Apple Lossless vs Tidal
Not necessarily new news, but I thought the below video explained the Apple Music lossless audio feature quite well vs Tidal:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO85R0n2LPI I've had the Apple Music family share for years. I'm now considering canceling my Tidal Hi-Fi subscription since recently purchasing a C2700/Mac mini combination for music streaming:scratch2: -Ryan |
I tried my posted link and it did not work. Hopefully this will fix it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO85R0n2LPI if not, here is the paste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO85R0n2LPI -Ryan |
The only issue is there is no way to stream Apple Music Masters to my DAC.
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Apple Lossless vs Tidal
I’m using a C22 IV preamp with an MC462 amp, a Simaudio DAC, and a Mac Mini as the source with great results but with Roon and Qobuz and I am not disappointed in the least. I have copied all of my CD’s to the Mac Mini in AIFF format and what I don’t have I can typically find in the Qobuz library. The Mac Mini is stripped down so there’s no email or anything else it’s running, basically it’s only function is to run the Roon software and ITunes because the CD’s are stored in iTunes. I’m not a fan of Apple Music so I don’t use it and I don’t see the point in getting a dedicated streamer because my Mac Mini works and sounds great. One more thing is that my understanding of Apple Lossless is that it’s still a compressed format vs AIFF and high resolution files that are available via Qobuz. Correct me if I’m wrong.
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-Ryan |
Apple Lossless vs Tidal
Darko…”we need to talk about Apple Music & hi-res audio”
Unfortunately the closed Apple ecosystem doesn’t make it easy to benefit fully from hi-res formats https://youtu.be/oVl6Nyf7YLI |
Hi UFTE,
I agree with Stahle that a Mac Mini can be stripped down and used with better software to produce a good result. I would also add a USB decrapifier to his recommendations if you. Also, it's important to distinguish between good and great. The Mac is a good source. If your amp was a very nice $500 NAD integrated (just for example), I would have given a big thumbs up. But since you've spent tens of thousands on Mc electronics, you have the chance to hear something absolutely great. In this context of great electronics, I think your auditory spirits will sag if you alternate between your MVP901 and streaming on the Mac Mini. I would try a higher end streamer from companies such as Aurender, Aurilic, and Naim. One other caveat--YMMV--every person's system, listening room, and ears are different. You might switch back and forth between Mac Mini and SACDs and be completely content. So the most important thing is to take input from others as just hypotheses to test for yourself for a few days with demo systems from your local dealer, or products that are returnable risk free or with a restocking fee of a few hundred dollars. Good luck! |
I think Apple offering hi res is great news, maybe it will raise awareness of the benefits of hi res and make it more mainstream - but until the mainstream services like Apple are able to be embedded in dedicated streamers from the likes of Aurender, Naim, Linn, dCS, etc., or are available through something like Roon, I don’t think it will impact the audiophile customers that pay for the hi res service. What I don’t know is how much of Tidal’s revenue do audiophiles represent. If the majority of Tidal’s customers are people listening on Apple Homepods, via computers, or mobile devices, then it could have a significant impact.
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Hi PeterMusic,
LOL.....Good luck seems like an understatement! Thank you for the information on higher end streamers.....I will take a look into them for sure. I think the next evolution for my system will have to be an upgrade in speakers and a higher end streaming method as you detail. This is a rabbit hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper, but that is one of the things that makes this hobby fun! Hi Jemm666, This too was an interesting video. I am however in a closed Apple system, not going from iPhone or laptop to my stereo, or using headphones. If I am using a Mac mini that then sends signal to the C7000 DAC via USB, aren't I getting the highest resolution Apple assigns to the track? I would not experience any of the drawbacks/restrictions described in this video? I realize he did not get into this at all, but just asking the question to clarify. -Ryan |
Apple Lossless vs Tidal
I like how Darko points out all of the “Gotcha’s”. Going back to Apple lossless ALAC, someone please chime in but I was always told that it is still a compressed format even though they say CD quality. To me compression means that something is lost. Darko also pointed out something that is very important about the Apple MIDI system in that Apple does NOT automatically switch the sample rate based upon what is being sent to Apple. You must have software like Roon that will do this for you otherwise Apple is re-sampling the music to whatever the MIDI setting was last set to on your Mac.
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Apple Lossless vs Tidal
Compression does not necessarily mean data loss. There are both lossy and lossless compression. The predominant lossless codecs are ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec.)
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But doesn’t something have to be removed to compress the audio file when streaming compressed audio files? |
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I didn’t know it worked that way so it makes sense now. |
Ryan....PM sent
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I stream high-res from Apple Music via an M1 iPad Pro into a Holo Audio KTE May DAC USB input and it sounds very, very good! It is at least as good, and at times better, sounding than my Lumin A1 playing high-res files from a Synology NAS. This is independent on whether I use the Lumin's built-in DAC or the May DAC.
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