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Thread: Tidal now streaming MQA!

  1. #51
    Join Date: Jan 2013

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gazjam View Post
    Hmnn...can be a bit of a moot point that, but hear what your saying Martin.

    I still prefer ripped CD to 16/44 Tidal Flac, but the 24bit MQA versions sound slightly better to me.
    Interestingly, non streamed 24-bit versions of the same album on my hard drive sound better than the MQA versions to my ears.
    Lots of variables to get a handle on really and make a definitive judgment I guess, especially given all the different systems and setups everyone has.
    Bolded bit - I do. But it is really fractional. And I defo prefer TIDAL to Qobuz. A while back I tried to find out why by trapping the bytes being sent to the USB port. They aren't the same BTW for the same tracks. Which is interesting. I just didn't have the willpower to absorb the specs and fully decode it. It would have taken hours if not days to suss it. Possibly more than a week with no definitive answer is the most likely outcome.

    It is interesting that playing non-streamed .WAV 44.1/16 bit files takes about 1% CPU, whereas streamed TIDAL FLAC decoding takes 10 times the amount and streamed MQA 20 times the amount. You can't help but wonder if somehow this overhead has some sort of detrimental affect, but it is well within the capabilities of the hardware so I can't see why it should, really.

    The difference I hear may well be due to JRiver messing around doing everything differently maths wise i.e. using 64 bit floating point maths internally for non-streamed data. As I say though the SQ is so fractionally different imagination and expectation bias may well be what is happening.

    Spotify Ogg Vorbis 320KBps is definitely audibly worse than Qobuz or TIDAL with full bit rate subscriptions, though. Even so, scoring 90% correctness between that and TIDAL would be beyond the realms of anyone. Just because you can identify a difference doesn't enable you to always guess which is better purely because sometimes the lower bit rate actually sounds better. It is just that overall, over a wide range of programme, the lower bit rate doesn't sound better.

    Anyway my freakin' ear infection is back after appearing to go. Went to the doctor to get the emissions tested, so to speak. £55.63 to get it tested. I've gone private these days as I find it is about the same price as the NHS or better!!! Really. Obviously that depends on what is wrong with you, though. I also personally know this private doctor.
    Last edited by User211; 09-01-2017 at 20:45.

  2. #52
    Join Date: Dec 2016

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    I'm James.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gazjam View Post
    Hmnn...can be a bit of a moot point that, but hear what your saying Martin.

    I still prefer ripped CD to 16/44 Tidal Flac, but the 24bit MQA versions sound slightly better to me.
    Interestingly, non streamed 24-bit versions of the same album on my hard drive sound better than the MQA versions to my ears.
    Lots of variables to get a handle on really and make a definitive judgment I guess, especially given all the different systems and setups everyone has.
    Interestingly that mirrors my experiences. I was disappointed with Tidal at first because, for the most part, it didn't sound as good as my CD rips.

    However, I'm pleased to say that the MQA stuff has the edge on the CD rips and so Tidal has won me over. I'm looking forward to seeing what the MQA range is like in 6 months time.



    Sent from my XT1580 using Tapatalk

  3. #53
    Join Date: Jun 2014

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    I'm going to activate my free 90 days Tidal subscription and try the MQA, however can anyone clarify how you are connecting your laptop to your streamer/DAC? Is it a wired connection or wireless network link? Thanks.

  4. #54
    Join Date: Feb 2012

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    Quote Originally Posted by Leftfield View Post
    I'm going to activate my free 90 days Tidal subscription and try the MQA, however can anyone clarify how you are connecting your laptop to your streamer/DAC? Is it a wired connection or wireless network link? Thanks.
    That would be easier to answer if you told us what the streamer/DAC is? But i always recommend wired connections for streaming audio, particularly high rez.
    Simplest would be over USB.
    1. Install Tidal application.
    2. Log in with your trial account, make sure it says Hifi under your username top left.
    3. Go to settings, streaming. Select your USB connected DAC and most important, click the little cog-icon to the right of it's name and there select Exclusive mode. (If you adjust volume elsewhere than inthe computer also select Fixed volume)
    4. Go to New albums, select Masters in the categories. Then Show all..
    5. Select music, play and enjoy!

