I see the option to Improve/Upgrade Quality on a Tidal playlist. I don’t like blindly letting tools mess with my playlists. How can I see what it’s doing? I see the tracks it will “upgrade quality” but what does that mean? Isn’t the quality across Tidal library the same? I thought Tidal was all uncompressed?
Thanks
It only makes suggestions, it is up to you whether you accept them. You can decide track by track.
- Upgrade Quality - Locates higher quality versions of tracks in your playlists by matching across your library and streaming services
If it doesn’t find a higher-res version (whether that’s higher quality will differ for every track) it won’t suggest one. But some people may have, e.g., a local mp3 of a track in a playlist but they have a CD-quality version in the local library as well, so it would suggest this. Or they have a local CD-quality version but a hi-res version is on streaming.
Thanks for the responses. After I posted the question I did find this very helpful and informative video posted by Roon Labs which clearly explained the improve playlist functionality and how to “see” what it’s doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q4MrRt6tJg
I don’t quite understand how this function works. Regarding quality, it suggests switching to the same file format but a different album. When I had 3 DSF 64 files, it wanted to switch to a different version (different remaster version) of the same album with the same DSF 64 format. Does it take into account dynamic range for example and think that the same album in the same file format, but a different release (remaster) is better? Another example is that it suggested a FLAC 192/24 when I had a DSF 64 in my archive. In other words, it suggests a version that is less lossless. Does anyone have an explanation for this?
That’s probably not quite the case.
Unless the DSF 64 was captured direct from Analog Tape the 24/192 is probably the definitive digital source.
In my experience it simply assumes a higher bitrate is an improvement and presents this when it finds a match. Roon has no way of knowing the pedigree of this higher bitrate. I could simply be an upsampled version the record label sent to Tidal/Qobuz and it ‘replaced’ the existing 44.1kHz version. I’ve yet to have it offer a different master/remaster or catalog change.
It is Mofi SACD rip 64 bit. The playlist consists of only DSD 64 sample rate in DSF 64 format. It won’t switch (improve) all to FLAC 192/24. Only a couple out of approximately 30 tracks.
MFSL SACDs would have been mixed/mastered in the PCM domain. The definitive MFSL PCM masters aren’t released so the SACD is the best available for that master. If it’s better sounding than a different 24/192 master that Roon is suggesting is subjective. 24/192 PCM is a slightly higher bitrate than the DSD 64 so you can’t blame Roon for suggesting it. The 24/192 certainly isn’t lossy in comparison, just a different master that wasn’t converted to DSD.
Anyway, there’s no logic in Roon suggesting an “improvement” to 24-bit x 192 kHz from DSF 64 for only 2 files in the playlist while choosing to keep DSF 64 for the others. After I agreed to the “improvement” and changed to 24-bit x 192, it later came with an improvement suggesting the same file should be changed to 24-bit x 88.2. It also suggested changing an improvement back from 24-bit x 192 to DSF (DSD 64 bit). So there’s no logic here.
These suggestions from Roon seem inconsistent and confusing. Converting from DSD (DSF 64) to PCM (24-bit) isn’t necessarily an “improvement” since they’re different formats with different characteristics. And suggesting multiple changes back and forth between formats and sample rates doesn’t make much technical sense, especially when dealing with the same files in a playlist.