Comparing Tidal app and Roon integrated Tidal playback in Mac OS X
- Introduction
It should be educational to compare the output of the Tidal app., Roon integrated Tidal playback, playing back a FLAC and an MQA FLAC file, checking what happens when the mentioned apps’ software decoders decode an MQA and a cd-quality .flac format track.
Using the Audio Hijack app on Mac OS X, I recorded the output of the Tidal app and the Tidal stream embedded in Roon, performing MQA and FLAC versions of the 7th track of the Hans Zimmer Live in Prague concert recording on Tidal. This diagram shows how I “hijacked” the Tidal app output before feeding a Korg USB DAC.
This way the MQA file is not fully extracted.
We can only record the first MQA decoding (unfolding) phase, but there is a lesson to learn as you will see it later.
2. Output of Tidal’s app
2.1. Normal Flac decoding
When I dropped the recorded .wav files to Roon, it showed the following loudness and dynamic data for the 44,0k/16 bit FLAC:
Track gain for normalization is: — 4,2 dB (-0,8 dBTP)
Dynamics according to the EBU R128 recommendation: 13.0 LU
2.2. MQA Flac decoding
The dynamics of the software-decoded 48k/24-bit MQA version of the same track in the recorded .wav file was as shown in Roon:
Track gain for normalization is: — 4,2 dB (-0,7 dBTP)
Dynamics according to the EBU R128 recommendation: 13.2 LU
2.3. File comparison:
I compared the two files in one of the audio file comparison sites, and it has shown this info:
2.4. Tidal set up shown below:
3. Output of Roon
3.1. General notes
Unlike Tidal’s application, Roon is now able to extract the MQA file and switch sampling rates accordingly. Roon shows this when playing the same MQA Master file:
So, using Roon, you can listen to the MQA track from Tidal’s cloud with a 96kHz sampling rate and 24 bits. This is not because some up-conversion is set in Roon’s DSP (none), but because Roon will play the MQA encoded FLAC file according to the metadata specified during MQA encoding.
The file was “hijacked” while it was played back in the same way as it was done with Tidal, but now not in 48k, like the Tidal app, but in 96k/24 bit.
3.2. The recorded WAV file dynamic characteristics are as follows:
Track gain for normalization is: — 4,2 dB (-0,7 dBTP)
Dynamics according to the EBU R128 recommendation: 13.7 LU (shown as 14 LU)
So there is a quite considerable difference how Tidal’s app and Tidal integrated with Roon played back:
Tidal: 13.2 LU and Roon/Tidal: 13.7 LU — this difference is not meaningless; it could be realised and heard.
4. Lessons to think of:
4.1. Conclusion:
It does matter and makes a difference what software/audio subsystem one uses for playing/decoding MQA if you do not have an MQA capable DAC. It makes a difference — according to the EBU standard R128 dynamics measurement in ROON. Tidal’s application is not suitable (at least not on a Mac) for meaningful MQA playback and software decoding as it does not automatically switch sampling rate, so most of the experiments using the Tidal app could be faulty because of a down-converted MQA.
- Tidal’s app (on Mac) plays with a slightly lower level and dynamics than Roon (and probably like Audirvana, did not check it yet with the same method)
- Decoding MQA in Tidal’s app it brings a little bit different dynamics than Roon.
- Even the standard FLAC files played back with different dynamics in Tidal’s app than the same file shows in Roon:
Tidal:
Roon:
Tidal LU: 13, Roon LU: 13,6, so there’s a good chance one can hear that difference.
Anyone who wants to listen to music from the cloud in the best possible way should avoid using the Tidal app. It is mandatory to use a Roon or Audirvana, or other similar high-quality playback optimised application. Whether you’re interested in MQA or not.
4.2. Are lossless and high-resolution Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Youtube, Tidal, Qobuz, etc., streams suitable for audiophile listening?
Until their applications will not automatically switch the playback sampling rate to the sampling rate of the files and the audio subsystem of the operating system — not really, an audiophile has to use Roon, Audirvana, and any other application that can do the automatic switching and can control the connected D/ A converter accordingly. Unfortunately, not all of the lossless streaming services offer integration possibilities yet.
END OF PART ONE.
Footnote:
This is not a scientific comparison. I do not want to influence anyone, pro or contra, concerning the perception of the MQA. I just wanted to point out that even the player software can influence the result of any software decoded MQA comparison.