  5. #55
    Join Date: Jun 2014

    Location: Bridgend

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlfaGTV View Post
    That would be easier to answer if you told us what the streamer/DAC is? But i always recommend wired connections for streaming audio, particularly high rez.
    Simplest would be over USB.
    1. Install Tidal application.
    2. Log in with your trial account, make sure it says Hifi under your username top left.
    3. Go to settings, streaming. Select your USB connected DAC and most important, click the little cog-icon to the right of it's name and there select Exclusive mode. (If you adjust volume elsewhere than inthe computer also select Fixed volume)
    4. Go to New albums, select Masters in the categories. Then Show all..
    5. Select music, play and enjoy!

    Sorry yes that would have been easier if I'd outlined my set up. Currently have a chromecast audio and a pioneer n50 both connected to a Beresford Caiman mk2 DAC. The Pioneer is hardwired to me router. I then use a nexus 7 tablet and bubble upnp to render to the Pioneer music from my nas or previous subscription to Qobuz. I also use iPhone or iPad to cast Spotify (current subscription) to the chromecast audio.
    Hope this makes sense?

  6. #56
    Join Date: Feb 2013

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    Chromecast can only do 16/44, so that might limit you on tidal. Or you could use a long usb repeater cable from pc to dac if not silly distance away to get higher bit rates
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  7. #57
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Falun, Sweden

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    I'm Mike.

    Default Tidal now streaming MQA!

    Quote Originally Posted by Leftfield View Post
    Sorry yes that would have been easier if I'd outlined my set up. Currently have a chromecast audio and a pioneer n50 both connected to a Beresford Caiman mk2 DAC. The Pioneer is hardwired to me router. I then use a nexus 7 tablet and bubble upnp to render to the Pioneer music from my nas or previous subscription to Qobuz. I also use iPhone or iPad to cast Spotify (current subscription) to the chromecast audio.
    Hope this makes sense?
    Yupp, absolutely! Unfortunately, today you will need a computer running Mac OSX or Windows to run Tidals desktop application to exploit their software unfolding of MQA higher rez content.
    That computer is best to connect to the Pioneer N50's excellent USB input in this case, as i s'pose the StanDac does not do USB?
    The analog output from the N50 is not bad by the way!

    Edit:
    Oh, if you have an MQA aware DAC hifing somewhere it would do fine with any Tidal app steaming to it in bitperfect mode...
    Sorry about this short answer but my battery is running out...

  8. #58
    Join Date: Jun 2014

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    Grant/Mike
    Many thanks for the replies. The Caiman DAC does have a USB input so I'm guessing it would make sense to wire directly to that rather than through the N50. Ideally I don't want a wired connection from laptop to DAC but I'll give it a go to see whether the improvement in sound is worth the 'eyesaw' comments I will undoubtedly get for the cable trailing across the room...��

  9. #59
    Join Date: Jan 2013

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    Try Muse's 2nd Law in hi-fi and master modes.

    Definite difference here. For a given volume setting, the peak SPL for the introduction of Supremacy reads 86.5 DB in hi-fi mode, and 83.4 DB in master mode. Once volume compensated, master mode seems better - deconfused, if you like.

    So it would appear that there are quite marked differences to be found.

    I only checked it out because someone on another forum mentioned this.

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Time_Lord View Post
    Interestingly that mirrors my experiences. I was disappointed with Tidal at first because, for the most part, it didn't sound as good as my CD rips.

    However, I'm pleased to say that the MQA stuff has the edge on the CD rips and so Tidal has won me over. I'm looking forward to seeing what the MQA range is like in 6 months time.



    Sent from my XT1580 using Tapatalk
    Is this because MQA addresses some of the time domain stuff that CD rips via your average DAC don't?
    Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702

    Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2

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