Cambridge Audio continues to use TIDAL in the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app

Cambridge Audio recently announced that it would no longer support TIDAL directly in the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app, but would rely solely on TIDAL Connect. Now they are revising this decision at the request of many customers.

The Cambridge Audio StreamMagic platform should, according to the plan of the English hi-fi manufacturer Cambridge Audio, in future do without direct integration of the music streaming service TIDAL. The company announced this – as reported – in mid-September 2021.

Of course, this should in no way mean that users will no longer be able to access content from this provider, quite the opposite. Rather, Cambridge Audio wanted to rely on TIDAL Connect, which in their view is much more flexible anyway.

This means that users do not need to open the separate Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app in order to access content via their TIDAL subscription and play it back via corresponding Cambridge Audio streaming solutions. Only the TIDAL app itself is sufficient for this, in which one selects devices compatible with TIDAL Connect.

From Cambridge Audio’s point of view, the direct integration into the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic App, which is actually obsolete in their opinion, could save a lot of resources, especially in development, or could be directed to other topics. A win-win situation for customers as well as the manufacturer…

But now the English hi-fi manufacturer has announced that it has decided otherwise and that it will not remove TIDAL in the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic App as planned in January 2022.

It said this was in response to customer feedback that direct integration of TIDAL was still desired.

“At Cambridge Audio, we are very proud that we listen to you – our customers. Due to the amount of feedback we have received, we have decided to reverse our original decision and allow TIDAL to remain within the StreamMagic app. This means you’ll still be able to use all the parts of our TIDAL integration that you’ve told us you love – like the ability to mix songs from TIDAL into queues alongside tracks from your own library.”

Cambridge Audio

Once again, however, Cambridge Audio explicitly points out that TIDAL Connect will of course also be offered, they will simply offer both options in future.

“We want users to have the best possible listening experience with our products, so ultimately it’s a matter of personal choice.”

Cambridge Audio

Getting to the point

Highest respect for the swing now announced by Cambridge Audio around the integration of TIDAL into the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app. It is not easy for a manufacturer to keep up with the ever-changing interfaces of streaming providers, especially when it comes to integrating as many of them as possible into their own apps. Even without any licence payments, this effort ultimately means costs. It is therefore obvious that Cambridge Audio planned to no longer make TIDAL directly accessible via the app, since TIDAL Connect would be available anyway. However, it is to the company’s credit that, at the customer’s request, these plans have now been shelved and TIDAL is still supported directly in the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app, in addition to TIDAL Connect.