Regarding Tidals 24 bit flac
Answered
So Tidal is coming out with 24 bit flac, it is currently in beta testing available for those who are connected to Tidals beta program. And in the beginning only for iOS users and later it will also come to Android users.
My question is do you know if it will be available to stream this also through the bluos app to my bluesound or only through tidals own app ?
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Great news Andrew. That said, I do appreciate the new BluOS app and it is way more reliable than Tidal Connect. Would this then mean that I will only get access to MQA?
It would be way more intuitive to have a preferred Tidal MAX setting in the BluOS app where we can all choose our preferred format.
If not you're forcing me away from using the great new app ;(
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WiiM is now rolling out native app support for Tidal hires FLACs. Tidal Connect support was rolled out a couple of weeks ago. Strangely, they don't care about MQA and neither do their customers. The same strange thing seems to apply for all other brands and their customers, but for Bluesound.. There is virtually no one lamenting the loss of MQA in the many user forums for other platforms I'm reading. This is an issue just for Bluesound and I wonder why (lol..). Just sayin'.. P.S. I'm pretty sure that unless Tidal change their mind and offer a selectable option, competitive pressure and the fact that there are virtually no new releases coming up in Studio MQA on Tidal will force Bluesound to go the way everybody else is going, sooner rather than later. Competition is a good thing.
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@Robert, the whole point is to give you access to both. "way more intuitive" = yes, but not an option we have, so this is the best way to allow everyone an option for both content options.
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Andrew its a good answer. Thanks. Tidal connect we have flawless december 12th. Bluesound app still mqa. Its the best way to do it.
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Andrew, understood and I understand you have been exploring the options and appreciate the effort. Will be a pause for BluOS 4 app for now then at my end but looking forward to it's return ;)
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It’s already 12th of December in Europe. Will be there any sw update today?
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I still have nothing ... :/
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Nad is Canadian company so I think the update will be arrived somewhere at early night hours UTC ;)
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I received an update for the z BluOS controller, but it looks like playlist/queue handling is still the same. I hope this is not the update that was promised!
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BluOS 4.2.6
Release date: December 12, 2023WHAT'S NEW
- Added support for Tidal Connect - HiRes FLAC. Learn more
- Play Now on the context menu now allows you to add a Playlist to a Playlist.
- Enhanced Playlists' context menu by including Add Next and Add Last options (also Play Now for Pandora).
WHAT'S FIXED
- Restored Add Custom Station option in Music > TuneIn > Favorites.
- Fixed Audio pausing for digital inputs after 15 minutes (specifically Optical).
- Addressed the issue on NAD C 658 – where turning on/off the DIRAC filter halted input playback.
- Resolved the "Cannot Load" Home error after network country-code timing.
- Improved Shuffle functionality to preserve the Now Playing queue position and shuffle the queue below.
- Improved Context menu handling with Presto and Pandora.
- Improved TIDAL handling for content without Radio options.
- Improved communication when enabling Server Mode.
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes and updates.
https://support.bluos.net/hc/en-us/articles/19576879081623-BluOS-4-2-6
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This happens every time.. Lenbrook is a Canadian company, located outside of Toronto, Ontario. As such our employees and the ones pressing the start button arrive and begin work typically around 8 am EST, where it takes a coordinated effort to launch a public update. For those of you in Europe who are somewhere between 6-8 hours ahead the process begins for you at the end of your working day. The files are sent out and begin to propagate on the server farms pretty quickly and it is up to when your individual devices call home for the upgrade check and you can also do that from a menu.
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Based in the UK and using NAD C 658 and I have the update :-)
Finally.
One question, the NAD C 658 doesn't show the bit rate or any info that the song is FLAC. It does show MQA blue and orange icons.
If I wanted to ask for a feature update to show bit rate/flac info, is this in the domain of NAD or BluSound?
Cheers.1 -
Playlist functionality restored as promised. Thank you so much!!!!
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Upgraded my NAD M10 to 4.6.2. this morning. Tidal Connect from both the Mac desktop app and also my iPhone iOS App is working perfectly. iPhone show bit rates and sample frequency and desktop app shoes 'MAX FLAC'. NAD M10 displays HR.
It may be me but the 192/24 tracks I have played seem to be at a lower volume compared to with MQA or CD tracks.
Thank you BlueSound.
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It works great! Thank you so much!
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@Andrew H, @Tony W
Tried it on my NADC399 this Asian morning and works excellent. Send our thanks to the team! A few remarks, two of them related to my newfound love of the BluOS 4.0 app vs. the connection performance of Tidal Connect (some issues include players not visible, players visible but cannot play, can start play but control disconnects, control disconnects and start playing in parallel on controlling device and many more...)
