Tidal Lossless Streaming

[CFGamescape]

Tidal on Mobile:

I have an old iPhone 4S that I have stripped out to use as a Tidal streaming device, along with my CEntrance M8 DAC/amp.  Works really well, and allows offline download from Tidal as well.

Desktop:
My Windows desktop system has Roon for Tidal... a great combination of a functional GUI, and useful integrated catalog of all my music on my local NAS as well as Tidal.  Plus I get bit perfect ASIO output from Roon (not yet available on Tidal Player).

Patiently waiting for Tidal, MQA, and Meridian to play together and fulfill all the promises they made 13 months ago.

Great idea to use an old iPhone as your steaming device. I'm using an iPad Air primarily for Tidal. Longer battery life and more storage for offline use. I hardly ever used it before Tidal.

 

[Angular Mo]

DAP as transport for off-line content?
 
I would like to discontinue using my iPhone for Tidal; though i often stream from the Web...I most often, and prefer to play in off-line mode.
 
I would like to separate the phone from my music, and also want a device with external storage capability so I can add a card; so that rules out a Touch
 
Is there a portable DAP that I can use as a digital transport (preferably with Toslink output.)
 
I believe (though I could be mistaken) all it would need to down-load content is an operating system since I would connect to the Web and Tidal via ethernet via an adaptor.
 
Would an AK100ii work as it has (i believe) an Android operating system; would that allow me to download offline content from Tidal's Web site, or from the Tidal app in the Google store?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

If it's an Android device, you're good to go. It doesn't need to be a "phone".

 

[Cornan]

DAP as transport for off-line content?

I would like to discontinue using my iPhone for Tidal; though i often stream from the Web...I most often, and prefer to play in off-line mode.

I would like to separate the phone from my music, and also want a device with external storage capability so I can add a card; so that rules out a Touch

Is there a portable DAP that I can use as a digital transport (preferably with Toslink output.)

I believe (though I could be mistaken) all it would need to down-load content is an operating system since I would connect to the Web and Tidal via ethernet via an adaptor.

Would an AK100ii work as it has (i believe) an Android operating system; would that allow me to download offline content from Tidal's Web site, or from the Tidal app in the Google store?

+1 I would also want to separate my mobile phone from my player. My best option so far is the iPod touch 64gb as a friend of my uses with great results. However, my dream scenario would to actually use my mobile phone as a upnp/DNLA control point with BubbleDS Next to a small Android device so I still can use my mobile phone as normal but without having them connected by wires...only through wifi. Anyone knows if this actually could be possible? BubbleDS Next do support Tidal and I use it at home with my computer (JplayStreamer). Just not sure if it is possible between two Android devices just yet. If anyone knows if this is doable please let me know!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I'm not even sure what you're attempting. O_o
 
If you have an Android device outside your phone, why wouldn't you just use Tidal straight on that? What's with all the extra stuff.

 

[Cornan]

I'm not even sure what you're attempting. O_o

If you have an Android device outside your phone, why wouldn't you just use Tidal straight on that? What's with all the extra stuff.

There is three purposes:
1. I want to separate my headphone amp (Oppo HA-2), headphones and the player and put it in my shoulder bag I normally carry around.
2. I still want to control Tidal through my iPhone in my front pocket.
3. Upnp/DNLA media streaming will improve SQ due to less CPU Intensive work load for my player

That is the main idea anyway...but not sure yet if it is doable or not though!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

There is three purposes:
1. I want to separate my headphone amp (Oppo HA-2), headphones and the player and put it in my shoulder bag I normally carry around.
2. I still want to control Tidal through my iPhone in my front pocket.
3. Upnp/DNLA media streaming will improve SQ due to less CPU Intensive work load for my player

That is the main idea anyway...but not sure yet if it is doable or not though!

 
That just seems like a bizarrely complex way of tackling the issue. XD
 
But hey, best of luck to ya!

 

[vrapan]

  DAP as transport for off-line content?
 
I would like to discontinue using my iPhone for Tidal; though i often stream from the Web...I most often, and prefer to play in off-line mode.
 
I would like to separate the phone from my music, and also want a device with external storage capability so I can add a card; so that rules out a Touch
 
Is there a portable DAP that I can use as a digital transport (preferably with Toslink output.)
 
I believe (though I could be mistaken) all it would need to down-load content is an operating system since I would connect to the Web and Tidal via ethernet via an adaptor.
 
Would an AK100ii work as it has (i believe) an Android operating system; would that allow me to download offline content from Tidal's Web site, or from the Tidal app in the Google store?

AK players as far as I know have locked OSs and they do not allow apps to run on them so no Tidal.
 
To run Tidal on a DAP you will need one that supports full Android the ones I know of are these :
 
Acoustic Research M2, Sony ZX2, Fiio X7, Pioneer XDP-100R, Onkyo DP-X1 . You also have the Echobox Explorer which should be out sometime this year (April/May is the current ETA) and maybe just maybe the iBasso DX200.
 
I am not so sure which ones of those have Toslink, but be aware that at least the X7 cannot store offline content on its mSD card - apparently due to limitations of the oldish version of Android. Not sure about the rest.

