Thanks. I’m a little confused. My 192/24 downloads play perfectly through my Oppo using the Nucleus. Are you saying the Oppo can’t stream 192 Tidal files but can stream 192 Quboz? If so how?
Sort of. Tidal does not stream 192 files. They stream 44.1 and 48 and MQA. MQA are larger files they compress down to 44.1 and 48. Roon software or Tidal software can decode MQA from 44.1 to 88.2 and 48 to 96. That’s all you get without an MQA DAC.
If you have an MQA DAC, your DAC can do the MQA rendering from 88.2 or 96 to the full resolution of the non-compressed file. There are some that are 192 and I think some even 384 IIRC.
You Oppo 105 and my Oppo 203 can do 24/192, but not MQA. So, if you have local files or stream from Qobuz, you can play up to 24/192. Tidal does not stream in 24/192. The Oppo 205 can do MQA. That’s why they are so expensive on eBay.
And, I’m not saying you can’t stream MQA files on your Oppo 105. I’m saying 88.2 or 96 is the resolution you are getting. There are some other nuances you will not hear without an MQA DAC. That’s why I purchased a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC and Meridian Prime DAC to use with my headphones. They are both MQA capable DAC’s.
Thanks. Very thorough explanation. I might be stuck on Tidal for a bit since I convinced my family to switch from Apple Music to Tidal. Switching so soon again would blow there minds. Plus. I’m not so sure I can discern the subtle difference between 96 and 192?
I don’t think most people can. I’m not sure we can really tell the difference between 16/48 and 24/96 or 24/192.
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Yes. It would never work correct with the devices plugged into the Orbi directly. Adding the switch made it work. Later i changed the switch so that I could replace the CAT wiring with fiber optic between the switch an my dCS Upsmapler. Everything is rock solid. No dropouts, no restarts, everything running perfect.
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If you decide to switch to Qobuz, it’s now $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year, quite a bit less expensive than Tidal. I still have both, but plan to drop Tidal when my six month subscription expires unless they offer me some sort of deal. As of now, Qobuz has all the music I listen to. I have two of every album, one on Tidal and one on Qobuz.
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Probably true. Last time I A/B mp3 vs Redbook I was able to immediately hear a difference. But going up the latter probably not. Maybe if I had my 20 year old ears back. But then again I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy 192 downloads.
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So switch connected to Orbi satellite, then devices connected to switch?
I guess I should have just quit Apple Music for the family and bought Qubuz for my self. Live and learn.
Yes. Exactly.
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@Jim_F. Hey So im streaming this album right now. How can I tell this is being compressed or downsampled?
Because you don’t see an MQA Decoder in the signal path. Your Oppo is not MQA capable. You know it’s being compressed to 48 because it says that in the album label and that’s what MQA is. You would need to read somewhere in the Roon information that Roon can do the first unfold from 48 to 96.
So, the MQA process compressed the file from 192 to 48 and puts that compressed file on the Tidal website. You download that 48 file and Roon decompresses from 48 to 96. If you had a MQA rendering or full decoding DAC, it would decompress it further to 192.
I think I’m getting what you’re saying. Going to give Quboz a shot and see what results I’m getting. Thanks
But in this example I am processing 192 correct?
You can stream 24/192 from Qobuz. They stream non-compressed music files. Your Oppo can do 24/192, just not MQA. That Greatful Dead file is 24/192, not compressed MQA. You should be listening to 24/192 as long as you’re RCA out to your amp and speakers.
My NUC works great connected to my Orbing satellite…
Well, I just set mine up. I have the CAT 6 connected to Orbi then feed into a TP Link Gigaport switch. Nucleus and AVR connected into switch. Running about 4 hours.192 files no drops. I’ll run it for a week or so. If this set up works I’ll cancel the Ethernet install.
I doubt you need the TP Link switch either. You should be able to just plug them both into the back of the Orbi. I just wish Netgear made a version of this that’s just the switch and backhaul radio for adding wired connections only to the mesh network.
Your probably right. It’s actually a neater installation with the switch plugged in below my cabinets.
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BTW, are you using the USB input the Orbi to charge the iPad?
You would think so but many individuals have found otherwise. Orbi support never could explain why and the oft promised 2nd or 3rd level support never materialized. Getting bad support is bad enough, paying or it really sucked.