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

Showing 4 responses by hgeifman

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.
As posted above, I also stream Tidal and Qobuz and the sound quality is excellent.

Any streaming service (Tidal, QoBuz, etc) requires a fully operational network. This means your modem, router, cable signal being in range, cable junction boxes, ISP down stream services and all other related parts must be working correctly. Streaming requires a wired connection for the very best sound quality results. A Wi-Fi connection will not support Tidal, Qobuz, etc. streaming services.

Streaming requires these parts to be operating at full capacity. If you have sound quality issues or instability issues, I suggest you investigate all the areas mentioned above. No, it is not easy and requires a cooperative ISP Tech to help identify and correct these issues. You should also confirm your modem can handle the streaming load. If it is old, you might need to replace it. You should also check your inside cables and connections.

Qobuz 24-bit/96 and 24-bit/192 albums are great sounding.

Once your network is correctly operating, you should be able to successfully stream these services. Unfortunately, I had all the above issues and it took me several weeks to get everything corrected. I am now streaming Tidal and Qobuz perfectly with no drop outs or related cable signal issues.

It is not easy getting all these parts working. You have to have “patience” and contact your ISP for assistance, when needed. I fully explained my streaming instability issues were impacting my listening to my music and the ISP Tech knew exactly what was needed. I suggest you start with your router first and then your cable company. As I stated above, every single part in the streaming chain needs to be confirmed it is working correctly.
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.