[Mython]

This doesn't say much, but maybe they listen to the community and will eventually add Tidal support.

Hmmm... you say that as though everyone in 'the community' wants Tidal.

Some millenials, who want to rent music instead of buy it, may well want Tidal, but many others prefer to buy music and to have as pure a player as possible.

As you know, it's a peculiar point in time, with the uncertainty of streaming services as a viable business model, and the split between old-skool CD buyers and stream-renters, with download buyers somewhere in between the two, albeit closer to the former.

Considering how long it took iRiver (who pompously believe they are the kings & leaders of the TOTL DAP world) to implement offline Tidal support on the Android platform, I wouldn't hold your breath in anticipation of Lotoo bringing such functionality to the LPG2 and it's proprietary OS anytime soon. There seems to be an increasing demand, from the stream-renter crowd, for offline Tidal functionality, now that several DAP-makers have bowed to their lobbying for online streaming functionality. In other words, it seems quite a large percentage of stream-renters, in spite of not being willing to buy their music, want to have their cake & eat it, as far as they can. Some DAP-makers, in order to compete with rivals, are evidently feeling like they have to keep these people happy, even if it means having to divert substantial additional R&D to every DAP they make.

Spoiler: Related discussion

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lot...0-4-4mm-balanced.875802/page-12#post-14147290

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new...218p-and-just-99.874859/page-16#post-14144294

Honestly, it doesn't really bother me much, as I would be more eager to see a circa $1000 DAP from Lotoo. In that context, I'd like to see the LPG2 be a reasonable success, if only in the hope of it encouraging Lotoo to do a midrange offering (hopefully without unnecessary expense and complexity of streaming)

 

[musicday]

As i said before I will say it again: i want this music player to support Tidal even if i will not use it until it gets cheaper. I don't have a Tidal Hifi subscription that cost £20/month.
When I pay a premium price like this, I want as many features as possible and Tidal support is one of them.
By the way all my music is always with me on SDXC as i use only the Tera Player.

 

[Whitigir]

I assure you a proper modern display would cost 100x more than all of the resistors in the device no matter their tolerances, heck, even if they went further and binned them by hand. Make no mistake, the margins on this thing (and every other TOTL audiophile device for that matter) are explosive. The enclosure is probably 10-fold the price of the internal bill of materials.

What I meant is that, I don’t need a fancy screen, I only want fancy music in a portable DAP, because I can only afford $3,000 and not a cents more toward a fancy screen. I hope that is clear

Also, there are differences between materials, engineering a product, execute a product, produce a product for mass marketing. Huge differences. I will make it simple and say this, I can throw you a whole bunches of stuff with excellent components and parts. Go ahead, make me a fancy DAP.

Hell, I ventured down the DIY road, and I fully understand that concept very well. But I am not interested in further debate. Such experiences can only be experienced by one own self to really understand

 

[Pictograms]

I hope that if they add streaming they don’t add specific apps, give me the ability to use the Paw as a end point from my computer or phone.
Why would I want a specific streaming service that could close.
But if I had to guess they will use the wifi for DLNA

 

[nanaholic]

I bet good money that offline Tidal support won't come from players which doesn't run Tidal's own internally developed Android app, ever. Offline support means DRM to prevent people from simply copying the file out from the player to prevent easy piracy, and there's no way that Tidal's going to give away their encryption method and keys to third parties without some seriously punishing contractual obligations and auditing (someone hacks one of these not very well developed players for the encryption key, reverse engineers the Android/iOS app, downloads Tidal's entire library for free to keep and spreads the how to on the internet, and Tidal goes tits up), which the boutique players won't be able to support due to their high margin but extremely low volume business model.

Holding your breathe for this one is unrealistic, pigs gonna fly type scenario.

 

[Mimouille]

Presentation in Shanghai tomorrow.

 

[San Man]

You going this time?

 

[musicday]

You going this time?

I hope he will we need to know more.

 

[Mimouille]

You going this time?

Nope, but I will do and try it at their Beijing office next week.

 

[San Man]

Nope, but I will do and try it at their Beijing office next week.

Ohh la la!

 

[Kerouac]

Nope, but I will do and try it at their Beijing office next week.

Great! Especially looking forward to your impressions on SQ and signature (compared to your current LPG)

 

[twister6]

I bet good money that offline Tidal support won't come from players which doesn't run Tidal's own internally developed Android app, ever. Offline support means DRM to prevent people from simply copying the file out from the player to prevent easy piracy, and there's no way that Tidal's going to give away their encryption method and keys to third parties without some seriously punishing contractual obligations and auditing (someone hacks one of these not very well developed players for the encryption key, reverse engineers the Android/iOS app, downloads Tidal's entire library for free to keep and spreads the how to on the internet, and Tidal goes tits up), which the boutique players won't be able to support due to their high margin but extremely low volume business model.

Holding your breathe for this one is unrealistic, pigs gonna fly type scenario.

I was told offline is not supported on A&K DAPs with Tidal. Can't confirm it since I don't have Tidal service.

 

[Whitigir]

I was told offline is not supported on A&K DAPs with Tidal. Can't confirm it since I don't have Tidal service.

I recall being told like that too, something due to licensing and so on, but it could have changed. Not too sure

 

[kubig123]

I recall being told like that too, something due to licensing and so on, but it could have changed. Not too sure

That's correct.
Only the tidal app that can be downloaded from Google Play allows to download and store the songs on the player.

 

[nanaholic]

I was told offline is not supported on A&K DAPs with Tidal. Can't confirm it since I don't have Tidal service.

It doesn't, and that is partly the reason I base my theory of never having Tidal offline support on any non Play Store capable Android based players on.

AK players already have it better by being a heavily customised version of Android (but with Play Store support removed), and even then Tidal doesn't allow AK's Tidal app to have all the best features for what I suspect are the fears I have outlined in my post. So the chances of this fully from the ground up OS of Lotoo with unproven OS security having full Tidal support is just wishful thinking.

OTOH, being WiFi capable may mean wireless Roon endpoint support being that surprise feature, taking a page from the Poly and beat Chord's 2Go for Hugo 2 to the punch, as well as making it sorta Tidal capable by proximity.