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Tidal WiFi not as good as cd

Hi all,

Trying out tidal hifi and noticed that the same music airplayed to my dac is not as good as my CD ripped to the computer and airplayed to the same dac. Almost sounds like a lossy file. Am I doing something wrong or is this what is to be expected because of streaming. Not exactly sure what Roon is but heard it should make tidal streams better. If so, would it still be worse than ripped CDs?  


jaferd
hgeifman
2,305 posts
 
Tidal, Qobuz, etc. sound quality will work using a Wi-Fi connection (maybe) but the sound quality using a wired connection will be much better.

My Aurender N10 server is connected to my router using a wired connection and the streaming sound quality is excellent. I also tried a Wi-Fi connection and the SQ was very poor.
hgeifman
2,305 posts
 
More info on an Ethernet wired connection vs. a Wi-Fi connection. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.howtogeek.com/217463/wi-fi-vs.-ethernet-how-much-better-is-a-wired-...
hgeifman
2,305 posts
 
I have one more suggestion.  Previously, I had similar sound quality issues, signal dropouts, sound distortion and discovered it was my Linksys router.  Under some conditions, it would drop the cable signal.  Linksys said they were working on the packet dropping issue.  

I then purchased the Apple Extreme router and the signal dropouts and sound quality issues went away for a while and then returned due to the Apple router.  It stopped working sometimes.  I also do not think it could handle the streaming load   

I replaced it with a Luxul XWR3100 router and the Luxul XAP1510 KIT (extender) and everything is working great.   My Ethernet wired streaming sound quality from Tidal, Qobuz is excellent.   Please check your router to ensure it is functioning okay and can handle the required streaming load.  Google your router and look for any documented issues.  Older routers may not be able to handle the streaming load especially for uncompressed files.

I hope this helps you solve your streaming issues.  

david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Tidal, Qobuz, etc. sound quality will work using a Wi-Fi connection (maybe) but the sound quality using a wired connection will be much better.

Thanks for clarifying, Howard. 
tcatch
38 posts
 
I stream wirelessly from an Asus router to an Auralic Aries and sound quality with both Tidal and files stored on a NAS is excellent.  Auralic recommends using the wi-fi connection in order to eliminate the possibility of electrical noise traveling through the Ethernet cable from your router and other upstream devices. Whether this is a real problem I can’t say, since I’m not able to run a cable all the way from my router on the second floor to my listening room in the basement.
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