I've long used PureMusic with iTunes on my headless Mac Mini, with great results. I've tried Amarra and Audirvana, but kept coming back to PureMusic, even though PM has a rather dated interface.
Lately, though, I've been leaning in a new direction: Roon.
During my trial of Roon, I was less than impressed with the sound quality, even though it's passing 'bit perfect' to the DAC. As it turns out, the upsampling I've been using with PureMusic is producing the sound that I like. (We surely should not devolve into a pedantic bit-perfect versus upsampling discussion.)
The solution to the Roon situation is that they will soon be integrating with HQPlayer, which many consider to produce the best sound. I've run HQP standalone, and it truly does do a a great job. Problem is, its interface is not very intuitive, but I get the sense that the Roon-HQP interface will take away that issue.
If you have not tried Roon, I would heartily recommend it. It provides a seamless interface between Tidal and your library, whether it be in iTunes or in a typical file structure.
Lately, though, I've been leaning in a new direction: Roon.
During my trial of Roon, I was less than impressed with the sound quality, even though it's passing 'bit perfect' to the DAC. As it turns out, the upsampling I've been using with PureMusic is producing the sound that I like. (We surely should not devolve into a pedantic bit-perfect versus upsampling discussion.)
The solution to the Roon situation is that they will soon be integrating with HQPlayer, which many consider to produce the best sound. I've run HQP standalone, and it truly does do a a great job. Problem is, its interface is not very intuitive, but I get the sense that the Roon-HQP interface will take away that issue.
If you have not tried Roon, I would heartily recommend it. It provides a seamless interface between Tidal and your library, whether it be in iTunes or in a typical file structure.