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Tag Archive for Tidal

Introducing EtherStream, Audiophile Network Switch from Fidelizer Audio

 in News

 

EtherStream - Main

 

Today I’d like to introduce a new product I’ve been working for some time now. It’s a network switch modification that can break the barrier between streaming media and local ones to enjoy both as equals.

Personally, I’m just a passionate audiophile who prefer buying solutions that work and enjoy the music. I bought and tried a few audiophile network switches along with other network tweaks but I couldn’t find one that I can truly happy with streaming content.

And it’s not just me. Many highend audiophiles, reviewers, and store owners told me they find sound quality from streaming being unacceptable in their reference systems. Although they’re happy with Nimitra, they can’t feel the same way when playing streaming media.

I tried to fix network issues years back and seriously working on it since last year in attempt to get satisfying network streaming quality but it didn’t work out as I hoped for. I was very busy in building Nimitra servers and custom orders too so I couldn’t make enough research.

 

EtherStream - Modification

 

This year I decided to slow things down and focus more on fulfilling my passion of music. I finally made a solution that can truly enjoy streaming as I hoped for. EtherStream Network Switch is a modified Cisco SG110D-08 network switch with the following modification:

-Input capacitor upgraded with high capacitance and low impedance tuned for optimal performance
-Safety resistors upgraded with high power from Vishay Dale on DC input stage, power regulation stage, and isolation transformer stage
-Re-energize power supply with special tantalum capacitors to reducing noise and interference in processor chip effectively
-Crystal clock is upgraded with high quality clock from Japan with noise reduction tweaks
-Components are soldered with high quality solder providing solid bass and dynamics

It’s the most affordable and most effective network switch with overhaul modification doing everything I can to improve quality in network. I can guarantee that you will find very satisfying improvements on both audio/video applications.

The product price will be $395 USD with 30-day money back guaranteed. You can read more about EtherStream Network Switch product in details before ordering and happy listening. 🙂

iBasso DX220 Tidal Master Patch V2 for ROM V1.10.123 released!

 in News

 

 

Version 2 is updated for better reliability for some cases with occasional dropouts.

 

After iBasso releasing ROM update version 1.10.123 for DX220 device, some people reported issues about playback instability on Tidal with MQA files in Tidal Master. The symptoms can happen from occasional dropouts during screen off to severe level.

I made some changes in boot configuration which should lessen the burden that cause negative effects with Tidal Master tracks. It may not be 100% fix but should improve the reliability of Tidal Master playback significantly.

If you use Tidal application with MQA and have issues, you may try this firmware patch and see if it can resolve the those issues and happy listening. 🙂

 

Download: iBasso DX220 Tidal Master Patch V2

 

Installation Guide

1. Turn off device and connect with USB connection to computer while holding play button
2. Install Rockchip USB driver included in AndroidTool and make sure it shows ‘Found One Loader device’ in AndroidTool software
3. Open AndroidTool, click on “Upgrade Firmware” tab, click on Firmware button and select update.img extracted from Purist ROM then click Upgrade

 

If you like improvements in Purist ROM, you may upgrade to Enhanced / Advanced ROM for even better sound. Please read Portable Products for more details including iBasso DX220 Fidelizer Mod project with 3 modification levels and happy listening. 🙂

Roon 1.5 test results with NimitraS featuring DSD and MQA with DSP

 in Article

 

Roon 1.5

 

Few days ago Roon released version 1.5 which is a major upgrade improving Linn, Tidal, and MQA support. There were sound signature changes in 1.4 making the sound too bright so I immediately checked on version 1.5 and here’s my findings.

I tested Roon 1.5 with NimitraS I’m going to bring to Munich show and use eXD audio interface for native DSD playback and converting MQA tracks to DSD format. It looks like they resolved brightness issue and Roon sounds musical again with improved transparency.

I checked audio output options and found new MQA options which freely allow user to use software (Decoder) and hardware (Renderer) to decode MQA files. Using Decoder will work with any output and Renderer will only work with MQA-capable device.

I also tested MQA with DSP such as Crossfeed to for my Rudistor RP030 + Beyerdynamic T1 and DSD upsampling for eXD interface with Emm Labs DSD playback. It worked fine and sounds very good.

So far I’m very happy with Roon 1.5 upgrade. It didn’t cause a huge mess with database like 1.3 upgrade and sounds better to my liking. I can search through Tidal better with official MQA support.

 

Fidelizer Munich AV Show 2018 Map

 

Oh, I will also bring NimitraS with Roon 1.5 and other goodies in Munich AV Show tomorrow so feel free to check our booth in Hall 3 J15. There’s also 3,000th license purchase offer for Fidelizer Upgrade Program including Fidelizer Purist ROMs so feel free to check out and take up offers. 🙂

Optimize MQA sound quality for Tidal Masters Guide

 in Article

After Tidal launch Tidal Master update that works only on desktop applications right now, there’s a few Fidelizer users asking about getting the best sound with Tidal Master so I think it’s good idea to write up step-by-step guide here.

 

STEP 1: Get Tidal for Windows app

Download most recent version of Tidal for Windows then sign up or login with your account.

 

STEP 2: Setup Streaming audio for best sound quality

Click on “Streaming” tab, you’ll see Streaming dialog with Quality and Sound Output options. Select “HiFi / Master” for Quality and audio output device of your choice. Don’t choose “System Default” because it doesn’t support exclusive mode.

You’ll notice settings icon when you move your cursor to audio output item. Click on that icon and select all options there. If your audio output doesn’t support MQA, uncheck “Passthrough MQA” option so Tidal will perform software decoding of MQA instead.

 

STEP 3: Use Fidelizer with Tidal

After setting up Tidal software, you can improve Windows sound quality further with Fidelizer software. You can run Fidelizer, click “Fidelize” button, choose “Yes” to launch music player application after optimizations, and select Tidal shortcut icon on Desktop.

If you’re using upgraded version, you can choose “Network Player” audio profile for better streaming audio performance.

 

And now you’re ready to play music with best sound quality from Tidal Masters. If you want to use Tidal Masters with JPLAY, I recommend ASIO Bridge software to allow bridging audio output with JPLAY ASIO driver.