Wiim Pro no MQA playback - Tidal connect

[khuntim]

Strange new issue, MQA tracks no longer play. my DAC died, so plugged into optical on powered speakers, the specs are 24/96 and the test file plays fine, everything else plays fine, just silence on MQA tracks.

I tried MQA beta on and off, DAC as renderer only etc. just silence.

example of one track in this playlist: https://tidal.com/browse/track/2061278?u

just silence, then when non-MQA track plays no issue.

I'll be glad when this MQA thing is over finally! lol

 

[Brantome]

Could it be Tidal have removed the MQA tracks in their migration to FLAC?

 

[khuntim]

Could it be Tidal have removed the MQA tracks in their migration to FLAC?

plays fine on Questyle DAC with laptop. DAC supports MQA, have tidal app set to passthrough.

 

[khuntim]

Wasn't the 24.07.2024 scheduled?

sounds right, can't come soon enough

 

[merifon]

Your Ry Cooder track it's a 44.1KHz 16bit MQA and plays as usual. These MQA are still here, they don't carry any hi-res and in the PCM data content, are the same as a normal CD quality flac. Just a flag telling to go with MQA if available.
I guess the WiiM does the 2x upsample, first step of MQA and sends to your speakers a 88.2KHz stream. It's likely your speakers don't support that sample rate. Try to play a 48KHz MQA (some are still there) , it should go to more common 96KHz and play, then switch off any MQA process on WiiM, Ry Cooder should come back...

 

[khuntim]

Your Ry Cooder track it's a 44.1KHz 16bit MQA and plays as usual. These MQA are still here, they don't carry any hi-res and in the PCM data content, are the same as a normal CD quality flac. Just a flag telling to go with MQA if available.
I guess the WiiM does the 2x upsample, first step of MQA and sends to your speakers a 88.2KHz stream. It's likely your speakers don't support that sample rate. Try to play a 48KHz MQA (some are still there) , it should go to more common 96KHz and play, then switch off any MQA process on WiiM, Ry Cooder should come back...

Makes sense, I used to use a DAC with my speakers that would support I guess.

I turned off MQA beta and still silence..

How can I tell the bitrate of MQA? the windows app just says MQA.. I don't think Android displays the bitrate either?

Edit: Turned off MQA beta and it plays today!

 

[merifon]

Makes sense, I used to use a DAC with my speakers that would support I guess.

I turned off MQA beta and still silence..

How can I tell the bitrate of MQA? the windows app just says MQA.. I don't think Android displays the bitrate either?

Edit: Turned off MQA beta and it plays today!

Good to hear this...
Don't you use a mobile WiiM app? You'll read the bitrate and sample on playing screen, even if the source is Tidal connect.
As for WiiM doing or not the upsample to 88.2KHz, remember that the player keeps the previous set up until a skip is done. Maybe your previous combinations of tests, didn't get this condition.

 

[khuntim]

Good to hear this...
Don't you use a mobile WiiM app? You'll read the bitrate and sample on playing screen, even if the source is Tidal connect.
As for WiiM doing or not the upsample to 88.2KHz, remember that the player keeps the previous set up until a skip is done. Maybe your previous combinations of tests, didn't get this condition.

not seeing bitrate on Android app, MQA or MAX. maybe I need to plug a DAC in. 2 weeks to go...

 

[merifon]

Bit rate is shown in WiiM app only (very unique feature). Start it while Tidal connect is playing...
Below: started Tidal connect playing and looking bitrate on wiim. When playing comes from tidal connect, you can still start and stop from WiiM app too but it doesn't show the song queue.
Please note that sampling rate is 44.1KHz since I have disabled MQA beta on WiiM
This second picture if for the same situation but MQA enabled for no external DAC compatible, WiiM does first unfold (aka 2x upsampling).
Remember, to see effective change, you have to skip the song at least once...

 

[khuntim]

I never thought about using the Wiim app! Most likely my goofy speakers will not play 88.2 if I turn MQA on. Hopefully none of this will matter soon. Thanks again.

 

[manumapi]

New and extra problem, the MQA tracks cannot be reproduced. My DAC is dead, as I connected it to an optical connector with active speakers, the specifications are 24/96 and the original archive plays well, everything else plays well, only silence on the MQA tracks.



Probe MQA beta in intermittent form, DAC only as renderer, etc., only silence.



Example of a track in this playback list: https://tidal.com/browse/track/2061278?u



only silence, when you play a track that is not MQA there is no problem.



I will be happy when this MQA finally ends! jajaja

Tidal sends messages via email to subscribers who will all have their MQA catalog disappeared and will convert to FLAC on July 24, 2024.

 

[manumapi]

Is this expected on 07.24.2024?

I correct myself.

 

[merifon]

Tidal simply changed some flag on former MQA still present after adoption of hi-res flac last summer.
They didn't replaced those files. Now Tidal app simply stopped to display them as MQA and compatible streamers and apps (like WiiM app) stop to recognize them as MQA.
Anyway if you play them through a Bluos device, they still act as MQA and are decoded exactly as before.
Bluos gears already managed MQA in a different way, as example if a WiiM mini was connected to a Bluos dac, those file were always recognized as MQA, with any WiiM app settings. The only way to stop MQA recognition was altering bit perfection, like volume changing.
I would also remark that MQA had many different modes and the MQA's 44.1KHz 16bit differ from master 44.1KHz 16bit they are derived, only in some flag and headers. PCM contents are the same, so any complaints about loosing something with them, is unjustified as the need to replace them with pure Flacs.
The reason Tidal removed any reference to MQA even in such "red book" material, lies in commercial field after new company bought MQA. Also, the general misunderstanding about what MQA it is or better what are their purpose, pushed them to remove it, in order to stop any speculations and save some money.

 

[khuntim]

Yeah, so listening without decoding now I guess, I'll have to check on my DAP, HiBy still has MQA options.. I turned it off, maybe I should turn it on!

So you don't think they replaced any of the MQA music with redbook flac?

Maybe they will slowly change things over. overall, happy with Tidal.

 

[merifon]

Yeah, so listening without decoding now I guess, I'll have to check on my DAP, HiBy still has MQA options.. I turned it off, maybe I should turn it on!

So you don't think they replaced any of the MQA music with redbook flac?

Maybe they will slowly change things over. overall, happy with Tidal.

It's a possibility, at the moment all former 44.1KHz 16bit MQA, are still recognized and decoded by my Mdc Bluos card of my Nad, regardless it's coming from WiiM toslink or directly managed by Bluos. I'll recheck when holiday's over, at the end of August.
I must reiterate that in the pcm contents these MQA 44.1KHz 16bit are identical to the corresponding flac, the only difference is the antialias filtering applied by the MQA dac, if activated.