[Dannemand]

Thanks for the info, so i find this cable for a recomendation on other forum
https://www.amazon.com/VENTION-Auxi...=1555002680&s=gateway&sprefix=Rca+to+u&sr=8-4

But i dont know if with this cable tidal its using the dac of the g7 or not.

As @Left Channel wrote, you need an analog cable that plugs into the G7's 3.5mm headphone jack. There is no other way if you want to use its DAC to decode and render MQA -- which I understood was your goal with this purchase, in addition to getting a new phone.

If you are in USA, I highly recommend checking out that Monoprice cable I mentioned. It won't cost you much, and it's all quality, no fancy branding. I bet more money goes into its manufacture than cables that cost 10x as much. When you receive it, you will know what I mean.

 

[FastForward]

Sorry if this is off topic but is anyone using the Oppo BDP-103/105 basic or Darbee versions to stream Tidal? Specifically, does the Oppo version of the Tidal app support the first unfold of MQA tracks?

 

[Left Channel]

Sorry if this is off topic but is anyone using the Oppo BDP-103/105 basic or Darbee versions to stream Tidal? Specifically, does the Oppo version of the Tidal app support the first unfold of MQA tracks?

Not off-topic at all. Based on posts I've seen on other forums, as far as I know Oppo has no plans to support MQA on any 103/105 model. They did release MQA support in a firmware update for the 203//205. You'll find that and update history for the other models here: https://www.oppodigital.com/support.aspx

 

[DaneNoodles]

It's hard enough sourcing masters file to CDs, ensuring they are the original pressings and what not by typing in UPCs onto Discogs. Then crossreferencing the dates on loudness wars DR database... I'd need more info on what the source was, and more options to crossreference for MQA to be of max value to me.

 

[afico]

Hel

I think you are confusing V30 with the V40: V30 is just about the same size as G7 (6.0 inch display vs 6.1 inch) whereas the V40 is significantly larger (6.5 inch) and more expensive. G7 is a good choice for its newer hardware and more RAM than V30, but it has LCD instead of OLED. If you think you'll ever root the phone, V30 is the better choice. If you do get G7, make sure you don't get the Android One version, as that doesn't have hardware MQA support (to my understanding, I could be wrong).

Edit: Seeing Left Channel's last post I wonder if I misunderstood: Are you looking to output through USB?

If you are looking to use the V30/G7's ESS DAC and play through its headphone jack, you will have full 4x MQA unfolding and rendering in hardware, directly from the Tidal app, no re-sampling. There is a myth that only UAPP will play MQA correctly, and it is not true. I have proven this umpteen times now in different threads here. Similarly, all HiRes music (or anything 24 bit) will play correctly, without downsampling, from all apps (all reasonable ones anyway).

But for playing Redbook 16/44 without upsampling, you will need UAPP or Neutron. I highly recommend UAPP, best $8 you can spend on a V30/V35/V40/G7.

Hello,
I have tried to play tidal via official app ong G7 using an USB dac. The sampling frequency shown by the dac is always 48...

 

[Dannemand]

Hel

Hello,
I have tried to play tidal via official app ong G7 using an USB dac. The sampling frequency shown by the dac is always 48...

Yes. I think it's pretty well established that most Android phones will re-sample to 48KHz when playing through USB DACs, unless you use apps like UAPP that have their own drivers. Thank you for reconfirming that.

My post was specifically in response to a question about utilizing the LG phone's Quad DAC to play MQA, playing through its headphone jack. When doing that, Tidal will play Master/MQA tracks correctly, without resampling, and with full 4x MQA unfolding and rendering in hardware. In fact, most apps (even dumb ones that don't have specific support for the Quad DAC) will play HiRes music without resampling, including 24-bit tracks of any sample rate.

However Redbook 16/44 is another matter, since it will be upsampled to 48KHz, unless you use UAPP, Neutron or another app that specifically avoids it -- which they do by converting it to 24/44, a harmless conversion that doesn't affect sound quality.

For me their built-in ESS Sabre DAC is one of the main reasons to buy LG V-series or G-series phones. But if I were going to output to a USB DAC, most any Android phone would work, since I would have to use UAPP for it anyway to avoid resampling.

 

[afico]

Yes. I think it's pretty well established that most Android phones will re-sample to 48KHz when playing through USB DACs, unless you use apps like UAPP that have their own drivers. Thank you for reconfirming that.

My post was specifically in response to a question about utilizing the LG phone's Quad DAC to play MQA, playing through its headphone jack. When doing that, Tidal will play Master/MQA tracks correctly, without resampling, and with full 4x MQA unfolding and rendering in hardware. In fact, most apps (even dumb ones that don't have specific support for the Quad DAC) will play HiRes music without resampling, including 24-bit tracks of any sample rate.

