When Hi-Res Streaming Isn’t So Hi-Res: Tidal Streaming Experience Shared

[@Rich-h4k]

If I’m not mistaken on an Apple device, you have to use the camera adapter to get high res into a DAC. Is that what you do on your Apple devices? I think if you go directly from the lightning port into a DAC it tops out at 24/48. I don’t know on the newer devices with USB-C. This is what I’ve always done on my iPhone, when I connected it directly to a DAC. Anymore I use a Wiim mini optical out to my DAC.

[@hifirulezzz]

@@Rich-h4k it is USB C, not lightening

[@Rich-h4k]

@ hmm that’s strange, and I’m wondering if it’s not Tidal if it’s a glitch in iOS.

[@hifirulezzz]

@ it’s a Tidal app issue. I have installed Roon and it plays Tidal content just fine, but perfect.

[@Rich-h4k]

Hopefully there will be an update to address the issue.

[@deadwaxJoe]

Hi, I have been experiencing this issue with apple music and I am suspecting my wi-fi connection as my playback often stops. I am now considering ethernet cabling but for now I am trying downloading apple music to my IOS and Mac to prove that it is my wi-fi

[@sc0or]

They all do not allow to select a release year. As a rule the younger release is the worse a sound is: compressed, not natural, with bumps and deeps on a FR graph. All online services prefer the youngest over remastered releases (a sound is adjusted for a car or a gym). Fortunately I don’t listen to music released after 90s too much, I don’t have any subscription, and I can choose between CDs released prior 90s, or a vinyl.

[@SastusBulbas1]

Hi Res, basically moving distortion futher up the chain to make it easier to impliment cheap dacs and charge more money. Plenty of info on the internet showing how identical music masters released on 24/192 and 16/44 can not be dicerned by listeners, incuding reviewers and mastering engineers, in ABX testing. Also info on how 16/44 is all the dynamics and frequency range we can deal with and hear as humans in a domestic environment. You then add that the majority of music on this planet is actually 16bit resolution or less, and that the majority of mics used in the music industry cannot acurately capture above 20Khz or do high dynamic range, and you quickly see by dynamic range of 96db to 106db with a frequency range of 10hz to 20Khz is more than we need and more than most audio equipment can actually produce. Even funnier is that all this music is recorded with $2 per meter starquad running many many meters into patch bays running further lengths into more patch bays and mixers through conduit, so some engineer can take half a dozen different tracks recorded on different days in different rooms, then with plug ins and all manner of stuff, distort, add punch, remove dynamics, increase levels here, decrease levels there, equalize this, compress that and pan all these individual rooms into what sounds like a sound stage with depth and width and placement of instruments, so he can then downmix from 24/192 to 16/44, where HiRes streaming platforms then restream at claimed higher resolution, so audiophiles can then claim they hear 50Khz and more detail from the recording with their $6000 interconnects than you could ever get from cheap cable or physical media. Crazy days, my houseplant told me. But in all seriousness people are paying for hi res and simply enjoying a different mastering, not hearing hi res, its as big a scam as cables.

[@hifirulezzz]

@@SastusBulbas1 are you reposting stuff from the internet or did you test yourself? I do test everything myself and I clearly hear the difference. And I own a library of SACD discs which were recorded from life performances. Those are two layer disks and I can compare SACD and CD layers. You would not believe your ears when you will hear the stage from SACD layer. Full presence. So, stop posting something you have never tried yourself.

[@general682002]

I'm currently use Tidal as it was supposed to be better than the super popular Spotify in terms of frequency!

[@marmotamarmota2531]

Hi :) What do you think about asking Tidal directly about this issue?

[@hifirulezzz]

@@marmotamarmota2531 I tried to ask Qobuz about why sound is processed and not the same as original and has never got an answer.

[@seongkyulim4495]

Tidal bitrate conversion is not working on iOS devices these days. I don't know why but they don't fix it for a long time. It works correctly on windows devices and Tidal connect also works fine.

[@Rich-h4k]

Thanks for the video, I wonder if it’s not a setting somewhere? I use Tidal from the Wiim mini, optical into my Topping DAC then into my receiver. I always get 96 or 192 when available. It sounds like something is creating a bottleneck on your end, either that or setting on Tidal. I know you have to enable it, I’m assuming you did. Kind of strange but Tidal is my favorite, much better since they got rid of the MQA in my opinion.

[@hifirulezzz]

I agree, I like the variety of albums which I can't find on other services, but last month I observing even drop outs on 96 kHz which happens over weekend ONLY. Workdays it plays 96 kHz just fine. And I have 1 Gbit Fios network. Sad.