Connecting Deezer Hi-Fi

A short review of Deezer HI-FI. How to connect.

I have been using various streaming services for quite a long time, so whether I like it or not, I follow where and what changes from those that interest me. From here, I can say a few words about one of the best services for streaming music playback - Deezer. Or more precisely, about the issue of playing flac on Deezer.

A topic that for some reason no one on the network can resolve. There is no answer on specialized forums. They only ask the question of how to connect flac to Deezer without the use of Sonos? 400 pages of discussion and zero results.
I know. Everything is simple here. But in fact, there is another question. Is it necessary?
So. Here is a link that you will not find on the Deezer website, but it is there.

Once logged in, you can register for 10.50 euros per month and subscribe to flac streaming. And yes, you will get flac. And without the exclusivity of Sonos audio systems, which Deezer scares you with. If you write letters to different Deezer services with a request to connect HI-FI, you will be answered in one voice that HI-FI connection is only with Sonos. They are lying.

I will tell you how it works for me

I am not a techie, I do not know how to take measurements. But my ears seem to be good, because I can distinguish MP3 320 kbps from Red Book by ear. For obvious reasons, not on everything and not always, but in essence.

Comparison of Deezer and Tidal

Compared flac-Deezer with flac-Tidal via Audirvana.
With MacBook Pro via Mojo DAC on Beyerdynamic T5p and Campfire Andromeda headphones.

If you don't know what all this is, scour the Internet or ask in the comments, I'll describe it in more detail.
I always thought that Tidal was dry and uncolored in sound. But the sound from Deezer is a dusty and windy Sahara with the crackle of sand on your teeth. The same impression is from the quality of playback. The sound is very sandy.

Compared to Tidal, the notes are unfinished. No length. No details. Everything is very dull and faded. Gray. It seems that this is the same compressed MP3 only with a slightly higher bitrate than the standard 320 kbps. Perhaps this is the reason why Deezer HIFI only works on Sonos. That one embellishes the sound quite a lot, drawing out the dryness and veiling the blandness of Deezer's sound. Perhaps the puzzle has come together.

Let's continue

It is clear that Audirvana contributed its positive notes to the quality of playback. Although I was interested in the final phenomenon. From which streaming source can I get the best sound at the output?

But still, for the purity of the experiment, I switched to the native Tidal program installed on the laptop. This is a complete analogue of the Deezer program that we downloaded. Tidal also has one. And by the way, it can play MQA.

The purity of the experiment is now sterile. But here, too, Deezer lost. The picture is sad. The sound is sluggish, sandy, bland. I don't want to listen for a long time.

In short, relying on hearing and the flac inscription, the conclusion in the Deezer vs Tidal competition is as follows:
— The native laptop Deezer program has the declared flac, but listening to it on my equipment is not very enjoyable. And it is generally impossible to do so for a long time. It hurts the ears. I have not listened to it on other equipment.
— The browser version of Deezer, in my opinion, does not support flac at all. The sound is so bad that I can’t even describe it. I think it’s still the same 320 kbps.
— Nothing has changed on the phone either. Judging by the sound, it’s still the same 320 kbps.

Overall conclusion:

Tidal has fed me up with its blacks and lack of recommendations. But the sound of the stream is of high quality.
Deezer is great with its recommendations, Flow and playlists, but the sound even on flac leaves much to be desired.
That’s all. Now you know how to connect Deezer HI-FI and what awaits you.
What to listen to is up to you. I prefer quality to service. And this is Tidal.

Best regards, Eduard Stelmakh.
stelmakh.com