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Last month I asked for the most economical way to stream Tidal to my main system. I appreciate the responses I received. I'm currently using my Samsung Galaxy S7 to a $13 Bluetooth receiver connected to an Aux input on my Rogue preamp. The sound is surprisingly good. Doubtful I will give up vinyl for streaming but Tidal is great for listening to new stuff and deciding if I want to buy it. For example, I streamed Sturgil Simpson's new album and realized I would never listen to it again.
Here's my question, how much do I have to spend to get an idea of how good Tidal, or other services, can potentially sound?
-Wendell
Follow Ups:
I'm not sure how far up the scale it will get you but a Meridian Explorer2 has a line output.It also has a headphone output and will connect to an Android phone.
I have an Explorer2 but I have not tried it with an Android phone. I paid $147.95 shipped for one NIB from a Meridian dealer.
The sound is not up to my Brooklyn DAC Plus but I would expect it to be significantly better than what you are using.
It does of course handle MQA so it is a good fit for Tidal.
I tried Qobuz but opted to stay with Tidal.
Tidal BTW, has a very nice discount for veterans.
I listened to Eric Clapton's Slowhand at 192 kHz/24 bit on Tidal today and many titles at 96 kHz/24 bit and higher.
Edits: 01/01/20 01/01/20
I have no interest in the streaming ultimate. As I said, what I'm now hearing is pretty good and, when listening in my cars, it's better sound than my satellite radio. I'm willing to spend a little for better sound at home but within limits.
I appreciate all the input.
-Wendell
" how much do I have to spend to get an idea of how good Tidal, or other services, can potentially sound?"
As a direct answer, to reach the absolute potential far, far more than you might expect.
However to go for just great sound rather than trying to wring the ultimate performance from a streaming service then what you might spend on a decent vinyl system is not going to be too different from the cost of a really good streamer plus a really good DAC (a few $K). Move the bar a little lower and the cost might drop exponentially.
Oh, and remember that you will need to subscribe to the top quality that the streaming service offers.
Basically there is no particular reason why the cost of the ultimate streaming playback would be that much different from the cost of ultimate CD or SACD playback ( you remove the transport but substitute a streamer. everything else is much the same).
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
Grab a used Bluesound Node 2 for about $300 and enjoy. It's great with Tidal. Add a better DAC later and make it even better.
You've had replied from the skinflints who think that a £100 PC is all you need in hi-fi, but I do agree with them that you should ditch Bluetooth - and Wi-Fi for that matter. Hard wire everything in the signal path and relegate wireless to remote control only, as this won't spoil the sound.
You are currently using vinyl. You know that this sounds better from a $1000 turntable than a $100 one. A CD sounds better on a $1000 player than a $100 one. Streaming will similarly sound better if the components used are of audio spec and the kit you use is kept solely for ultimate music quality - ie not your phone and not your laptop.
However maybe we should ask if you really want high quality sound in your listening room. If so, then do yourself a favour and listen with reasonably quality gear, or you'll always be buying fresh vinyl and spending a fortune on an inevitably limited library. With GOOD streaming, you'll probably find yourself listening to tons of fresh music at a quality that (sad to say) doesn't temp you to buy more vinyl or CDs.
In my opinion, the biggest asset in any streaming system is the control app. I think that BluOS is so good and easy to use that you should look carefully at Bluesound or the better NAD gear that this app supports. These are sister companies that offer very good value streaming equipment and excellent user support. They support Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon HD (all offering CD quality or better with a monthly subscription) plus Deezer, Spotify and others offering MP3 quality (normally free to use) and of course thousands of radio stations from around the world.
They are also Roon ready so you could use Roon as an alternative control option. However Roon itself requires an annual subscription and doesn't do anything other than help you select music. It has some very good points, particularly if you are looking for fresh artists you may never have heard of, or for eeking out obscure recordings of your favourite artists. However it is nowhere near as friendly or easy to use as BluOS - in my experience.
Hope that helps.
I am considering getting a Node mainly to get access to the Blue OS. The Tidal interface, especially the Search, is just awful.
As a long-term user of BluOS controlling Tidal (and previously Qobuz) and the new Amazon HD service plus radio and my own ripped library, I was unaware that Tidal offered their own access app.
Amazon HD doesn't interface nearly as well with BluOS as Tidal and Qobuz.
BluOS is pretty good and I chose NAD Master units after trying Linn, Naim, etc and finding their apps very unsatisfactory after years with Sonos. BluOS was the next best thing to Sonos's user interface.
It's Search is good except that you cannot use copy and paste to add names into the box, or to copy anything from BluOS. I use the Windows app for most purposes, although I have the Android app on my phone - poxy little screen that needs swiping or changing via menu far more than a proper PC screen.
The Bluos is not better than Tidal. It looks almost exactly like the actual Tidal interface, but it's not as good. The search on Bueos is just as bad.
In what way is the BluOS Search "bad"?If you start entering just a few characters of an Artist or album name for example (eg amy wi), it will anticipate the rest of name (Amy Winehouse) without the need for Enter. You can just click on the name you want - can't be much better than that.
Then you are offered Songs, Playlists and Albums featuring that Search entry. What more do you want? It's easier than Roon for example although the results that Roon offer are more comprehensive - which of course is the main reason for subscribing to Roon.
Unlike most apps, you can choose to browse your Library by Folder. If your music is categorised by Folder (eg Classical, Rock & Pop, Jazz, World & Weird) you can browse just the music category you're looking for. Again much better than Roon for browsing your Library.
Also Roon is rubbish at finding internet radio stations. For example, enter "Classic FM" (a popular UK station) and Roon offers 50 stations (its display limit) with Classic in their names, but not the one you've specified! I've reported this to Roon and I'm told they will be prioritising "string" search soon with Live Radio. Why not from Day 1?
Edits: 01/09/20
You're streaming a 'hi-res' service thru an inherently low-res Bluetooth path. Tidal CAN sound better if you ditch the Bluetooth.
Less than $200 for a streamer. Add a DAC of your choice.
Did you edit your original post? I thought you mentioned a Rpi...
nt
Plus, as he is asking about the best sound via Tidal, there is MQA to consider. Just saying.
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
I was very impressed with MQA. I didn't continue my subscription to TIDAL after the 30-day free trial, but I thought MQA made a significant improvement. I also subscribed to QOBUZ and decided to continue with QOBUZ and drop TIDAL because I wanted hi-rez PCM. However, I was very impressed with MQA. If only TIDAL had 24/96 and 24/192 with MQA I'd subscribe again.
Happy New Year!
John Elison
His actual question was "how much do I have to spend to get an idea of how good Tidal, or other services, can potentially sound?"To me "an idea of how GOOD Tidal could sound" would be to eliminate Blue Tooth and his phone and his basic teenage sound system and give him a basic 'audiophile' rig and his implied low budget with his "how much do I have to spend" statement.
If you read that as "Best it can sound", why not mention a pair of $100 Grand Speakers, $50 Grand Amplifiers etc. etc. etc.
I never saw the "Best Sound" in his post!
Edits: 12/30/19
" can potentially sound" asks what the ultimate limit of the available sound quality is.
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
Don't be a nitpicker.... Read his comment.https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/17/178697.html
Edits: 12/30/19
Sorry but I believe words have meaning. If the OP did not actually mean what he asked then there is little I can do about that. I answered the question that he asked.
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
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