Improvement of MacBook Air for Streaming Tidal

@laaudionut that's good advice. If you can't visit a good dealer w/ multiple streamers, I suggest searching the archives for RECENT threads. This has been answered in gory detail 50 times or more in the last year. They'll all boil down to Raspberry Pi variations and better Intel NUCs for the diy-inclined, budget blusound boxes for low cost simplicity, then stepping to SGC Sonictransporters and Sonore Rendu variants for those looking to leverage large libraries maybe with NAS. Bigger budgets will look at Innous Zen, Aurenders and Lumins. Read up and match your budget & priorities and chances are probably your answer is gonna end up being one of those mentioned above. 

Cheers,

Spencer

I went with SonicTransporter i5>Ultra Rendu>RME ADI 2>Nighthawk Integrated.  I’m getting excellent SQ streaming Tidal and Qobuz vis Roon.  I’m basically a vinyl guy but couldn’t be happier with this setup for my digital listening.  I actually have the ST i5 upstairs connected via Ethernet to my router.   Another Ethernet connection is made downstairs between the Ultra Rendu and a WiFi extender.  
 

I was happy to remove a Dell laptop and insert the ST i5 in its place.

Just noticed your question about viewing Tidal.  In my setup I view and control Tidal via Roon on my IPad which is networked with Roon on my home network.

@laaudionut "...I usually stream Tidal via my MacBook Air to a DAC"

Understandable question and reasoning. Yep, tried it both ways with A) MacBook Air (noisy) direct to DAC and B) via OSX client for Mac running Tidal on a quality streamer. Yes, agree, the native laptop application in landscape view on a Mac offers more capability, visibility, control vs. iPad or iPhone. Same with other service providers like Apple Lossless HiFi, Amazon HD... I search tracks and create playlists on the Mac laptop (easier to do) and play back playlists later on an iPad or iPhone if i’m not searching or creating playlists, fwiw.

+1 what others said, its much nicer and more musical using a purpose built streamer setup with audio grade power supplies/filtering inside. Get a nice streamer, connect to your streamer from your laptop with the Tidal app from there. Use of a streamer with a quality DAC built-in to the streamer or a separate higher quality external DAC can help the sound notably. If you are a true analog/vinyl fan today, you’ll see members posting about R2R ladder DACs striving for a less grainy sound. Getting your noisy MacBook Air out of the streamer role, shift its’ use to client/app control will help. Hundreds of threads on A’gon about good streamers and DACs people like. Best of luck.

To all who have contributed and commented thus far-Yes, in hindsight I should have taken the time to read and review the many threads that address this very inquiry. I suppose I was trying to save myself from all the negativity and gear bashing that often (unfortunately) accompanies this forum...not to cast generalizations on the audio community overall.

OK, along with the streaming devices suggested thus far, I will do further due diligence on making my initial purchase. And yes, at some time in the near future, I plan on selling the Hegel DAC and replacing it with a Denafrips Terminator. 

My many kind thanks for your attention.