There are a few topics all similar to what I am asking but don’t define what I need to know. … firstly I have an ATOM it’s wired via a TP LINK … phone and iPad all on same WiFi … I’ve paid up for Tidal and got all excited about this “ MASTERS “ option … when I connect to my ATOM via the phone/iPad it’s random if it streams in Master or Hifi even if I’ve chosen a “ MASTER “ recording it sometime only reads HIFI in the Tidal App … this is all in the tidal app … the actual Naim app doesn’t give this option at all so I guess that’s not supported ?? … also how do I find out what quality the stream is as my ATOM doesn’t tell me … and can I assume that airplay and chrome cast support this “ MASTER “ file … I could be paying for this master quality and I haven’t got a clue if my Atom is actually playing that quality of file … I saw Frank Skinner live a while ago he said he had just bought a TV that ,s picture was better quality than his actual eyes. I think this master option might be the same for my ears. …
If your using Naims streaming platform it does not support Tidal Masters. You need an MQA compatible system / streamer / DAC to use it. So your just getting the hifi streams which are CD quality. I suggest you read up on Tidal Masters as it uses MQA encoded material to get hires playback. When Naim update their current line for Qobuz perhaps look at this as it provides hires without MQA technology that will work on your Atom.
At a Chord amp and dac reveal at my dealer their designer for their DAC said 20% of what we see, is from our eyes, the rest our brain interpolates…which can explain optical illusions. He went on to say, how our hearing and the brain interpolates is much less well understood.
Total Masters is their term for albums encoded in the MQA format. This is a format which polarises opinion, it’s not a pure lossless hi-res format, it includes a lossy codec and a complex reconstruction algorithm. Some people find it works really well for them, others don’t. It requires specific support at the player end (or intermediate app/device) to do the full decode to the higher quality sound.
Naim do not support this decode. As such, using the Naim app won’t show you MQA encoded options on Tidal, it’s sow the hifi (16/44 FLAC) version.
If you use the Tidal app and cast to your streamer, I don’t actually know what resolution it casts at.
Thank you for your replies … slowly but surely the fog is clearing …
You may need a new dealer if they’re spouting nonsense like that. We know as much about the interaction of hearing and the brain as we do the interaction between eyes and the brain. Arguably we know more re: the eye/brain interaction but “much more”? There’s no way of knowing that.
What we certainly know is that no scientist has ever put a percentage figure on it because the interaction is far more complex than that. Your dealer is try8ng to hoodwink you with pseudo science. Fancy a hi-if dealer doing that!!!
Your not missing anything! Does not sound natural in my opinion, very processed!
It was Rob Watts who designs the Chord Dacs, not my dealer.
Apologies. I misread that. I’ll redirect my comments to said person then.
Bla. MQA sucks. It’s all marketing. Don’t worry about not having it.
I would discourage anyone from using Tidal - it will only allow them to push out more MQA BS.
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