DAC That Streams Hi-Res Tidal

Yes,
Tidal is a Flac file at 16/44
If the dac has a USB input it will play Tidal
Alan

As long as you've set up the ickstream plugin on your Touch, any DAC will take its coaxial input. To my ears, Tidal via Touch>coax>DAC sounds much better than laptop (Chrome browser)>USB>DAC.

Ummmm, I Dont think so...From my understanding, 16 Bit 44Khz resolution is lower than standard CD Quality, of services such as PANDORA, SPOTIFY, that allow 24 bit 96khz resolution. Now, Tidal is a HI REZ AUDIO service that offers 33 Bit 1500khz resolution! So unless you have the correct gear to translate this new format your not going to hear it. Or am I just completely insane?

Matt...you're insane dude :-)

Spotify and Pandora and Rhapsody and Beats are all MP3 with the highest resolution being 320kbps. You can of course up sample that, if your DAC allows it.

Tidal, Qobuz, and Deezer are all 16 bit, 44.1 (standard CD quality). This comes out to be around 1411kbps.

Also, you don't have to have a USB input to get Tidal or the others. Your device just needs to have access to the services. My Sonos has this, so did my Squeezebox Duet with a 3rd party plug-in.

HEREis a list that shows the differences.

Matt, I think you are mixing up sample rate and bit rate. As Mofi indicated, standard ("redbook") CD quality is 16 bits/44.1 kHz. That means each sample for each of the two channels consists of 16 bits, and 44,100 samples are taken each second. 16 bits/sample x 44100 samples/second x 2 channels = 1,411,200 bits per second, as Mofi indicated, and as is indicated at the Tidal site. That is lower quality than 24/96, not higher.

I suspect that your reference to 33 bits/1500 kHz is a loose approximation of the number of bits per sample for both channels combined (16 x 2), and the bit rate rather than the sample rate.

Regards,
-- Al

MOFI, What resolution is DEEZER and Tidal?? Yes AL, I am mixed up on this digital stuff. Help. I have a old MSB 24/96 DAC. I thought that for me to enjoy a service like Tidal, I would have to Upgrade my DAC. Also, I use spotify because Its a lower rez service that my old DAC is compatible with. Ok I know I am sounding like a major newbie because I need you guys to explain this to me in this way ...lol

No need to upgrade the DAC, Matt, assuming it provides an interface that can be connected to the signal source. It would be extremely unusual for a DAC that can handle 24/96 to not also be able to handle 16/44.1, which is a much lower bit rate. I'm not familiar with Deezer, but I don't doubt that Mofi is correct about it being 16/44.1, like Tidal.

Regards,
-- Al

wow ! that's good news. My MSB DAC has Toslink,RCA,XLR. So I can connect to a lot of different sources. I have it hooked up right now using a Toslink from my PC motherboard to a 24/96 DIP then digital XLR to the DAC and out to a tubed headphone amp driving a pair of Sennheiser 600's...Sounds really good using spotify.

Matt...Tidal is all 16/44.1 (AFAIK). Deezer does have some content that streams at 320kbps MP3, but most of it is also 16/44.1.

Ok so the higher cost service (deezer, Tidal) are providing higher ..or..faster bit rates for customers? does this higher rate sound better? I am still confused. I thought 16/44 was the base cd format when it first came out in the 80's?? I feel so stupid about this.

Yes, 16/44.1 was and still is the CD standard, which as was mentioned corresponds to a bit rate of 1411.2 kbps (kilobits per second). Streaming services have traditionally used much lower bit rates than that, coupled with lossy mp3 compression to partially compensate for the lower rate, in part because until fairly recent years most people's internet connections would not have been fast enough to work reliably at 1411.2 kbps.

Enjoy! Regards,
-- Al

Matt...I think some of the confusion comes from the companies (i.e. Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal) and many other sources, claiming in ads and other places that they offer "HIREZ" streaming.

They offer "HIGH QUALITY" streaming, not "HIREZ".

There is a new Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) that has been working with the record companies to finalize a "set" description for HIREZ.

Anything over 20bit/48khz is considered HIREZ.

Here is the press release.

Thanks Mofi, the Info you linked, really helps me understand this digital medium better. Of course thanks to AL as well for explaining things fully.