We’ve always said if we got overwhelming demand, we’d consider it, but we just haven’t had that. In the meantime, we offer full high-resolution streaming from Qobuz (plus of course your own, local files - up to 32bit/284kHz), and continue to explore the other new high-resolution streaming service options.
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Same here. I’m not even sure if the decision has a basis in sound quality, but from the uncertainty, confusion, closed nature etc of MQA I didn’t feel right giving them my money. Qobuz for me, family account too, been very happy with it.
And exactly that has happened with Auralic and the Auralic forum.
I don’t subscribe to Tidal or intend to do so, but I am concerned that if MQA really takes off, we will all, not just Tidal subscribers, end up paying more for our music and perhaps our hifi as at least some commentators are indicating. Actually I wouldn’t mind paying more if I was convinced that the extra would go to the artists, recording engineers etc. But I don’t see that happening. Rather, my worry is that it will go to big corporations yet again.
Roger
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And 1st unfolding MQA via Roon
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Might be something of a chicken-and-egg problem, though. It’s certainly not stopping other manufacturers from getting their streamers MQA certified.
There’s more to Tidal than just streaming MQA to one’s home hifi. They also offer music in Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio, and since both my phone and my tablet support Dolby Atmos, and I have a pair of Sony headphones tuned for 360°, those are available to me when not at home.
Subscribing to Qobuz (as well), or even Roon (which wouldn’t work on the road, and needs additional hardware) just because my Naim at home doesn’t support Tidal MQA seems excessive.
Just one person’s vote, obviously, so far from overwhelming, but please reconsider your position on MQA.
[I’ll leave the diatribe on the relative (de)merits of MQA to others.]
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…then there are some who own Naim systems and have no interest in MQA and hope that development resources are not allocated.
If you want MQA use TIDAL and purchase the hardware from one of the manufactures who are heading down that road. There is something for everyone out there and we do not all need to be drinking from the same trough.
JMHO - YMMV
Simple as pie, you can have your cake and eat it to…
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There has been some discussion here in the past of how optimising a DAC to process MQA could compromise its performance with regular lossless streams. Not good if you also stream from a local library, Qobuz, etc.
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I would be interested to know what Glevethan or @Dunc thinks of MQA, as they have both the Rossini streamers who decode MQA.
On the rossini with clock it sounded fine, but didn’t really think it was better than hi res from qobuz.
The fact qobuz was cheaper, had a much bigger catalogue in hi res compared to tidal mqa (this was some time ago, so things might have changed now) also now throw in direct downloads from qobuz to the melco, then I have no intension of going back to tidal.
Only really used tidal as that’s all the nds could do and once I got the rossini I switched, but did have both for about a month.
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With Roon doing the first unfold I generally find the Hires version better and more natural sounding. Occasionally the MQA is slightly preferred but usually on compressed or low dynamic range material.
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Not better but on same level? If yes, MQA sound very good and better than 16/44 files.
So for those preferring Tidal catalog, it would be interesting to decode MQA, not?
I didn’t try for long as I let my subscription go, so not the best person to give advice on this really, but what I remember was it was OK and I could have lived with it no problem.
I guess it depends a lot on how good the MQA decoding is done, as I believe dcs had some involvement with developing MQA, so maybe there decoding is better than others?
But as said I just went with qobuz for the reasons I posted earlier
Just added this, as I thought I was right in what I said
From the press release, David Steven, Managing Director of dCS, says, “The dCS and MQA teams have been in discussion, development and testing for almost a year. This is a unique and exciting implementation made possible by the flexibility and capability of our platform, as well as the fact that both companies have aligned philosophies, strong mutual respect and trust.”
MQA’s Bob Stuart adds, “In the case of the dCS Rossini, the MQA and dCS teams were able to work together to develop code which accurately matched the MQA hierarchical ideal reconstruction to analogue. This MQA implementation is unique as it is the first opportunity to enable a DAC which, by providing exact rendering to beyond 16x (768 kHz), matches the desired temporal response with very low modulation noise
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The native Tidal app on the iPhone will be undertaking the 1st unfold to decode the MQA upto 24/96
However, the Casting technology will then limit the stream (AirPlay/AirPlay 2 are stuck at CD quality (16/44) while Chromecast allows up to 24/96 streams)
The easy way, is to make your Nova a Roon Endpoint, then the MQA decoding (1st unfold up to 24/96) is performed in the Roon Core, and the endpoint receives a the decoded stream - this works well.
On the latest streaming platform only.
For earlier Streaming platform, where the DAC can support upto 24/192, best made part of a Roon environment, where Roon manages the Tidal/Qobuz interface, undertakes the MQA decoding for Tidal Master (1st unfold to 24/96, so the majority of the library of Tidal Masters) and then sends the Naim device a bit perfect stream.
Or for those that want this, just make the Naim streamer a Roon Endpoint, and let Roon manage the Tidal/Qobuz interface, and any MQA decoding (1st unfold to 24/96, so the majority of Tidal Masters) and sends the Naim device a bit perfect stream.
So nothing for the Naim development team to do here.
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There are less costly solutions other than Roon that can stream from Tidal and do the first MQA unfold - e.g. Audirvana.
(However, although I use Audirvana as my library and rendering software I can’t comment on how good it may be sending MQA decoded music to a Naim streamer as I have no interest in Tidal or MQA and no longer play music across a network.)
Unless I am completely misreading it, this is not what Stevesky seemed to say. And his answer was in the context of using the new Tidal Connect which is unrelated to Airplay and Chromecast
Well I have a dongle DAC which can be used with the iPhone or USB with MQA support, but relies on the 1st unfold being undertaken in software, be it the iOS native App, Roon remote on iOS/Windows
So when playing Tidal Masters or MQA files the “MQA decode” is lit, to show 2nd and 3rd level decoding is being undertaken.
But the question was Tidal Connect to Nova, and I don’t think the same applies if I read Stevesky right. Of course there are ways to get the first unfold in other ways, such as with Roon or whatever solution you have
I believe Tidal Connect over Chromecast should be able to support upto 24/96, but over AirPlay CD resolution only.
I have tried Tidal Connection from the iOS Tidal app to one of my Chromecast Audios, but there is no indication of the resolution used for this path
When I undertake a stream to the Chromecast Audios when used as a Roon endpoint, it is indicated that the stream is upto 24/96, i.e. perfect for this usage case, and of the streaming services.
Also interesting, as a Roon endpoint I can stream any Roon managed content, including all locally stored content regardless of format, internet Radio including Lossless FLAC stations, Tidal & Qobuz