TIDAL: Best sounding ways to play?

[Rexp]

Agree the ipad app sounds poor compared to the iPhone, but tablet is a more user friendly player, there is a thread on General Forum discussing a Windows tablet...Would be nice to keep all these comparisons on this thread and hear thoughts on how Android tablets sound as my Andoid phone also sounds good.

I agree. I also set AirServer to "add a lossless quality receiver" to force the iPad to stream lossless. Then I added Pure Music streamthrough with Hogg Mode and native integer support enabled and disabled all DSP processing. Set iPad and iPhone both to 5 Ghz channel on AirPort Extreme hard wired to Mac Mini. Amarra SQ also works great. Other approaches (Chrome, Tidal App on Mac )were #%^%. The iPhone actually works best.

[miguelito]

I agree. I also set AirServer to "add a lossless quality receiver" to force the iPad to stream lossless. Then I added Pure Music streamthrough with Hogg Mode and native integer support enabled and disabled all DSP processing. Set iPad and iPhone both to 5 Ghz channel on AirPort Extreme hard wired to Mac Mini. Amarra SQ also works great. Other approaches (Chrome, Tidal App on Mac )were #%^%. The iPhone actually works best.

I've used Airfoil Speakers with great success in this realm. Are you saying that the iPad doing Airplay to the mini sounds worse than the iPhone doing the same?

[Rexp]

I don't know about the mini but Airplay to my laptop sounds much better using my iphone5c than my ipad2, try it yourself if you can, would be interested in your findings.

I've used Airfoil Speakers with great success in this realm. Are you saying that the iPad doing Airplay to the mini sounds worse than the iPhone doing the same?

[Rexp]

cancel that! Turns out the ipad had 'normal' quality switched on instead of HiFi quality, just goes to show how much better HiFi is though. Now both devices sound good.

I don't know about the mini but Airplay to my laptop sounds much better using my iphone5c than my ipad2, try it yourself if you can, would be interested in your findings.

[miguelito]

cancel that! Turns out the ipad had 'normal' quality switched on instead of HiFi quality, just goes to show how much better HiFi is though. Now both devices sound good.

 

Ha! That makes more sense! BTW... With the last TIDAL app update on my devices, all streaming qualities reset to "crappadoodle" so just beware to check when the app updates.

[Rexp]

Yes I think the quality got reset during an update, anyway I just canceled my Spotify premium account as listening to Tidal is like listening to real musicians compared the noise I hear from Spotify.

[Rexp]

Quick update, my Android Huawei Y300 phone (rooted) sounds better than my idevices (all via Airplay)

Ha! That makes more sense! BTW... With the last TIDAL app update on my devices, all streaming qualities reset to "crappadoodle" so just beware to check when the app updates.

[Rexp]

Had a brief listen to some more mobiles HO using TIDAL order of preference as follows:

Sony ZX1

Sony ZX2

Oppo N3

Huawei Y300

Sony Z3

iphone6

iphone5

Samsung S5

I'd be happy using the first four, not the last four.

[IQ_AV]

I have worked out a 2nd zone utilizing a Raspberry PI, MPD, Mediaplayer and BubbleUPnP/Tidal on a Samsung Note. My RPI2 has a CirrusLogic Card outputting SPDIF to an Onkyo receiver. This setup still is not as good as my primary setup Win2012r2/AO/DacMagicPlus to Adcom, but sounds decent. I need to figure out how to get BubbleUPnP on the RPI2 take over instead from the client. In that way, it will a be a LAN based connection for Tidal rather then Wifi.

[Rexp]

Had a brief listen to some more mobiles HO using TIDAL order of preference as follows:

Sony ZX1

Sony ZX2

Oppo N3

Huawei Y300

Sony Z3

iphone6

iphone5

Samsung S5

I'd be happy using the first four, not the last four.

Gave my iPhone/ipad another go in offline mode and they sound as good as the Android devices...

[Fridolin]

Gave my iPhone/ipad another go in offline mode and they sound as good as the Android devices...

