHz.
Spotify Lossless supports playback only up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz – less than half of the MR1 Mk3’s sample rate. Tidal, on the other hand, can play back hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz.
This may be more than the Ruark’s USB-C connection supports, but I am also considering adding a music streamer to the hi-fi system – I’m thinking of the Award-winning WiiM Pro Plus. This supports a maximum file resolution of, you guessed it, 24-bit/192kHz.
That way, should I connect it to the MR1 Mk3’s 3.5mm stereo jack/optical input in the future, I can make full use of the extra level of detail on offer.
I use Spotify differently now
The way I use Spotify has also changed significantly over time. While I think its Discover Weekly playlist and wide selection of podcasts are excellent, I seldom use either feature any more.
At the moment, I’m mostly rediscovering old tracks via Spotify’s manual search function, or listening to my long list of liked songs. So, despite having fewer features and podcasts than Spotify, Tidal will fulfil my current listening needs for less per month. Plus, I’ll be able to hear tracks in higher resolution once I’ve finished building my stripped-back hi-fi system.
Time for Tidal?
Spotify has undoubtedly served me well over the past half decade, but the combination of lower price and higher quality audio means it’s time I tried Tidal instead.
After all, if Tidal’s less extensive feature list proves too much of an issue, I can always go back to Spotify, or even try something else.
MORE:
Check out our list of the best music streaming services
Spotify’s US prices set to rise again
Tidal vs Spotify: which streaming service is best for you?
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