 

[Cornan]

There is three purposes:

1. I want to separate my headphone amp (Oppo HA-2), headphones and the player and put it in my shoulder bag I normally carry around.

2. I still want to control Tidal through my iPhone in my front pocket.

3. Upnp/DNLA media streaming will improve SQ due to less CPU Intensive work load for my player



That is the main idea anyway...but not sure yet if it is doable or not though!

That just seems like a bizarrely complex way of tackling the issue. XD

But hey, best of luck to ya!

Well, yes and no. Complex way to build but easy to use IRL IMO. Thanks for the good luck. I will probably need it!

 

[Soundizer]

May I please share this regarding a recent experiment. I listened to a Dire Straits Album (Brothers in Arms) on my Apple iPhone 6 Plus with the Creative E5 Soundblaster Dac/Amp on the ATH M50x headphones.


Compared:
1. Spotify Premium with Album downloaded. EQ levels off in the Spotify App.
2. Apple lossless version ripped from my CD. Played on Apple music App with EQ levels off.
3. Mastered for Apple iTunes Album on Apple iTunes store. I am in the UK. Played on Apple music App with EQ levels off.

I much prefer the Apple Lossless to Spotify Premium which makes sense and probably no surprise. Can confidently do a blind test to this for Dire Straits Album.
After a while the Spotify quality sounded a bit artificial with high treble and low end bass tuned up, some what fatiguing.
Inititially Spotify sounded more entertaining but then edgy and over engineered.

What I simly cannot explan is that I prefer the Mastered for iTunes Album the best.

Strangely ilogical, right?

PS. I have not tried Apple Music service yet, but will do next month. For the time being I assume that purchased music from Apple iTunes sounds better than Apple Music Service, otherwise people would be giving Apple Music Service higher ratings. If the Service matched the quality on iTunes surely it would be the best Quality Steaming Service? These are only questions, not statements.

 

[Angular Mo]

Transport of offline Tidal content.

Folks,
Though one would expect a 128GB iPhone to be adequate; the storage is shared among;

Apps
Email
Photos
Tidal offline content.

Plus, I would like a dedicated player without the phone.

An iPod Touch seems the only answer for me to date; though I wonder if is is the same as an iPhone but with airplane mode set internally. I want a player with massive storage for Tidal offline content, with no the cellular capability (nor related hardware); I am even OK if it has no WiFI nor
Bluetooth. I also prefer Toslink or Coax output so I don't need a CCK.

I have moved away from owning music and am now licensing it.

 

[ScottFree]

Transport of offline Tidal content.

Folks,
Though one would expect a 128GB iPhone to be adequate; the storage is shared among;

Apps
Email
Photos
Tidal offline content.

Plus, I would like a dedicated player without the phone.

An iPod Touch seems the only answer for me to date; though I wonder if is is the same as an iPhone but with airplane mode set internally. I want a player with massive storage for Tidal offline content, with no the cellular capability (nor related hardware); I am even OK if it has no WiFI nor
Bluetooth. I also prefer Toslink or Coax output so I don't need a CCK.

I have moved away from owning music and am now licensing it.

 
Love the iPod Touch. Still one of the best all time best music players both in design and sound. When the 128Gb version came out I was happy as Larry. However happy he is. Plenty of space for uncompressed music plus Qobuz, podcasts, Audible books and iTunesU programs I listen to. CPU on the current generation is an underclocked A8 processor which was the same as the iPhone 6. CCK only though. 

 

[vrapan]

Transport of offline Tidal content.

Folks,
Though one would expect a 128GB iPhone to be adequate; the storage is shared among;

Apps
Email
Photos
Tidal offline content.

Plus, I would like a dedicated player without the phone.

An iPod Touch seems the only answer for me to date; though I wonder if is is the same as an iPhone but with airplane mode set internally. I want a player with massive storage for Tidal offline content, with no the cellular capability (nor related hardware); I am even OK if it has no WiFI nor
Bluetooth. I also prefer Toslink or Coax output so I don't need a CCK.

I have moved away from owning music and am now licensing it.

you only need a CCK for iDevices, and no iDevice has coax or toslink. An iPod does not have cellular hardware at all. You will need wifi otherwise not sure how you are planning on loading your device with Tidal and use it....

 

[Angular Mo]

With the Touch I am using the same CCK then micro USB cable with my iPhone; inelegant, but i won't be sharing storage with other media.

Were an Android player to have Web connectivity (no phone) similar to a Touch, I could run offline Tidal content via their google play app and a USB to Ethernet adaptor run through a hub to load content only...A modified AK100(ii ?)would be great.

I know with the iOS I can Ethernet with an Adapter and hub for a wired connection; I would forgo WiFi and Bluetooth....to remove potential for noise.



I always play locally stored music downloaded from a stream service; $20/month is way cheap compared to what it would cost me to fill out my collection and to experiment with music new to me.

 

[Sonic Defender]

I always play locally stored music downloaded from a stream service; $20/month is way cheap compared to what it would cost me to fill out my collection and to experiment with music new to me.

Very true and exactly how I feel (although for me the 320 stream is good enough). On the downside, you end up owning nothing, but still, for my $9.99 a month I'm pretty happy.