But only if they are downloading in "HiFi" quality - and they often don't.

You always have to check if the HiFi icon is active when playing back offline albums or playlists.

 

One example here: The newest Mumford & Sons album downloaded to my iPad isn't "HiFi".

On my Mac-App ist is "HiFi", however! But there is stuttering :-(.

[Rexp]

But only if they are downloading in "HiFi" quality - and they often don't.

You always have to check if the HiFi icon is active when playing back offline albums or playlists.

 

One example here: The newest Mumford & Sons album downloaded to my iPad isn't "HiFi".

On my Mac-App ist is "HiFi", however! But there is stuttering :-(.

That album doesn't stream in HIFI either, I suspect the record company didn't allow it.

[Fridolin]

That album doesn't stream in HIFI either, I suspect the record company didn't allow it.

With the Mac-App on my MacBookPro ist does.

[Rexp]

With the Mac-App on my MacBookPro ist does.

Ah i see, works on Andoid too, wierd...

[bobbmd]

wappinghigh- if you just want to listen to your own playlists from say Spotify and TIDAL and Qobuz can can transfer them to just one streamer using Soundiiz-i transferred my Spotify and Qobuz playlists to TIDAL- give a try its free

[bobbmd]

Hi- back in december boatheelmusic suggested airfoil/airsever but i didn't have an ipad

i now have ipad air 2 and a set of Sennheiser RS 195 wireless headphones with TIDAL HIFI and Qobuz HIFI

I transferred my Qobuz and Spotify playlists via Soundiiz to TIDAL

THEN ROON came along with its Sooloos like platform and its collaboration with TIDAL(ROON easily acquired my iTunes library also)

SQ is extraordinary with ROON no need for PureMusic or AmarraSq+ everything is FLAC/AIFF

i use my ipad to stream TIDAL/Qobuz/my 400 MOG playlists from BeatsMusic/Spotify using the RS 195 to give me wireless mobility in my old old 1906 home-i just move the transmitter around and pick up my internet on

WiFI( there is no iOS or ipad app for ROON yet but it is coming soon )

the RS 195's sound quality is extraordinary no static no hiss no dropouts absolute 'blackness' between songs or albums without gapless play AND i get virtually no dropouts from TIDAL or Qobuz or Spotify from my main sound system or ipad

ROON's SQ from my main system or my RS's connected to my main system equally as good

 

SO 'BEST WAY TO STREAM/LISTEN' to TIDAL(IMHO) mac mini late 2012 i7 16gb RAM USB out Schiit Gungnir DAC Magni HP amp(for my Sennheiser 598's) rca 's out to my avr to my speaker system OR better yet from my ipad using wireless connection using the RS 195's

ROON is phenomenal and SQ is great as is SQ from Amarra Sq+ if not not using ROON(not compatible)

 

bobbmd

[Rexp]

interesting, how is your ipad connected to the RS 195?

Hi- back in december boatheelmusic suggested airfoil/airsever but i didn't have an ipad

i now have ipad air 2 and a set of Sennheiser RS 195 wireless headphones with TIDAL HIFI and Qobuz HIFI

I transferred my Qobuz and Spotify playlists via Soundiiz to TIDAL

THEN ROON came along with its Sooloos like platform and its collaboration with TIDAL(ROON easily acquired my iTunes library also)

SQ is extraordinary with ROON no need for PureMusic or AmarraSq+ everything is FLAC/AIFF

i use my ipad to stream TIDAL/Qobuz/my 400 MOG playlists from BeatsMusic/Spotify using the RS 195 to give me wireless mobility in my old old 1906 home-i just move the transmitter around and pick up my internet on

WiFI( there is no iOS or ipad app for ROON yet but it is coming soon )

the RS 195's sound quality is extraordinary no static no hiss no dropouts absolute 'blackness' between songs or albums without gapless play AND i get virtually no dropouts from TIDAL or Qobuz or Spotify from my main sound system or ipad

