Question Tidal masters issue

indus

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
6,605
Reaction score
1,640
Points
1,574
Can somebody help with this?

I have the hifi subscription to Tidal. When I stream the masters through my dac the display still shows 44.1khz rather than 96 khz.

My streaming dac is a Moon 380d (NOT the most current DSD version)
It's meant to handle up to 192khz.

Thanks very much.
 
Are you using the Mac version of the TIDAL Desktop app or Windows?
Have you connected the Moon 380D DAC to the computer by USB audio?

BTW, seeing as you mention having the streaming version of the 380D, so assuming it has Moon's MiND UPnP/DLNA supporting streamer module installed, you might want to give Audirvana Plus player software a try.

Aurdivana Plus supports TIDAL, including MQA masters and decoding to the MQA Core (aka 'first unfold'), plus (unlike the TIDAL Desktop app) it can get UPnP/DLNA supporting devices to network stream its audio output. So no need to attach the 380D + MiND to the computer!
 
To get more than 44.1 or 48Kz, you need to have an MQA compatible DAC or a media player (Roon or Aurdivana for eg) that can do that first MQA unfold (to 88.2 or 96K). I think Tidal app will do it if you have a known MQA rendering capable DAC, but not if don't have an MQA DAC at all.

I use Roon with Tidal into either a dragonfly red or pro-ject s2 digital - both of which can do MQA rendering and the latter can do MQA decode as well.
 
I think Tidal app will do it if you have a known MQA rendering capable DAC, but not if don't have an MQA DAC at all.
No, the TIDAL Desktop app (both Windows & Mac) was the original software with the ability to decode TIDAL's MQA masters tracks to the MQA Core, aka 'first unfold', designed to be output by any DAC as long as the DAC supports a resolution of at least 24bit/96kHz. The OP just needs to told how!

BTW, I'm only familiar only setting up the Windows version of the TIDAL Desktop app for MQA decoding, which why I asked the OP for further info.

Third party player applications with the ability to decode MQA files to the MQA Core, like Audirvana Plus and Roon, came afterwards.
 
Hi
I'm trying to follow what you are all saying lol.
I don't use the tidal desktop app. I'm using the MiND app in the dac to access Tidal.

As mentioned there is a new version called MiND 2 that does MQA but that's a £800 upgrade.

So is the only solution to use my macbook and some additional software? I've never used my laptop for music, won't the quality be poor due to all the electrical noise in my laptop??

Thanks for your help
 
Ah, I've had to look up your user profile to search your previous posts on other threads to find the reference to streaming from TIDAL using the 'MiND app' & the mention of the 'MiND 2' - here:
Are you Roon ready? post #37
You did not say that in this thread - hence the confusion!

Sorry, I'm not psychic, though I did suggest you try using the 380d's MiND streamer module to stream from TIDAL, so who knows? :)

Ok, so you are already using the DAC's (older) MiND streamer module to stream from TIDAL with the MiND Controller app. I did not know there was a new version of the MiND streamer module that can decode MQA files. That explains why you can access TIDAL's MQA file tracks using the same MiND Controller app - though Simaudio should have prevented the MiND Controller app from (incorrectly) allowing TIDAL MQA file access for the older non-MQA decoding MiND module to avoid this sort of confusion.

Since your DAC's older MiND module does not support decoding MQA, you cannot really expect it to decode MQA files to show 96kHz on the DAC's display, even when it can access them accidentally from TIDAL with the MiND Controller app. The best you can do for it is run an application that can access TIDAL's MQA files, decode them to the up to 24bit/96kHz MQA Core (aka 'first unfold') and allow that to be streamed by the MiND Module. The only software I know of that should be able to this is Audiirvana Plus (I mentioned earlier), which you can install on your Macbook.
 
Ah, I've had to look up your user profile to search your previous posts on other threads to find the reference to streaming from TIDAL using the 'MiND app' & the mention of the 'MiND 2' - here:
Are you Roon ready? post #37
You did not say that in this thread - hence the confusion!

Sorry, I'm not psychic, though I did suggest you try using the 380d's MiND streamer module to stream from TIDAL, so who knows? :)

Ok, so you are already using the DAC's (older) MiND streamer module to stream from TIDAL with the MiND Controller app. I did not know there was a new version of the MiND streamer module that can decode MQA files. That explains why you can access TIDAL's MQA file tracks using the same MiND Controller app - though Simaudio should have prevented the MiND Controller app from (incorrectly) allowing TIDAL MQA file access for the older non-MQA decoding MiND module to avoid this sort of confusion.

Since your DAC's older MiND module does not support decoding MQA, you cannot really expect it to decode MQA files to show 96kHz on the DAC's display, even when it can access them accidentally from TIDAL with the MiND Controller app. The best you can do for it is run an application that can access TIDAL's MQA files, decode them to the up to 24bit/96kHz MQA Core (aka 'first unfold') and allow that to be streamed by the MiND Module. The only software I know of that should be able to this is Audiirvana Plus (I mentioned earlier), which you can install on your Macbook.


Thank you.

I only bought the dac about 6 months ago. At the time I must admit I wasn't that bothered by MQA as all the titles seemed to be of genres that I don't listen to. The titles have increased now....I'll give it a go on my mac but I wonder what the quality of music will be like coming out of a 10 year old mac book
 
The Macbook's sound quality is not really a factor, as you'll still be using Moon 380D as a network audio file player (aka renderer, aka streamer), ie, you won't be using it as a DAC for the Macbook to play music files and directly output its audio into.

If you configure it correctly, Audirvana Plus will just be getting the Moon 380D's MiND module to network stream, as a UPnP renderer, the decoded FLAC file tracks Audirvana Plus accesses from TIDAL's online server, after decoding any MQA tracks to the MQA Core (at up to 24bit/96kHz) and repackaging the tracks as WAV files. Think of Audirvana Plus as an on the fly (& error free/bit perfect) network streamable TIDAL FLAC file to WAV file converter program, in this setup.

What hopefully won't be an issue, with your Macbook being ten years old, is its ability to install & run Audirvana Plus in the first place!
 
Last edited:
The Macbook's sound quality is not really a factor, as you'll still be using Moon 380D as a network audio file player (aka renderer, aka streamer), ie, you won't be using it as a DAC for the Macbook to play music files and directly output its audio into.

If you configure it correctly, Audirvana Plus will just be getting the Moon 380D's MiND module to network stream, as a UPnP renderer, the decoded FLAC file tracks Audirvana Plus accesses from TIDAL's online server, after decoding any MQA tracks to the MQA Core (at up to 24bit/96kHz) and repackaging the tracks as WAV files. Think of Audirvana Plus as an on the fly (& error free/bit perfect) network streamable TIDAL FLAC file to WAV file converter program, in this setup.

What hopefully won't be an issue, with your Macbook being ten years old, is its ability to install & run Audirvana Plus in the first place!

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Thanks very much. Audirvana do a free trial, I'll give it a go!
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom