Tidal ios app settings to get MQA, not MQB/purple

Not sure about where to post this because it’s specifically an issue with Tidal and codec on iPhone, not strictly HW, but definitely not music.

Sigh...Tidal iOS app engineers just can’t seem to grasp MQA. If one uses a DAC that can fully decode MQA, a simple delivery of an unadulterated 48k or 44.1k PCM stream of bits to the DAC will allow the hardware to optimally decode. But no. It seems Tidal insists on screwing around with “Master” files on the iPhone app, rendering playback only to the sub-optimal MQB/purple unfold unless there’s a setting I don’t know about.

There doesn’t appear to be any way around this, like their PC app has, where there are settings to disable any software unfolding and allow capable DACs do all the work. FYI Pro-ject Pre-Box S2 is stunningly good at it for very cheap. If they’d just allow you play “Master” content straight-up, all would be well and it would reduce iOS resource use because it doesn’t unfold. It seems Tidal iOS app engineers don’t understand the concept that a capable DAC recognizes MQA in the PCM.

FYI, in case one might think this impossible on a phone, I have some MQA content as files, and CDs I ripped (both paid for), and they play with Onkyo HF player on my iPhone just fine. Solid MQA/blue HW decoding that sounds great.

Does anyone know of a Tidal iOS App setting to bypass SW unfolding and deliver straight PCM from “Master” content?

Im asking a specific question so would you “never-MQAers” please keep it in your pants and refrain from polluting the thread with yet another MQA tirade?

 

You’re not missing anything in TIDAL’s settings. In the Quality settings it’s either HiFi or Master.

Try setting Quality to HiFi. You can still see and select MQA content. Maybe that help you stream what you want.

I’m not sure why you’re complaining about TIDAL manipulating or not understanding MQA. TIDAL and other licensees don’t have direct access to MQA’s IP. If TIDAL and other licensees want to do whatever it is you think they’re doing, it’s only happening because MQA is allowing it to happen and providing the associated code or functionality to make it so.

 

The OP is looking for the Passthrough MQA feature in iOS, which exists in the desktop version (at least for Windows). [Sorry can't help on that score.]

 

I’ve spoken to them before and the iOS team doesn’t understand the difference between all of the different possibilities. The pass through with, fixed volume, etc. would be great. It’s actually the easiest thing to do for Tidal; just play the content as is, but 18 months ago, they swore that they had to “do” something. Which is true for a renderer only, but a full decode DAC is best with the raw stream.

That’s why the complaint. The other poster on the thread is correct

 

Thank you and, yes, passthrough, fixed full volume , are two of them

 

Furthermore, this is another misunderstanding on your part as well, they don’t need anything from MQA to “passthrough”, only to unfold. Sourceforge/Foobar2000 doesn’t pay MQA for a thing, they just shuttle bits

 

Is it a data handling limitation built into iOS that the TIDAL iOS app dev team can't (or won't, for budget reasons) workaround at this time? After what has been posted in this thread so far, that seems like a logical possibility. Nor would it be the first time that I've personally bumped into data handling limitations imposed by iOS.

 

It’s not iOS. It’s Tidal. If they would allow me to choose to stream bits of “Master” content in the same way as the HiFi content. Again, if Tidal would get out of the way and stream the PCM directly, the problem is solved.

I spoke to them in 2019 and it was obvious that they really don’t understand MQA and feel compelled to process the bits from an MQA FLAC file in all cases. They don’t understand “passthrough”.
Also, if it were an iOS issue, onkyo hf, foobar2000 , and mConnect lite wouldnt be able to do it either. Tidal needs to simply stream the 48k or 44.1k PCM out. I haven’t mentioned it, but you also need a camera adapter.

 

I just checked my Lumin app running on iOS. The app’s control configuration allows MQA passthrough from TIDAL. So in this case the TIDAL iOS dev team has definitely provided the details in the iOS SDK for the Lumin app dev team (or the app dev contractor) to passthrough to hardware without software unfolding when using an external MQA DAC. Same goes the the iOS Bluesound app used to control the Bluesound Node2i hardware that is fully MQA licensed - passthrough to hardware without initial software unfolding when using an external MQA DAC.

But yet your native TIDAL app output from iOS through the Apple camera adaptor connection to the lightning port wired out to the USB input on your Pro-ject PreBox X2 has no passthrough to hardware. If I’ve got your setup right, it’s unusual but that observation doesn’t solve the problem. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I hope TIDAL updates its native iOS app with the functionality you want. It’s either that or a buy a streamer with an iOS control app that does a passthrough to the hardware. Most (if not all) MQA-licensed hardware streamers seem to have apps that provide a passthrough setting. I haven’t checked the iOS control apps for Auralic streamers (for the internal DAC or an external DAC) or for the Sonos Port streamer (internal vs. external DAC).