Not a Metallica fan myself, but you are mistaken. I count ten albums - all of which have 24 bit versions.
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Lossless Streaming Comparisons.....
- Thread starter SWL3600
- Start date
tubeyea
Active Member
That's my MO also, I prefer Audirvana which I run on a mac mini and control from my ipad (Kathy Kosins "Uncovered Soul"album on now) . I've had Tidal lossless pre-MQA and have maintained that relationship with a couple of MQA dacs (the iFi dac was a simple no cost firmware update) I've had Qobuz and it was great but ultimately or me the sound differences were a wash and Tidal's former military discount won out. I just got the free trial of Amazon HD/Ultra HD and its pretty damn good too but I dislike using the app directly although its been trouble free for me. I actually think Amazon HD/Ultra HD sounds better using my i-devices connected directly to my dacs than using the app on the computer. I'm convinced that Audirvana bring a little something to the party in the form of sound quality.
Bradbrews
Super Member
They have been added since the post. Now I'm on the email spam list and music is being added weekly.
wasclywabbit
When the going gets wierd, the wierd turn pro.
I hate to admit I'm now a senior citizen but, alas, accelerating decrepitude is likely limiting my upper range at 12khz. I've tried Spotify, Tidal HiFi, Amazon HD and Qobuz. I'm fairly certain I'm going to stay with Amazon HD for content reasons. Like Spotify, they seem to get more exclusives. For example, they're the only one streaming Ed O'Brien's (of Radiohead) new EP. And I prefer their interface. Lining Bezos' pockets notwithstanding. Spotify does a better job with 80's bands I like, but I can tell the difference of MP3 only. That's my 2 cents.
tubeyea
Active Member
remember Tidal lacks smart searches, if you search EOB as the release is actually titled you may find what you’re looking for on Tidal with respect to Ed O’Brien
Getting ready to kick both Tidal and Qoboz to the curb. Both are great for convenience sake. However, when comparing sound quality, CD rips played back from my music server consistently best the sound quality from either service. Even the so-called "HD" offerings on those services often don't compete well. Getting hard to justify the expenditure, especially right now with all the COVID-19 craziness going on.
I must be missing something. I do not find any problems with Tidal searches, every time I type something in, there it is, or isn’t if they do not carry it
. And I have used and paid for all the other most popular services and stuck with Tidal. YMMV
My experience is quite different. First of all, you may be comparing different masterings of your CD content. I use Qobuz both to sample new content and stream stuff I won't necessarily buy. I was listening to the "new classical" playlist and found something I really liked. And ended up purchasing the 192/24 download from HD Tracks.
As for me, I cannot tell the difference between the two other than the download's level might be slightly higher. It is the "Lavanderita" track from Music at the Cathedral of Jaen. Maria Espada's expressive voice, trills, dynamics and the airy sense of the space are preserved in the 192/24 Qobuz Studio stream.
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I'm not saying that the sound is bad, or that it can't sound good. Also, there are occasions that the Qoboz / Tidal version (more likely Qoboz) sounds better than my copy. And sure, there's value in using a service like Qoboz to sample music that you're not otherwise exposed to.
All I'm saying is that its typical that music played off my server sounds as good if not better than streaming. So, right now anyway, the monthly fee is better spent elsewhere.
uofmtiger
Addicted Member
Switched back to Qobuz since my Tidal $5 deal expires on the 11th. As was mentioned above, I have gotten used to using Audirvana on several DLNA system and controlling it headless on my Macs with the iOS app. I can't see switching to Amazon HD because it doesn't have that kind of convenience across my network of devices. I can use Airplay, but I would rather have access to the 24/192 files when they are available.
I've also committed to Audirvana and really noticed the difference in sound with ripped CDs and Tidal. I just took advantage of their 6 months for 5 months offer. I did write Audirvana to see if Amazon hi rez is in the future. They were non committal, but didn't say no. The phone remote app is a nice feature that I love to use. I think if your ripped CDs don't sound as well as the CD player, Audirvana will fix that.
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daviddi922
Active Member
So I just jumped on this Tidal Hifi bandwagon with the 4 months for $4 deal. Still have spotify premium and on highest quality is only 320kbps. Ive been reading that using Tidal Hifi, set on Master quality for settings, will only play in Hifi quality, which is 1411kbps or CD quality unless you have an MQA compatible device or USB connection.
I have been only using the Aux out on my android to RCA in on my preamp and Hifi tidal tracks sound SO much better than spotify already.
But not I want to know what the "Master" or MQA tracks sound like since that was the whole reason I signed up.
The problem here is I normally use an Echo dot with the 3.5mm out to Rca input on my preamp since Spotify is only 320kbps, but it will not support the higher lossless tracks of tidal hifi according to Tidal's website.
