2018 iPad Pro - will this work?

[MarkS]

I am away, so I can’t test this, but I was thinking about the usb c port on the 2018 iPad Pro. Does anyone think I can connect a usb c hub to the iPad Pro, connect a usb dac to the hub and stream MQA encoded material from Tidal using that usb dac (e.g., Meridian Explorer 2, iFi portables, etc.). I can power the usb c hub, so power shouldn’t be an issue, but will the MQA encoded files find their way through the usb c port on the iPad, then through the usb c hub and then to the connected usb dac?  I have a SB c hub with usb c and usb. 

[Cebolla]

No idea if the USB hardware between the iPad & the USB DAC you mentioned will allow an MQA encoded audio signal to transmitted bit perfectly via USB Audio, but TIDAL's own app isn't yet capable of streaming MQA file tracks from its online server anyway, as far as I'm aware.

 

The only iOS app currently capable of streaming MQA file tracks from TIDAL is mConnect Player (free Lite version available). It can play the MQA file tracks on the iDevice itself and bit perfectly pass the resulting MQA encoded audio signal output to be transmitted via USB Audio by the iDevice. However, mConnect Player doesn't have the capability of decoding the MQA file tracks to the MQA Core, aka 'first unfold', so can only pass through the undecoded MQA encoded audio. This means you must use a USB DAC with full MQA decoding capbilities and not one that's just an MQA renderer (so the Meridian Explorer 2 should be ok, but unfortunately most likely not the iFi portables you mentioned).

 

BTW, USB DACS do not receive audio files, be they MQA encoded or otherwise!

[MarkS]

Thanks for this great information.  I actually have that mConnect App on my iPad.  I will try your suggested configuration with my Meridian Explorer 2 Dac, then, if that works, will get a better one (e.g., ifi new ones).

[MarkS]

Didn't work

 

I assume that the mConnect Player iOS application is not actually outputting MQA, but I am not sure.

 

I connected the 2018 iPad Pro to a USB C hub, then connected the Meridian Explorer 2 to that hub via USB.

 

Music does play through the headphones connected to the Meridian Explorer 2 dac, but the lights on the Meridian Explorer 2 dac do not change at all as I change the MQA encoded track in Tidal.  The only light illuminated is the first white light. No changes with redbook or different MQA sample rates.

 

When I play a high resolution file using the mConnect Player software, the lights on the dac DO change with varying sample rates played, so the app plays high res files, and the usb c port and the usb hub are passing high res material to the dac.

[MarkS]

I know that the big news today is Qobuz, but, today, mConnect released an update to its iOS apps that provides the functionality I initially asked about in this thread.  The mConnect iOS app now outputs MQA through the iOS device's usb/lightning port.  Thus, with this release (I use the HD version), users now can connect a USB dac to an iOS device using the CCK (lightning) or a usb c adapter (iPad Pro 2018) to listen to MQA encoded tracks from Tidal.  

 

To my knowledge, the iOS Tidal app does not provide this functionality (only android), so the mConnect app provides a workaround until the iOS Tidal app provides this functionality natively, that is if Tidal remains in business after Qobuz takes over the USA and/or if MQA is even relevant anymore.  😀

[new_media]

Thanks for the info on the mConnect app.

 

Just tried this with my iPhone, a lightning to USB 3 adapter, and an Explorer². I am getting the green MQA light and the 96 kHz light on the DAC.

 

I don't think there is even a way to get the Tidal Masters albums to show up in the Tidal iOS app as of yet.

[MarkS]

5 minutes ago, new_media said:

Thanks for the info on the mConnect app.

 

Just tried this with my iPhone, a lightning to USB 3 adapter, and an Explorer². I am getting the green MQA light and the 96 kHz light on the DAC.

 

I don't think there is even a way to get the Tidal Masters albums to show up in the Tidal iOS app as of yet.

 

Agree. This seems like a good iOS workaround.  I also tested with the Explorer²