Music scratches / TIDAL Max

[MiMi]

Hello community.

I'm currently running a Wiim Pro Plus on a Rotel A11 amplifier. I listen to music on Tidal. On a new album by Peter Gabriel, where the playback quality is specified as MAX, there is distortion that becomes noticeable as loud scratching in the speaker. I also noticed this with other songs in MAX quality.

Can someone tell me what could be causing this?

Thank you.

MiMi

 

[merifon]

If the problem doesn't affect other sources, you could do these things (not in a particular order) and take conclusions:
-Try the same song with Qobuz, without subscription it gives you 30 seconds listening.
- check in WiiM settings, if there's a sample frequency forced on
- Try to lower maximum WiiM level by a little

 

[harkpabst]

Do you use room correction or other EQ or pre-gain?

 

[Mr Ee]

Do you use room correction or other EQ or pre-gain?

I was just about to ask the same, but wasn't sure how that fitted with the implication that this only happens with MAX files. Although max seems to be anything above 44.1/16
I believe that's what @merifon was implying with "Try to lower maximum WiiM level by a little", i.e. reduce the volume limit.

 

[harkpabst]

I was just about to ask the same, but wasn't sure how that fitted with the implication that this only happens with MAX files. Although max seems to be anything above 44.1/16

Yes, it's a bit shooting in the dark.

If used wisely, MAX masters could or even should potentially have rather more headroom to 0 dBFS, but you never know ...

 

[merifon]

I believe that's what @merifon was implying with "Try to lower maximum WiiM level by a little", i.e. reduce the volume limit.

Exactly...
I sometimes experience a similar behavior with 88.2KHz and Dirac inserted only but this regardless the source, WiiM or Bluos. In this case it's an Idiosyncrasy by the NAD dac with that specific frequency and the mentioned Peter Gabriel's album it's not.