Setting Up Qobuz and/or TIDAL with your DAC

[27Globes]

Have minimal experience with streaming. Wish to try both Qobuz and TIDAL through the Audirvana+ 3.0 upgrade promotion.  File will be played through my DAC (AMR DP-777).  It's not MQA compliant, but understand Damien has incorporated that fact within his software.

 

Would appreciate input in terms of any specific settings within the Qobuz and TIDAL apps (or my DAC, for that matter) to achieve maximum playback performance.  

 

 

[OneHandWaving]

If you have Audirvana v3 you can replay Tidal and Qobuz from within the program. You just need to enter your streaming service(s) user id and password, Audirvana does the rest. 

[27Globes]

So there is not a separate app for those providers..  it just dovetails into the Audirvana player?

[Musicophile]

28 minutes ago, 27Globes said:

So there is not a separate app for those providers..  it just dovetails into the Audirvana player?

Qobuz  does have free apps for Windows, Mac and several mobile platforms. 

 

However, Audirvana sounds better and offers a mobile remote solution. 

[27Globes]

Got it... and thanks... makes life much easier... definitely appreciate no brainers in this hobby

[27Globes]

On 3/31/2017 at 3:58 PM, OneHandWaving said:

If you have Audirvana v3 you can replay Tidal and Qobuz from within the program. You just need to enter your streaming service(s) user id and password, Audirvana does the rest. 

I did that... and Qobuz folder do appear within the left column of the A+3's Control Panel... but when I attempt to play any of the albums or tracks within Qobuz "Discover" folder... I get an error message saying "Unable to Load First Track"  Seen Screen Shot below.

[bobbmd]

@27Globesdo you have anything else playing ie TIDAL desktop app or Qobuz desktop app or Qobuz WEB Player-if so you need to quit those and also go to A+3 preferences <audio systems> make sure you DAC is selected and then to <streaming> and make sure you are logged on to TIDAL and Qobuz

hope this helps

bobbmd

[27Globes]

49 minutes ago, bobbmd said:

@27Globesdo you have anything else playing ie TIDAL desktop app or Qobuz desktop app or Qobuz WEB Player-if so you need to quit those and also go to A+3 preferences <audio systems> make sure you DAC is selected and then to <streaming> and make sure you are logged on to TIDAL and Qobuz

hope this helps

bobbmd

Thanks, Bob... but all is taken care of now.   According to Damien, because Qobuz is not licensed to stream in the US, you are unable to stream their catalog.  "Qobuz is not serving the US, that’s why you can’t play anything from it."  I also had made the mistake of signing in with my existing account rather than establishing a new one which would then also have automatically provided a voucher for the trial.  All these little subtle ins and outs really need to be provided for reference but they're not.

 

However, I had an existing account with them for several years, and purchased from them before restrictions got tight... so after a few conversations with their customer support, they honored a 30 day trial period; allow me to play their streaming within A+  and I am set up for a subscription should I choose to continue.   In fact, I'm sitting typing this while I listen to their Classical Playlist.  Thank you for your concern.  And yes, I found out pretty quickly that you can't play from their app and A+ at the same time.  You have to close one down... but with my Playlists within A+, I prefer to have only one App open at a time.  Look forward to trying TIDAL next week.... but have always liked Qobuz for their classical and jazz selection.

 

[bobbmd]

@27Globes Glad to hear that-so do you have an established account with Qobuz? But you can't buy their HiRes? I never downloaded their <downloader> for fear they would cancel me but I was able to purchase that new Stones blues album last year. My account which I have had since ~2012 allows me to get FLAC/lossless and I have dozens of playlists that I have made and with their new WEB Player(which showed up across the top of my desktop app) allows me to play THEIR playlists in lossless but not on the desktop app. I always worry I am going to lose that subscription as they gave me an address in <NEW FRANCE> which I have always felt was pretty cheeky on their part as that is what the NE USA would have been called if they had won on the Plains of Abraham. After you try TIDAL spring for a Meridian Explorer 2(only 200$) which unfolds MQA from TIDAL and also A+3 the SQ will amaze you and ROON also allows MQA now and their web page is far superior to TIDAL and for that matter A+3-the SQ is as good as A+3 better than TIDAL desktop. I also use the Schiit FULLA and Gungnir(handles MQA very well without unfolding the material.

[27Globes]

Hi, Bob...

Yes, I can download their Hi-Res.  They have both NY and France as my address  like you. It does make me feel very French.  I've been gone from Audio for about a year and half... system in storage for that length of time.  I have a lot of catch up.  My understanding was that Damien did some compensation for MQA for those whose DAC was not compatible.  Obviously not as good as those that were. Where does the Meridian Exp sit within the system?

[bobbmd]

@27Globesit fully unfolds/decodes the MQA material it's tiny has separate headphone and rca outs to avr and sounds wonderful as good(plus MQA) as or better than my 800$ Gungnir and better than my FULLA-well worth the 200$

[27Globes]

So in my setup, where would it be in the series... MBP Dedicated Server>DAC>PreAmp>AMP?  I don't think I want to swop my AMRDP-777 for that...  The same DAC that Damien has... we both know the inventor.. but I'm sure that there is a device that I might be able to find as an add-on.

[bobbmd]

@27Globes I am not familiar with your setup- I have a mac mini USB(has 4  USB ports) outs to the ME2, a Schiit Gungnir and a Schiit FULLA- the ME2 is out to my AVR and Sennheiser HD 598's and RS-195's the Gungnir the same and also Apple TV gen3 and I have a Schiit Magni headphone amp connected to the the Gungnir with TOSLINK from an old Yamaha cd/dvdaudio/sacd/dvd changer and the Apple TV while the FULLA is just a headphone dongle/amp.I also use WiFi network with Apple Airport Extreme with 2TB hdd backup and a WD Passport & a Lacie Porsche backups. I have about 1200+CD's and 30000 songs on iTunes in AIFF and some HiRez and a few DVD audios ripped from dvd audio extractor. I now just basically just listen to streaming from TIDAL and Qobuz.

[27Globes]

Are set up is very much different.... only similar in using a Mac product as a dedicated server, which I replaced the HD with SSD.   After that, Bob, it's all tubes (Preamp and Amp) custom built by Emotive Audio .... even inside the DAC there are tubes... No solid state... No hook up to an AVR or TV.  Of course, my audio library is kept on an external drive which is in turn backed up on another.  I was using Amarra and Audirvana... but I think I'm sticking with Audirvana only.   I have updated Quad 57s.... the midrange phenomenal... the music organic and engaging.... My system was in storage for a year and a half... I'm now just starting to explore streaming.  I really like the idea of having a resource to explore music... and be able to hear new artists.  But I like building and owning my own library as well... because when and if I unsubscribe... I would no longer have either TIDAL's or Qobuz's playlists available to me..