Tidal-connect 3 db louder compared to Bluesound App

Answered

Jappa

• March 01, 2022 19:42

I play the same music using Tidal-connect or the Bluesound music service to/on my Node or Powernode. From Tidal-connect the music is about 3 db louder. How is this possible? The Node/Powernode are doing the MQA-decoding so the loudness should be the same?

I like to have more or less equal Volumes between sources. With the presets this possible and it works great but when I use Tidal-connect I have to grab the remote to adjust the Volume. Strange. Maybe Tidal-connect is changing track-gain? If so I shall write Tidal...

0

• Official comment

  

  Tony W.

  Product Support Manager

  • March 07, 2022 15:08

   From Tidal-connect the music is about 3 db louder. How is this possible?

  The base playback in the TIDAL App is 3db louder than what it is in the BluOS App. Sorry for the obvious response but BluOS has been engineered to be a neutral playback system meaning we do no tonal adjustments or equalisation beyond what was intended by the recording. Many systems add gain to appear louder. Looks like TIDAL may be doing that.

  Go with what your ears prefer...
• 

  Mark T.

  Sr. Support Crew Member

  • March 03, 2022 14:05

  Hi Jappa,

  Regarding the issue, can you try disabling Replay Gain by selecting Settings > Player > Audio > Replay Gain Disabled and see if that helps.

  0
• 

  Jappa

  • March 03, 2022 20:13

  Thanks for your response.
  I followed your suggestion and it helps. Most tracks sound louder. But some soft recordings (typical classical) can sound softer with Track Gain disabled.
  So, the 3 db softer playback from Bluesound App is a Track Gain issue?

  0
• 

  Jappa

  • March 04, 2022 14:02

  Today I searched for a typical 'soft' recording (low volume) like this album on Tidal. Using Tidal Connect the sound is soft. Playing from Bluesound App with Track Gain enabled I get louder sound, the way I expect Replay Gain to work! The Tidal Loudness Normalization settings do not matter at all with this album. 
  So, Tidal Loudness Normalization is quite different from Bluesound Replay Gain? My playlists contain tracks with more or less equal Loudness which makes it difficult to notice Volume differences between Tidal Connect and Bluesound App...

  Yet, one thing remains: a loud song playing from Tidal Connect is 3 db louder then playing from Bluesound App. Tidal target -14 Lufs, Replay Gain target -17 Lufs? Something like that?

  0
• 

  Jappa

  • March 07, 2022 17:51

  In the past few days I have been reading about the 'loudness war' and how 'Replay Gain' functions and how it can help to create a common system for loudness. It's all quite complicated. Technical stuff, so many opinions, so many discussions.
  I agree the focus should be on listening to music. Bluesound gives me GREAT OPTIONS to listen to music as 'pure' as possible or with some kind of Replay Gain without affecting dynamics of the music. 
  Tidal does things different, their Loudness Normalization is different from what Bluesound offers. My conclusion after lots of reading and listening: I prefer the Bluesound options...
  Loudness issues solved.

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.