ROON's SQ from my main system or my RS's connected to my main system equally as good

 

SO 'BEST WAY TO STREAM/LISTEN' to TIDAL(IMHO) mac mini late 2012 i7 16gb RAM USB out Schiit Gungnir DAC Magni HP amp(for my Sennheiser 598's) rca 's out to my avr to my speaker system OR better yet from my ipad using wireless connection using the RS 195's

ROON is phenomenal and SQ is great as is SQ from Amarra Sq+ if not not using ROON(not compatible)

 

bobbmd

[bobbmd]

Rexp:mini headphone connector from RS to mini headphone connector on ipad

i also use the ipad in my car with same type of connector to my audio system WOW so much better than sirius!

but i only have 16 gb storage so the LOCAL playlists are short

from my mac mini i connect the RS miniplug to coiled headphone connector with small female connect at one end then to my avr large headphone input(still goes through the GUNGNIR)/tried it to my MAGNI but doesn't do much try that and see what you think

bobbmd

[Rexp]

Thanks for that, my iPad 2 doesn't sound great compared to my Sony Z3c plus calyx PaT DAC or my Huawei Y300 phones but it's older than your iPad....

Rexp:mini headphone connector from RS to mini headphone connector on ipad

i also use the ipad in my car with same type of connector to my audio system WOW so much better than sirius!

but i only have 16 gb storage so the LOCAL playlists are short

from my mac mini i connect the RS miniplug to coiled headphone connector with small female connect at one end then to my avr large headphone input(still goes through the GUNGNIR)/tried it to my MAGNI but doesn't do much try that and see what you think

bobbmd

[Rexp]

I installed Bubble UpnP on my Huawei and Sony phones and Tidal does sound better (clearer, wider dynamic range) than via the Tidal app.

[Rexp]

The newish Tidal app (beta) for windows is now my preferred player. Downloaded on an HP laptop it sounds very analog and significantly better than the mac version on my MBP (both using headphone out). I'm rediscovering all the music that I cherish on LP which is a game changer for me (never been CD's biggest fan). The question is has anyone compared the windows app to one of the streamers that has Tidal inbuilt, if so what are the recommended streamers that sound better?

Cheers!

[Vassago]

I was a bit taken back to Lear that Amarra for Tidal is not DSD capable as of yet.

will the Aries Mini be able to send a DSD signal to a outboard DAC?

Are there limits as to what titles would be available from Tidal in the DSD format?

[sydlow]

To my ears the Mac native sound quality is inferior to the Auralic Aries playing of Tidal...

 

Would concur. I just ditched my Macbook to Vega DAC for an Aries to the Vega.

The difference of more detail and clarity was instantly noticeable. The Macbook USB output is clearly inferior to the output from the Aries.

 

But there are some quirks with the settings on the Vega to have clean sound (Filter mode 1 or 2 is good. Mode 4 is not good). And Aries takes a track or two to "warm up".

[miguelito]

To my ears the Mac native sound quality is inferior to the Auralic Aries playing of Tidal.

 

Playing Tidal on Mac using Amarra Sq ,particularly with the equalizer setting geared to the music being played is definitely

better then the Mac playing Tidal natively . It is still not better though then the Aries .

 

So Aries >Mac with Sq > Mac native playing Tidal .

Having used Roon for a while now, I can say that mini+Roon sounds much better with TIDAL than mini+TIDAL native client. And I do agree that Aries sounds better on TIDAL than mini+TIDAL native client, as you observed above. I don't have a comparison of Aries and mini+Roon (Aries has been in a box since I moved).

[miguelito]

I was a bit taken back to Lear that Amarra for Tidal is not DSD capable as of yet.

will the Aries Mini be able to send a DSD signal to a outboard DAC?

Are there limits as to what titles would be available from Tidal in the DSD format?

Amarra doesn't do DSD in any shape or form I don't think (at least not in a competent way). But I'm puzzled about the Amarra for TIDAL comment above: I don't think TIDAL is streaming DSD, are they?