Tidal FLAC vs. Qobuz
Does the recent change by Tidal, from MQA to FLAC make Tidal the better choice for streaming? Or, since Tidal only seems to offer FLAC on its own app and not the BluOS defeat the purpose since you need to transmit by Bluetooth instead of ethernet?
Currently, I stream from Tidal over direct ethernet cable to a Bluesound Vault streamer, to a McIntosh amp and Revel speakers. I have a trial membership to Qobuz but I find Tidal has a much better catalog. Since Tidal added Flac I thought it would be the obvious choice moving forward, but isn't the point of FLAC defeated since you need to send wirelessly from the Tidal app over Bluetooth?
OP, if supported by your device (Smartphone, Tablet), you could connect your BS Vault via Toslink or RCA Cinch. Or using a DAP (with Android OS) which offers Line out and/or SPDIF out. If using Bluetooth, the devices should support aptx HD or similar. Otherwise, I can imagine that lower BT standard would be the bottleneck regarding SQ. |
@chocaholic Thanks for pointing out the original question. I agree that it seems counter productive to use Bluetooth. I know that you can listen to Qobuz and Tidal through the BluOS app, but I think you can only stream mqa through the BleOS app but need to go to the Tidal app to get flac level streaming, and I thought the only way to connect it to the Vault was through Bluetooth. But maybe there is a wired option? I just read a bit about the Denefrips you suggested and it sound like a great addition to my system. I've been looking for a new DAC but haven't found the right one yet. BTW, what Revel speakers do you have. I had the Revel F208 and recently got the Studio 2. I also have the Niagara power conditioner instead of the Teddy. |
“I know that you can listen to Qobuz and Tidal through the BluOS app” Correct and this is the best way to stream music from any of the embedded music services within BlueOS App. As long as you have Tidal HiFi Plus plan, you can stream up to 24-bitt/192 kHz flac files. |
