[rlw6534]

Confused newbie with a couple of questions please. I have just received a V30+. My only music sources will be Amazon Music app (not hd) and my old CD collection which I recently digitised mostly to FLAC and some mp3 246kbps. Will I benefit from something like Neutron or UAPP (easier interface), or poweramp. All of this is new to me and while I've read through the thread, terms like bit rates, sampling, DSD, MQA etc. are foreign to me and I'm just getting more confused the more I read ! So, just in relation to my specific and limited needs, could someone please let me know what they would recommend. Thanks in advance.

I personally don't think there is much benefit, if any, for CD quality flac and non-HD Amazon sources to get a different player. Of course, your phone can do high resolution audio if you ever decided to go that way, so there are options. Others may have different opinions, of course. There are mostly audiophiles here who seek the ultimate in audio fidelity, but that does come at a cost. Either way, the V30+ is an excellent audio device.

Edit:

I see you already have differing opinions...

 

[csglinux]

I personally don't think there is much benefit, if any, for CD quality flac and non-HD Amazon sources to get a different player.

There definitely is a benefit, which is easily audible on sensitive headphones. You don't need golden ears to hear these up-sampling artifacts, unfortunately. CD quality FLAC is the main reason you'd want Neutron or UAPP - because you want to at least be able to play back what is - by far - the most common audio format correctly.

Either way, the V30+ is an excellent audio device.

True

 

[rlw6534]

There definitely is a benefit, which is easily audible on sensitive headphones. You don't need golden ears to hear these up-sampling artifacts, unfortunately. CD quality FLAC is the main reason you'd want Neutron or UAPP - because you want to at least be able to play back what is - by far - the most common audio format correctly.


True

There is a UAPP trial, if you want to sample the difference (for 20 minutes at a time):

https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial

 

[Irish1966]

Thanks very much for all the quick replies and advice. I reckon I'll try the UAPP trial and take it from there.
Currently listening to "Leonard Cohen Live in London" on Amazon Music with a big smile on my face . There's something effortless about the presentation compared to my iphone 7. I'll be using the V30 as a dedicated DAP.

 

[Promenadeplatz]

There is a UAPP trial, if you want to sample the difference (for 20 minutes at a time):

https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial

"limited to 20 minutes of playback and a limited number of songs."

"Limited playback" and only a certain number of songs ...... Is this really serious? Can you assess the software under that conditions??? Don't waste your money on that UAPP!!

 

[Dannemand]

"limited to 20 minutes of playback and a limited number of songs."

"Limited playback" and only a certain number of songs ...... Is this really serious? Can you assess the software under that conditions??? Don't waste your money on that UAPP!!

It's not like $8 is a huge outlay compared to what most people spend on HiFi gear and music. Plus I have a feeling this particular Dev will be very reasonable about refund requests if the app is found not to be working on a user's device or not giving the desired performance.

 

[csglinux]

UAPP is generally well-regarded in this community. We know it works.

 

[Irish1966]

I bought the UAPP app, and copied my music from pc to the V30 internal/sd storage. I'm delighted with the way it classifies the music (Album Artist primarily). The quality of Amazon Music and other apps through headphones/earphones is also fantastic. I'm also using the V30 to stream bluetooth aptx music/audio to my Dynaudio Xeo 4 wireless speakers. I know that a wired connection to the Dynaudio hub would probably be better but convenience wins out. I'm sure a lot of this is hi-fi heresy , but I reckon I'll listen to a lot more music with this set up. For €150 I have a great DAP and streamer. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Musak60]

I have a LG V30 with the mconnect app loaded on it. I am streaming Tidal through it to my A&K Kann at Hi-Fi or better bit rate and it just doesn't sound as good as when I listened to the Kann with the Tidal app embedded in the Kann. Is there a reason why this would happen? A fix? Is something lost in the transmission?

The Kann is no longer supported by Tidal and A&K will not update the firmware to adhere to the new Tidal authentication process, so this is my only option from now on. No sideload options for the Kann unfortunately. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[afico]

Hello
I have a g7 with Android 10 and tidal 2.21
How can I test it if mqa is direct or not ?
Thanks

 

[afico]

just tested .
Is it Normal that playing a Tidal Master song from app 2.21 version on andorid 9 I get Direct but 48/24? If I play it in Uapp it is a 24/96 mqa file ..
Thanks a lot

 

[Dannemand]

just tested .
Is it Normal that playing a Tidal Master song from app 2.21 version on andorid 9 I get Direct but 48/24? If I play it in Uapp it is a 24/96 mqa file ..
Thanks a lot

Yes, that is completely what we would expect: This is a "proper" MQA track, i.e. a 24/96 master encoded into a 24/48 FLAC. Tidal app 2.21 plays it correctly: as 24/48 through Direct path, with the LG performing unfolding and rendering.

As previously noted, Tidal app 2.21 plays ALL Master tracks correctly on V30, even the infamous 16/44 MQA variety. Of course so does UAPP; and it ALSO plays all non-Master tracks correctly, which Tidal app sends through the Mixer.

For newcomers to the thread: This is only true of Tidal app versions up to 2.21. Versions after that send everything through the Mixer.

 

[afico]

Thanks a lot for the answer .
But why If I stream the same file via Uapp I get Mqa 24/96?

 

[Dannemand]

Thanks a lot for the answer .
But why If I stream the same file via Uapp I get Mqa 24/96?

UAPP is just displaying the unfolded sample rate, but otherwise it's doing the same as Tidal (as long as we're talking 2.21 and Master tracks).

I assume you inspected the audio_flinger dump from the Tidal app. Try and do that from UAPP, and you'll find they look the same when playing MQA files (except on 16/44 MQA, which Tidal app plays as 16/44 and UAPP converts to 24/44; Direct path in all cases, of course).

 

[csglinux]

Some thoughts on our inevitable dongly/post-LG-phone existence: https://www.hypethesonics.com/hiby-fc3-minihype

I have a LG V30 with the mconnect app loaded on it. I am streaming Tidal through it to my A&K Kann at Hi-Fi or better bit rate and it just doesn't sound as good as when I listened to the Kann with the Tidal app embedded in the Kann. Is there a reason why this would happen? A fix? Is something lost in the transmission?

The Kann is no longer supported by Tidal and A&K will not update the firmware to adhere to the new Tidal authentication process, so this is my only option from now on. No sideload options for the Kann unfortunately. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I can't be sure what MQA is doing over a wireless connection. I doubt A&K will tell you. I'm pretty sure MQA/Meridian will not tell you.
Also, I presume you mean AK Connect? If so, I've had a few issues with it myself. Sadly, A&K are not prompt at fixing bugs in their software.