[Chopin75]

So if you all have some advices for me? It's incredible when one is starting to read in the different high res sites how many options exist. I'm tending to switch to tidal and I also would like to buy some high res albums I really like . But from. Which site?

Qobuz - genuine , no fake upsampling. All type of genres. But no DSD. For DSD, most trusted is site is native DSD. It also has original DXD. Avoid acoustic sounds. It is overpriced and often updampled or converted from PCM to DSD. U should aways buy the format in its most original master form even if it is not the highest resolution.
If u are into classical- eclassical is great but it only has PCM even for DSD recordings. Most sites sell PCM version of DSD recording so u need to check if they are DSD originally or not. U can always check the Native DSD site for original dsd recordings. And also can buy directly from the recording company if available to ensure genuine format.

 

[Swoti]

Thank you I will take a look

 

[Admiral Kolchak]

Long-time user of Spotify, today I decided to give Audirvana and Tidal a try (I had used Tidal in the past, but dropped for the -at the time- better functionality of Spotify. This was long ago, before a serious upgrade in my system). Was very happy with Tidal in my Mac, via Hugo 2 to my XC.

Then I tried Tidal via Audirvana. I really like Audirvana's concept of bypassing the limitations of the source. But I found it very bright, tiring after a short while. Earlier in the thread there were some complaints about this. Anybody else that has experienced it? Any fixes? Otherwise I'll probably be sticking to Tidal.

 

[Chopin75]

Long-time user of Spotify, today I decided to give Audirvana and Tidal a try (I had used Tidal in the past, but dropped for the -at the time- better functionality of Spotify. This was long ago, before a serious upgrade in my system). Was very happy with Tidal in my Mac, via Hugo 2 to my XC.

Then I tried Tidal via Audirvana. I really like Audirvana's concept of bypassing the limitations of the source. But I found it very bright, tiring after a short while. Earlier in the thread there were some complaints about this. Anybody else that has experienced it? Any fixes? Otherwise I'll probably be sticking to Tidal.

Are u able to run direct mode with audirvana? only works great with that, and also need to rune extreme mode. Now all 2018 mac won’t allow direct mode or if u run sierra or newer os it also prevents direct mode.

 

[Admiral Kolchak]

Ah! You're right. Thanks for the clarification. I was aware of the problem but thought that it had been fixed (it's been a while since direct mode stopped working in mac...), and the Audirvana website was not clear about it. But now digging a bit further in a FAQ page:

Is Audirvana compatible with macOS Mojave ?
Audirvana version 3.12.11 and up is fully compatible with the latest version of macOS, 10.14, also called Mojave (except for Direct Mode, which has been broken by an Apple regression).
Starting with Audirvana 3.1.5, the Direct Mode option is hidden when not available (not patched macOS Sierra or higher).
If your DAC requires the installation of a software driver, you will need to check with its manufacturer that it is compatible with your version of macOS.

So I guess we have to wait until this get fixed.

 

[JoelDi]

I was looking for an iTunes replacement to listen to music I have purchased. I have a large music collection that is a combination of iTunes purchased music and ripped CDs.

First stop was Audirvana. It had gotten good reviews. The app gathered up my music just fine, but the deal killer for this app was that it would take over control of the volume on the computer. This meant that when a phone call came in over my computer, rather than automatically let the phone app take over, I had to go to the Audirvana app, turn off the song and then answer the phone on the computer.

Next stop was Vox. I couldn’t figure out how to connect it to my music collection and they seemed more interested in getting me to upgrade to the premium version than getting me connected to my music. Constantly got emails offering premium upgrades. Nonstarter.

I caved and tried Roon. It connected to my music at light speed. I entered my Qobuz credentials and I was connected. It plays my music with lots of additional notes about the group and pieces. I found my answer—it just costs $10 a month if you pay for an annual subscription.

My 2¢. YMMV. Joel