However Redbook 16/44 is another matter, since it will be upsampled to 48KHz, unless you use UAPP, Neutron or another app that specifically avoids it -- which they do by converting it to 24/44, a harmless conversion that doesn't affect sound quality.

For me their built-in ESS Sabre DAC is one of the main reasons to buy LG V-series or G-series phones. But if I were going to output to a USB DAC, most any Android phone would work, since I would have to use UAPP for it anyway to avoid resampling.

It's clear thank you.
Howewer I can tell you something else.
I tried tidal with 2 different phones and the behavior with external dac is different.
They both use Android Pie.
With s10 plus all is upsampled to 192
With p30 pro it goes to 96
For sure I prefer both options..
So maybe it's a matter also of Andorid version

 

[Dannemand]

It's clear thank you.
Howewer I can tell you something else.
I tried tidal with 2 different phones and the behavior with external dac is different.
They both use Android Pie.
With s10 plus all is upsampled to 192
With p30 pro it goes to 96
For sure I prefer both options..
So maybe it's a matter also of Andorid version

I heard about the Huawei phones upsampling to 96KHz, but I didn't know about the Galaxy upsampling to 192KHz. I think it is most likely a vendor choice, not about Android Pie, but I could be wrong. I am guessing that if Google ever realized that upsampling is not desirable (say, by adding just one person to their Android team who cares about audio quality) they would avoid it in Android itself, and the vendors would simply follow suit.

But it is annoying either way -- although for Redbook 16/44 upsampling to 192KHz is definitely better than upsamplign to 48KHz, as there will be fewer interpolation errors. In truth, most DACs will perform their own internal upsampling anyway as part of the process, but that's no excuse to inject an extra, and unnecessary, round of interpolation before it reaches the DAC.

 

[afico]

Absolutely agree with you.
Did you also test if all the offline Tidal Mqa content is played at 48? I think that mqa works only in streaming

 

[Dannemand]

Did you also test if all the offline Tidal Mqa content is played at 48? I think that mqa works only in streaming

Again, I have not tested external USB DACs myself, so I cannot speak to that.

I have only only tested using the Quad DAC of my LG V30 (the same ESS Sabre 9218p as in the G7). And when using the Quad DAC, the Tidal app plays all Master/MQA track correctly, without resampling, and with full hardware MQA unfolding and rendering. This is true for both streaming and offline tracks. Conversely, the Tidal app plays all non-Master track (Redbook 16/44) through the Android Mixer, which upsamples to 48KHz.

I use Tidal offline a lot, but only for Master/MQA tracks (which it plays correctly). For any non-Master/MQA tracks (Redbook 16/44) I play them through UAPP, which can only stream them, not play offline.

For external USB DACs, I assume whatever the Tidal app does when streaming, it also does for offline tracks (i.e. resamples to 48KHz). But that's just my assumption, as I have not tested it.

 

[noobandroid]

if I use SR15 as a desktop dac, will it unfold the MQA correctly, cause on the SR15 UI it will show no info so I'm highly uncertain

 

[Left Channel]

if I use SR15 as a desktop dac, will it unfold the MQA correctly, cause on the SR15 UI it will show no info so I'm highly uncertain

If you install the Tidal app (via the Open APP Service) you'll get the 1x unfold to a max of 24/96.

Edit: see my next post below for new information.

 

[noobandroid]

If you install the Tidal app (via the Open APP Service) you'll get the 1x unfold to a max of 24/96. The SR15 will do no unfolding by itself.

on as a dap i understand but if on pc as dac?

 

[Left Channel]

on as a dap i understand but if on pc as dac?

I found new information. If you install the latest firmware update, the SR15 will support MQA as a DAC/amp and as a DAC: https://us.astellnkern.com/blogs/news/astell-kern-adds-mqa-support... Why they haven't updated the SR15 web page or manual, I don't know. I listened to the DAPs they had displayed at AXPONA just a few weeks ago, and did not learn of this there either. Looking forward to seeing a report of your results.

 

[noobandroid]

I found new information. If you install the latest firmware update, the SR15 will support MQA as a DAC/amp and as a DAC: https://us.astellnkern.com/blogs/news/astell-kern-adds-mqa-support... Why they haven't updated the SR15 web page or manual, I don't know. I listened to the DAPs they had displayed at AXPONA just a few weeks ago, and did not learn of this there either. Looking forward to seeing a report of your results.

that statement only mentions things on the dap but not as a usb dac, i have asked in sr15 thread to no answers