TIDAL completes its HiRes FLAC rollout with 6 million tracks available to all users who subscribe to their HiFi Plus tier. The rollout was completed on the 2nd August 2023 and FLAC files are available on iOS, Android, and Desktop apps as well as via web browsers. TIDAL’s version of HiRes FLAC is any FLAC file that is 24-bit, 48kHz or greater (up to 192kHz).
All subscribers will see an updated audio quality settings screen on iOS, Android, Desktop and Web. This update makes it easier to choose the right audio quality for when you’re at home with a WiFi connection or on the go using a data plan. The formats available on each quality level are:
- Max – High fidelity lossless audio up to 24-bit, 192 kHz with HiRes FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), an open-source format and Master Quality Authenticated audio (MQA).
- High – Lossless audio with FLAC (16-bit, 44.1kHz)
- Low (up to 320 kbps) – Listen to the music you love using lower data usage with compressed AAC files.
How to select audio quality on TIDAL
- Navigate to Settings > Audio & Playback (mobile) or Settings > Streaming (desktop and web)
- Select Mobile data or Wi-Fi streaming (mobile) or scroll the Audio Quality section (desktop and web)
- Select your desired audio quality level
MQA will continue to be available but where a song is available in both MQA and HiRes FLAC, the default will be the HiRes FLAC version. Currently, HiRes FLAC is only available streaming directly from iOS, Android, Desktop or web browser. Support for TIDAL Connect, Sonos, and Chromecast will be coming later in 2023.
TIDAL recommend that users invest in a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) on your listening device to take full advantage of the higher quality file formats (lossless 24-bit, 192 kHz) as well as using a wired or WiFi connection.
There is still no news regarding the future of MQA support following the recent announcement by MQA in April this year that it was going into administration.