What kind of devices are people using to stream 24 bit/96khz and higher MQA "Tidal Master" tracks?
Im looking to stream with my tidal app and spotify app connected to the device with the output going to my preamp and then be able to control remotely from my phone while still getting the full quality.
I have been only using the Aux out on my android to RCA in on my preamp and Hifi tidal tracks sound SO much better than spotify already.
But not I want to know what the "Master" or MQA tracks sound like since that was the whole reason I signed up.
The problem here is I normally use an Echo dot with the 3.5mm out to Rca input on my preamp since Spotify is only 320kbps, but it will not support the higher lossless tracks of tidal hifi according to Tidal's website.
What kind of devices are people using to stream 24 bit/96khz and higher MQA "Tidal Master" tracks?
Im looking to stream with my tidal app and spotify app connected to the device with the output going to my preamp and then be able to control remotely from my phone while still getting the full quality.
I found the same only using the 3.5mm from my devices a couple years ago. You’ll need a DAC the will do MQA. I never worried about it, my bar was only to sound as good as CDs.
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daviddi922
Active Member
Basically Im looking for an affordable streaming hifi devices that will do MQA. I see there's the new amazon echo link but it downsamples to 44khz which is pretty pointless then. The upgrade to CD quality has been great, and although my Tidal app on android will say Master as the quality, I know it is only the Hifi or CD quality.
So will I be looking for a streaming DAC? I'm new to the whole DAC thing and have always just used analog out/in.
So will I be looking for a streaming DAC? I'm new to the whole DAC thing and have always just used analog out/in.
I have never looked so can’t point you in the right direction. But it will be listed in the specs like DSD or others.
Edit: and you typed MQA so all the haters will start chiming in, just read between the lines to gleem the info you need.
uofmtiger
Addicted Member
I would go with the Bluesound Node 2i if I had these exact needs.
There are apps like Audirvana that can run on a computer and send out MQA (with the first unfolding... 96khz rather than 192khz), but you need an MQA specific device if you want that second unfolding. Of course, if you are running a computer in the process, you can get a fairly inexpensive Dragonfly DAC which would also add portability since you can use it with a lot of different mobile devices.
Personally, I looked at all these options, but went with Qobuz just to get the 192k signal without having to deal with MQA. I did use Tidal for 5 months since they had a great deal, so it really depends on individual needs.
daviddi922
Active Member
I have read about the Bluesound Node 2i and it seems like a great option, but most say the dac isnt that great. It works well if using it as a streamer to a higher quality dac, but at that point its a very expense streamer just for MQA.
With Qobuz, how are you playing up to 192khz? And what devices are capable that can stream not being MQA specific?
uofmtiger
Addicted Member
I use Qobuz with Audirvana and the Audirvana app on iOS. I use it in 4 systems. Two are Mac minis directly connected to Topping D10 DACs and thy are both directly feeding a signal to receivers (my office also has a headphone amp in the path). Audirvana allows you to run the program on 2 computers with their one license.
The other two use UPNP. One is the Marantz in the bedroom that has DLNA/UPNP built in and the other is a Yamaha WXC-50 (with UPNP) that feeds a vintage Marantz receiver and a separate Little Dot headphone amp. For me, buying a bunch of streamers is like reinventing the wheel since I already have robust wifi and ethernet connected systems and multiple devices with DLNA. I have considered even expanding the rooms I play it because I have a couple receivers in the garage that aren't being used that support DLNA. With this setup (Audirvana + Qobuz) I can get 192k when the music has it available. With Tidal, I am limited to 96k in those same setups because none of them perform the last step of unfolding MQA.
All that being said, your network is the most important ingredient followed closely by how the DLNA is being used in the receiving device. Both of my UPNP devices work fine, but I have heard horror stories. Of course, I have heard the same type of stories with Airplay and I have used it for many years without very many issues at all.
daviddi922
Active Member
Okay good to know!
So I guess my main thing is, with these new streaming services, how is one controlling the songs while still sitting in the listening position?
From my understanding is that with a traditional dac and say a laptop as your source, wouldnt you need to get up to change the song/playlist etc? Or is there a piece that Im missing like a remote control app for Tidal or Qobuz that can control the songs playing from a laptop (or some other hardwired to your dac) source?
So I guess my main thing is, with these new streaming services, how is one controlling the songs while still sitting in the listening position?
From my understanding is that with a traditional dac and say a laptop as your source, wouldnt you need to get up to change the song/playlist etc? Or is there a piece that Im missing like a remote control app for Tidal or Qobuz that can control the songs playing from a laptop (or some other hardwired to your dac) source?
I use the service apps from my phone to control the streamer. I am not streaming from my phone just controlling.
Tidal
