[BobSmith8901]

It appears that Tidal have updated their Android app again today ---2.11.1.

 

[Left Channel]

It appears that Tidal have updated their Android app again today ---2.11.1.

Got it, thanks. Most likely a minor bug fix but you never know.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Got it, thanks. Most likely a minor bug fix but you never know.

Looks like they fixed the problem with the FiiO X5III w/the latest update. No more digital hash/distortion. All songs are playing fine, masters and hifi.

They must have found the issue that was causing the distorted playback.

Imagine those w/the X7's (I and II) should also be up and running normally. Good job Tidal.

New version is 2.11.1.883.1 (8 Jan 2019)

 

[chris6878]

UAPP and tidal masters on the LG V30 .Wow I did not realise that the V30 does the full MQA unfold. It is reporting 176.4kHz frequency of the file when played via the headphone port .

I have the v30 also, so since the v30 does the full unfold, do I need to purchase the UAPP MQA streaming function? Or can I just play straight from the tidal app?
I will be also using my phone in the car which lacks wifi, so its best for me to play my downloaded tidal files with the tidal app so I dont suck up gigs of data.

 

[Left Channel]

I have the v30 also, so since the v30 does the full unfold, do I need to purchase the UAPP MQA streaming function? Or can I just play straight from the tidal app?
I will be also using my phone in the car which lacks wifi, so its best for me to play my downloaded tidal files with the tidal app so I dont suck up gigs of data.

You don't need to purchase the UAPP add-on 1x MQA decoder. UAPP can already send the music through the V30's built-in DAC for 4x unfolding.

In your car you can use the Tidal app to take advantage of the offline feature. The Tidal app has been able to do 4x unfolding with the V30 series for a while now. As of the January 4th update, it also does 1x unfolding with any phone too. However it may not do either of those things as well as UAPP, as it doesn't completely bypass issues in the Android OS the way UAPP does, and because every phone seems to be different. Reports say it also munges 16/44.1 playback by sending it through the Android system where it gets resampled.

Overall results with the Tidal app are unclear, and I'm looking forward to reading listening comparisons of the two apps.

 

[Dannemand]

Overall results with the Tidal app are unclear, and I'm looking forward to reading listening comparisons of the two apps.

I really don't think it is true that results with the Tidal app are unclear as far as the V30 goes: (A) It plays Master/MQA tracks correctly, with full 1st and 2nd level unfolding and rendering handled by the ESS Sabre DAC, exactly like UAPP. (B) It screws up redbook 16/44 tracks by playing them through the Android Mixer.

So 16/44 (non-Master/MQA tracks) should be played through UAPP (which converts them to 24/44 to allow them to be sent directly to the ESS DAC) whereas Master/MQA tracks can be played either through UAPP or the Tidal app (the latter supporting download/offline mode).

I base this on comparing audio_flinger dumps between UAPP and the Tidal App, as well as listening comparisons: Master/MQA tracks sound identical between the two, while redbook 16/44 tracks exhibit that subtle noise (audible on sensitive IEMs) when played through the Tidal app.

I've posted about this several times in recent months, including yesterday in the UAPP thread (here and here) where I included the relevant sections of the flinger Output threads from UAPP and the Tidal app, which clearly are identical when playing Tidal Master/MQA tracks.

Keep in mind, this is true only for V30 (and its V35/V40/G7 siblings, I presume) and only when playing through its Quad DAC on the 3.5mm port. Others have posted how the Tidal app messes up MQA playback on other phones and/or when using an external USB DAC, including @jt25741's test posted here based on V20 (which doesn't have hardware MQA support).

Edit: I realize I am kind of harping on about this, but I keep seeing posts in various threads that say the Tidal app doesn't play MQA correctly, when I know that it does. I am a huge UAPP fan myself, and we all need it, both for Tidal 16/44 tracks and for local files. But I appreciate the Tidal app's download mode, and with MQA tracks I know it plays them correctly.

 

[h-man]

I really don't think it is true that results with the Tidal app are unclear as far as the V30 goes: (A) It plays Master/MQA tracks correctly, with full 1st and 2nd level unfolding and rendering handled by the ESS Sabre DAC, exactly like UAPP. (B) It screws up redbook 16/44 tracks by playing them through the Android Mixer.

I base this on comparing audio_flinger dumps between UAPP and the Tidal App, as well as listening comparisons: Master/MQA tracks sound identical between the two, while redbook 16/44 tracks exhibit that subtle noise (audible on sensitive IEMs) when played through the Tidal app.

