The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

Lee Newman said:
I don't know, even before the MQA, they were supposed to have the highest def... I ain't going tidal. I dislike the interface, their algorithm is the pits/non-existent, and it's kind of pricey. Although if I dislike the Amazon interface, I guess I will be shooting over it's price.

I really don't want to buy something else to make it work with my phone and cost me more money to stream... lol. I'll try everything else before I go that route.
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Lee Newman said:
🤷‍♀️

The MQA sounds better though? Wonder if it's a setting in your tidal/bluos.
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MQA is just a licensed form of compression to allow hi res files to be shrunk for transport and then extracted by the DAC/Streamer. The bit rate, sample rate and ultimately master will have a bigger impact on sound quality. MQA is also a hateful codec that DAC/Streamer manufacturers hate. It’s rumoured that tidal are going to drop MQA soon and then it will hopefully die because they’re the only people using it outside of some obscure Japanese MQA CDs.

Apple and Qobuz both send their files to you uncompressed. Both, and particularly Qobuz have better reputation for sound quality of the files. Problem is that apple make it difficult to get those files to a hifi because AirPlay is a pain for hifi and so you have to get an android streamer like eversolo or connect you apple device directly to the DAC. Qobuz doesn’t have a connect option so you have to sign in to the streamer with it and forgo the app and use their interface.

I don’t know enough about evil corps streaming service to comment on it.
 
Joe Mac said:
MQA is just a licensed form of compression to allow hi res files to be shrunk for transport and then extracted by the DAC/Streamer. The bit rate, sample rate and ultimately master will have a bigger impact on sound quality. MQA is also a hateful codec that DAC/Streamer manufacturers hate. It’s rumoured that tidal are going to drop MQA soon and then it will hopefully die because they’re the only people using it.

Apple and Qobuz both send their files to you uncompressed. Both, and particularly Qobuz have better reputation for sound quality of the files. Problem is that apple make it difficult to get those files to a hifi because AirPlay is a pain for hifi and so you have to get an android streamer like eversolo or connect you apple device directly to the DAC. Qobuz doesn’t have a connect option so you have to sign in to the streamer with it and forgo the app and use their interface.

I don’t know enough about evil corps streaming service to comment on it.
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Bluos supports MQA, so I believe he would benefit.
 
I should also mention this is all basically new to me. I've read up on what bluos supposedly can do, but have no hand's on experience. Like everything else, it seems to have its supporters and haters. I mostly wanted DIRAC so if I hate bluos, I may go back to wanting the Marantz to plug in the mains.
 
Lee Newman said:
I should also mention this is all basically new to me. I've read up on what bluos supposedly can do, but have no hand's on experience. Like everything else, it seems to have its supporters and haters. I mostly wanted DIRAC so if I hate bluos, I may go back to wanting the Marantz to plug in the mains.
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Honestly for streaming the marantz uses HEOS which is like the Denon/Marantz equivalent of BluOS. It doesn’t have a great reputation and I’d bank on BluOS being a much easier set up to deal with.
 
Got the mdc2 card in and updating software now. Question, would it be beneficial for both streaming music to the NAD and to lessen the load on the Wi-Fi to hardwire my NAD through the Ethernet port? I’m assuming yes?
 
Lee Newman said:
Got the mdc2 card in and updating software now. Question, would it be beneficial for both streaming music to the NAD and to lessen the load on the Wi-Fi to hardwire my NAD through the Ethernet port? I’m assuming yes?
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Yeah, if it was close by I would totally do that. I have to say though I have zero issues with Wi-Fi.
 
Cool. I mean the modem is on top of my kallax, so that’s not an issue.

@Kris are you running Bluos (anyone who is feel free to chime in)… do you know what services are native. Amazon does not appear to be, unless I am doing something wrong, it shoots me to the app and then makes me airplay.

NYA is, so that’s a win for my being a Neil fanatic. There’s even a bespoke interface.
 
Lee Newman said:
Cool. I mean the modem is on top of my kallax, so that’s not an issue.

@Kris are you running Bluos (anyone who is feel free to chime in)… do you know what services are native. Amazon does not appear to be, unless I am doing something wrong, it shoots me to the app and then makes me airplay.

NYA is, so that’s a win for my being a Neil fanatic. There’s even a bespoke interface.
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Oh, I just meant in general. I do not have a BlueOs. I’d like one though! I use a Hifiberry running Volumio. It’s always better to hard wire. Even if it’s just for easier setup.
 
Lee Newman said:
Got the mdc2 card in and updating software now. Question, would it be beneficial for both streaming music to the NAD and to lessen the load on the Wi-Fi to hardwire my NAD through the Ethernet port? I’m assuming yes?
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Depends on the quality of your internet and Wi-Fi. Music, even at hi res, isn’t particularly large files, especially if you can stream Netflix etc to the tv ok. Also a hard connection has more potential, however small, to add noise.
 
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Joe Mac said:
Depends on the quality of your internet and Wi-Fi. Music, even at hi res, isn’t particularly large files, especially if you can stream Netflix etc to the tv ok. Also a hard connection has more potential, however small, to add noise.
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It’s streams fine except when my wife is running crazy reports for her work.
 
Spotify is through the Spotify app, too. If @debianlinux or @I’m Just Ken know what’s native and not, it’d be cool to see how things compare. NYA smokes Amazon by the way. Amazon already sounded better than Spotify without the onboard dac. Acoustic Rocking in the Free World sounded good but the NYA is almost as good as the vinyl. I’m assuming that’s the grado and mastering outshining the TI DAC.
 
Lee Newman said:
Spotify is through the Spotify app, too. If @debianlinux or @I’m Just Ken know what’s native and not, it’d be cool to see how things compare. NYA smokes Amazon by the way. Amazon already sounded better than Spotify without the onboard dac. Acoustic Rocking in the Free World sounded good but the NYA is almost as good as the vinyl. I’m assuming that’s the grado and mastering outshining the TI DAC.
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With Spotify connect enabled it does mean that the nad itself is doing the streaming, the phone is just the controller, unlike AirPlay where the phone is doing the streaming and then sending it to the nad. Means there shouldn’t be any drop outs if you step out of the room with the phone in your pocket etc.
 
Joe Mac said:
With Spotify connect enabled it does mean that the nad itself is doing the streaming, the phone is just the controller, unlike AirPlay where the phone is doing the streaming and then sending it to the nad. Means there shouldn’t be any drop outs if you step out of the room with the phone in your pocket etc.
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I mean that’s cool but I would like to have something else for critical listening…
 
Lee Newman said:
I mean that’s cool but I would like to have something else for critical listening…
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For now tidal whose connect does the same thing. Longer term there is decent hope Qobuz will get there too. That is probably the best hi res option we will get if it happens. I can’t see apple sorting out AirPlay for hi res. It’s such a Swiss Army knife with so many other applications that hifi fans aren’t going to be at the top of the queue.
 
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