I’d have to hope that conversion is not what’s occurring; if it is, there’s going to be a lot of wailing and teeth gnashing…
Tidal Max has been rolled out for about six months now and from the research you have done it appears Tidal have been very busy in transitioning MQA 24/96 and 24/192 into FLAC versions.
It will be interesting to see what Tidal do with the MQA 16/44 and 16/48, hopefully, where avaiable we will get Hi-Res FLAC 24/96 and 24/192 replacements rather than 16/44 and 16/48 versions.
Thank you for your research and providing the information it is very useful to everybody.
I have a Lumin P1 streamer/dac and Lumin were an early adopter of Tidal Max/Hi-Res FLAC so I have been using it since October last year.
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Sorry, they are not actually converting the files but adding new hires ones and limiting the ability to see the existing MQA one. Only time I see both files is when there is a hires file and 16/44 MQA. I just meant they are converting over to hires, and away from MQA. Not actually transcoding the MQA files.
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I did find it odd that since most of the higher res MQA now have a 24/96 or higher equivalent, together, that is less than half the hires files I have in Qobuz for the same collection. I think I have an idea why. Not all the record companies were supplying MQA versions of their albums. There were many hires albums in Qobuz that never had a MQA equivalent. So think phase one was to replace the MQA files and then they can add additional hires albums that Qobuz and Apple have as well.
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Phew! Could have been fun… 
Indeed - when I released through my distributor I had to pay extra for my FLAC files to be converted to MQA ( though it was a tiny amount) - and I declined. Other than that I could provide media in whatever lossless data rate I wanted to from 44.1/16 upwards
it is now March and I wander how much longer it will take for Naim to produce a firmware capable of supporting hires flac and if they are working on this at all.
I asked Lindemann on status which use same supplier of streaming boards but they said “needed software changes are still not ready”.
I also read someone claiming that the reason for some companies not supporting MAX through Connect isn’t tech related and instead about contract/royalties. Naim being totally silent about this makes me think this is not tech related and instead about negotiations…
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So. I am shortly in the market for a new streamer (circa £2k) which might even be second hand but I definitely want to access and play the Flac files from my tidal subscription.
Without sounding like vinyl stuck in a groove am I going to have to buy something other than naim to listen to them?
Who’s got their ears to the ground at naim HQ these days that can answer that question?
There’s a nearly new ND5XS2 on a certain auction site at the moment which would slot into my system quite nicely but not if I can’t play Tidal Flac.
Any news?
StreamUnlimited have just added Tidal Max to SDK.
No excuses naim, get it delivered.
Might be a while, of course Beta testing needed etc. but it no longer looks like there are any technical blockers.
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You’ll get FLAC from Tidal with any Naim streamer. The issue here is the delay getting 24 bit FLAC as opposed to 16 bit.
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Looks like a big update 
Should be updates coming soon then for Naim and Lindemann 
TIDAL Connect
TIDAL Connect now includes Hi-Res for TIDAL Max subscribers, providing audiophiles with an unmatched streaming experience.
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If naim have been proactive and preparing in the background for this by updating custom firmware/app to support Max (like Lindemann did), with just StreamUnlimited SDK for Connect outstanding, then hopefully new firmwares to Beta test could be imminent.
That specifically states Tidal Connect, I wonder if it will also enable the Naim app embedded Tidal.
That naim could already have done if they wanted like Lindemann have done. It’s connect they have been waiting for.
Looking forward to these updates. Hopefully it doesn’t take Naim several months to complete their work. Luckily I already play hires thru roon but Tidal native app looks pretty good, especially their latest beta, so would be nice to get Tidal Connect update as soon as possible.
Thanks, I had it the wrong way round in my head.
The Tidal app is excellent, so most of my listening is now via Tidal Connect.
In the office we’ve got a RPI into SMSL PO100 Pro providing Tidal Max Connect to SuperUniti.
Really want the naim firmware to give us same on main system.
I got an email recently saying this: Starting April 10, 2024, you will now get access to our music library in full lossless, HiRes FLAC, and Dolby Atmos sound for the same price you pay today of $12.99/month.
This is because we’re making it easier for everyone to enjoy best-in-class sound quality by combining our HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers into a single subscription tier called TIDAL.
You will see these changes reflected on your Subscription page at account.tidal.com on your first billing date on or after April 10, 2024. Thanks for choosing to be a TIDAL subscriber.
I received the same message and am now ultra confused.
Will I be able to play these HiRes files on my NDX or not - without resorting to an off board box of trickery?
I am guessing there maybe a Tidal Connect/Tidal Native issue?
Apparently my NDX is “Hi-res 24bit/192kHz” capable according to this information in the Naim Connection news feed:-
https://www.naimaudio.com/news/17040/hi-res-24bit192khz-added-naim-audio-streaming-products