Totally agree with this. MQA tracks sound great in tidal, exactly the same as UAPP, but redbook tracks do exhibit the subtle telltale noise of being upsampled, whereas they sound fine in uapp.

A good test track to hear the difference between tidal and uapp is the intro from "delirium" by Ellie Goulding in which Ellie's vocals slowly fade in. In the mqa version of the track in both tidal and uapp, there is no digital noise around the vocal even with sensitive iems. However the redbook version in tidal has the horrible digital crackling during the initial 30s or so whereas the same version streaming in uapp sounds clean. So I have both apps installed, use tidal only for downloading mqa albums for offline listening.

 

[baronasm]

Hi, folks! I am looking for Android based DAP mainly for Tidal offline listening in my car. I would like to use digital coaxial out to my cars DSP. Great news that now MQA can be 1x encoded in Android devices! My question is - do all new DAP's with Tidal preinstalled bypass Android SRC? Or it is just HiBy that does that? I would like to have bit perfect MQA 24bit 96khz signal from Tidal app via coaxial out. Thank you.

 

[Left Channel]

Hi, folks! I am looking for Android based DAP mainly for Tidal offline listening in my car. I would like to use digital coaxial out to my cars DSP. Great news that now MQA can be 1x encoded in Android devices! My question is - do all new DAP's with Tidal preinstalled bypass Android SRC? Or it is just HiBy that does that? I would like to have bit perfect MQA 24bit 96khz signal from Tidal app via coaxial out. Thank you.

I don't know much about the HyBy or any other such DAP but I suspect the Tidal app won't do that well, and you'll need the UAPP app with the MQA add-on instead. Just my guess. I'll be interested to read your reports if you try this with either app.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Damn. Sorry to hear this. I have an Onkyo DP-X1 on the way that uses an older version of Android [5.1?]. I am worried this might happen to me as well. And other folks were having issues w/ The DP-X1 and UAPP. Starting to wonder if I made a mistake getting this Onkyo. Guess I should actually use it to see how it sounds, but signs aren't exactly making me optimistic.

Not sure if this applies in your case but the latest update to UAPP (5.06) addresses an issue where the MQA update couldn't be applied to DAPs that couldn't process 88.2Khz.

From the UAPP/Google Play webpage:

"* MQA tracks can now be played on devices/DACs that lack the 88200Hz sample rate (Pioneer XDP/Onkyo DP-X1)"

So folks with one of those DAPs are now unblocked from getting the update and can now get the 1x unfold of MQA.

 

[chris6878]

Hi, folks! I am looking for Android based DAP mainly for Tidal offline listening in my car. I would like to use digital coaxial out to my cars DSP. Great news that now MQA can be 1x encoded in Android devices! My question is - do all new DAP's with Tidal preinstalled bypass Android SRC? Or it is just HiBy that does that? I would like to have bit perfect MQA 24bit 96khz signal from Tidal app via coaxial out. Thank you.

The lg v30 or any of the others would be your best bet imo.

 

[baronasm]

The lg v30 or any of the others would be your best bet imo.

Yes, LG V30 is a great phone and does full MQA unfold, but it doesn't have coaxial out

 

[h-man]

Lights off. Listening to MQA streams from tidal on LG V30 through UAPP on Senn HD650 from headphone output on phone.
Can honestly say one of the most blissful head fi exoeriences I've had (been into this hobby for 20 years)
Happy......

 

[cobrabucket]

Lights off. Listening to MQA streams from tidal on LG V30 through UAPP on Senn HD650 from headphone output on phone.
Can honestly say one of the most blissful head fi exoeriences I've had (been into this hobby for 20 years)
Happy......

Just got my V30 this weekend. I am in LOVE!!! Coincidentally, I just received an Onkyo DP-X1. It sounds great, especially through the balanced jack, but the V30 runs circles around it using UAPP and Tidal to do full 4x unfolds. In this facet, I am slightly disappointed in the Onkyo. It sounds great and has full android 5.1, but it's just not in the same class as the V30, imo. I will prob end up selling the Onkyo. It comes with a nice leather case and I will sell it for what I bought it for. Anyone interested, send me a DM. Thanks! I love this community!!! Can't believe I waited this long to get the V30...

 

[h-man]

The Tidal/UAPP/V30 is an amazing combo. Don't know whether the MQA is massively better than the Redbook files - these sound crystal clear and engaging too.