1. I would appreciate getting an indicator on the C399 screen that I am playing HiRes FLAC (similar to the MQA one). After all, HiRes FLAC is a premium format that you have made available through Tidal and, despite Lenbrook having put money into MQA, it is similarly a value proposition that we users appreciate to see and feel good about ourselves. (I could see it in the app)
2. Due to the general performance issues of Tidal Connect finding and starting to play on BluOS devices (Tidal app struggled again this morning...) I sometimes have to defer to the BluOS app to change volume, play/pause, skip tracks etc. Would that mean that I revert back to MQA or it is the device that started the stream that matters when selecting format?3. Please do not get complacent and please with this workaround (one format through each app). I do really appreciate the new BluOS 4.0 app and often prefer to use it. The day HiRes FLAC becomes an option (e.g. preferred format in settings, selection when playing) in BluOS 4.0, I will go straight back into using it 90%
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THANKS for enabling the upgrade to our sound systems, Tidal and Lenbrook! All my tracks sound fantastic!!! Unlike Qobuz, high res FLAC on Tidal sounds more three dimensional and dynamic for some unknown reason. Also, I’m sure everyone is checking out the differences between high res FLAC and high res MQA. Some tracks are definitively better in one format over the other and it varies, based on mastering and other factors. For example, on Toto’s Africa, I can hear laughter at the 3 second point only on the MQA version (it was in the original studio recording) and ‘s’ sounds are better controlled, so I’m happy to have the choice and absolutely enjoy BOTH formats as a music lover!!!
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Mise à jour effectuée sur le lecteur bluesound node 2i Enfin
Tidal connect est en flac hi-res ou mqa selon le fichier c'est génial je vais pouvoir profiter de ma hi-fi Focal audio et yamahaMerci bluesound et tidal d'avoir pris en considération les avis des clients.
Mon pays est la France.0 -
This must be a joke?
I (as many others) bought BluOS equipment to use BluOS and not a Tidal app...so basically a middle finger to everyone who wanna use Tidal Max via BluOS.
Nice job Bluesound 👋👏!!
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I would like to say thank you for the HiRes Flac support. On my system it sounds much better than MQA. I am very happy. :)
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I will be counting weeks until BS succumb to customer and competitive pressure and offer Tidal Max also through the BluOS app rather than insist on beating the MQA dead horse. That is unless Tidal decide to offer a choice but I somehow doubt it.
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@ Nikos Great idea. You should start by counting the seconds that pass. That'll teach 'em. Question: do you actually enjoy listening to music, or just compaining about the equipment through which you may theoretically enjoy music?
BS came up with a compromise. For the time being, at least, maybe you should just listen to music via Tidal Connect, where the blessed FLAC streams still coexist with that affront to the audiophile ear, MQA. Give it a rest, man.
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@Guy Saddy. Ahahahah you nailed it! :D
Anyway I want to thank you BS for making the playback of hires flacs available. U the best. I don't mind using whatever app because what I really care about is the music.
Can I play Tidal hires flacs? Yes I can. That's sll that matters. Would it be nice to have it under one roof in BluOS? Yeh but I can live without it. Have a great rest of the week! I know I will because I will be listening to my favorite music in hires flac. :P
Over and out.
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So I live in Tidal and use Tidal Connect, so for me this is the perfect solution. No offense to the Bluesound App but it is just one less thing I need to worry about. I also use the NAD CS1 and then can only be accessed through Tidal Connect. I can use one App and access multiple endpoints and also works in my car through Car Play.
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@Guy Saddy Thank you for suggesting to me what I should do. I won't start a discussion and an argument with people who make assumptions about persons they know nothing about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll continue to speculate about what BS is going to end up doing and why and I will continue to have my opinion about whether or not BS are doing the right thing for their customers and for me personally. If you will allow me, that is. In the meantime, please take care not to break a leg coming off your high horse.
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@ Nikos Sure, I'm okay with that. Since you asked nicely.
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@nikos
I believe that Andrew quite explicitly mentioned that there were technical limitations that did not allow them to use both formats in the BluOS app for now. I agree with you that this would be a better option, and hope and expect that BluOS will find a workaround in due time. In the meanwhile, I do appreciate the access to HiRes FLAC through the Tidal app, despite having many issues with Tidal connect.
RJ: It would be way more intuitive to have a preferred Tidal MAX setting in the BluOS app where we can all choose our preferred format.
AH: "way more intuitive" = yes, but not an option we have, so this is the best way to allow everyone an option for both content options.
There is also a great statement in their update sharing their philosophy on options.
At BluOS, we consistently advocate the philosophy of "Let your ears decide". Our aim is to provide a wide range of quality playback choices to give you the most flexibility in your listening experience.I hope this will quell your concerns about BluOS intents. And, in the meanwhile, enjoy the music first, the technology later.
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IMHO, now the move is up to Tidal. It will simply stop supporting mqa since it has hi res and the issue will die a natural death. By the way. My subjective feelings point to hi res instead of mqa. Even if there was any advantage of mqa I would still choose hi res because of its open nature. I am satisfied that the mqa loses. The gentlemen of Meridian have dreamt of easy money for a few generations. The cover-up that MQA provides additional profits besides saving bandwidth is primarily marketing.
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@NIkos Razis unfortunately Lenbrook (NAD/BlueSound owner) bought MQA and ofc. they will push that standard, but then they have to be honest and clear about that.
Most audiophiles did not accept MQA under Meridian so I'm sure same fate is awaiting it under Lenbrook. IMHO, if they continue with this MQA B.S. they will ether go bankrupt or they'll just move on to sound bar type of speaker for people that do not understand what MQA is and that is inferior to HiRes FLAC.
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Unfortunately, MQA has enough fans to see it here on the commentary as an enthusiastic way to MQA as if it were a technology miracle that needs to be kept alive for at least 5 years.
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